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During his tenure on Saturday Night Live, there was no funnier cast member than the wild-eyed, goofy, and strangely lovable Will Ferrell. Most often playing the strangest character on the show in the funniest skit on the show, Will Ferrell won over loyal SNL viewers and certainly took a large chunk of the series' entertainment value with him when he left to make a name for himself in Hollywood in 2002. The name has been made, and Ferrell equals box office magic, but frankly, though I love Ferrell, his projects have yet to win me over. Though he manages to just about steal whatever scene he's in no matter what film it is, the films that Ferrell actually plays lead in really fail to impress, and, unfortunately, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is yet another example. I think that I've concocted a reason why: When Ferrell plays the main character, leaving the entire supporting roster to be filled up with lesser-known talents and some big cameos, no one really stands out. Ferrell is already shining in the lead role, therefore leaving no one to provide the backbone to his films. Anchorman is set in the San Diego, California of the 1970's, where the local news is watched by all and lead anchor Ron Burgundy (Ferrell) is loved by all. However, most unfortunate for Ron and fellow anchors Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), and Champ Kind (David Koechner), there's a new lady in town...and one that they'll never be able to get their mitts on. For this beauty is Veronica Corningstone (a surprisingly, well, good, Christina Applegate), and she's determined to become anchor and prove once and for all to the chauvinistic pigs at the news station that anything men can do, women can do as well, and much, much better. As you can tell, the plot features a definite feminist in the form of Veronica, and her schlubby male counterparts in, well, just about the rest of the cast of characters. However, though to sadly be expected from a silly comedy such as this, in the hands of director Adam McKay (from the Saturday Night Live crew), the feminism aspect isn't explored hardly at all, and the exploits of the very stereotypically "male" anchors are played up very highly for cheap laughs...most of which come very, very forced. Especially annoying is Champ, who is the most shallow as well as the most unlikable character in the film, and David Koechner's mostly routine performance doesn't help him out. When Koechner goes on for five minutes about wanting to "put barbecue all over that piece of meat" and other such hiney references, you know you haven't stumbled into the most intellectual of theaters at the cinema. Still, though admittedly shallow and with a painfully unfunny first act, there is actually much to enjoy in Anchorman, even if you do have to wait some time for it to appear. I've never been of a fan of Christina Applegate's (to put it this way, I'm not a fan of anyone who was on that piece of crap known as Married...with Children), but here she actually manages to hold her own against the unstoppable comedic juggernaut known as Will Ferrell. In fact, even through the choppiest of Anchorman's waters, Ferrell manages to buoy the piece and provides it with a color, life, and vividity that may have been absent had he not been cast in the title role. Ferrell is so funny that, just like Jim Carrey, just a certain look or gesture he throws at the camera can elicit explosive laughs. This wonderful talent of his is most apparent in bits where Ron screams and cries in a telephone booth after having lost everything while abusing the (very innocent) phone booth, talks to his dog whom obviously has full grasp of the English language (as well as Spanish), and plays the jazz flute in every location and position imaginable in a night club. The funniest scene in the film is also the most unexpected, and the one loaded with blockbuster cameos that I won't ruin just in case you really can't find anything worth salvaging in the flick (and trust me, it was a challenging task in moments). Ron, his fellow anchors, and a few other news crews engage in an epic battle which brought to mind some of the hilariously gory scenes in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Of course, Anchorman never manages to reach Holy Grail's heights of hilarity, but it has its fair share of chuckles and guffaws. Also of notice is when Ron and Veronica take a trip to Pleasure Town. Completely wild and random moments like that made me not hate this movie. email this review to a friend
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