Review: Ferrell Is A Funny 'Anchorman'
'SNL' Alum Leads Great Cast Of Characters
POSTED: 8:23 am CDT July 9, 2004
'Anchorman' (PG-13)
>(out of four)The history of "Saturday Night Live" alums taking sketch comedy-type characters and putting them on a big screen is, well, sketchy at best.In some cases, it's a recipe for disaster (think "Pat") and other times it's a hit, "Wayne's World." There's an idea brewing for Rachel Dratch's "Debbie Downer" to become a full-length feature. Add that to the failure list before it even hits the big screen.
"Anchorman" Interactive CoverageWhile Will Ferrell's character Ron Burgundy never saw the light of "SNL," he could have easily played there. In fact, you'll wonder why Burgundy never showed up on "Weekend Update," which begs the question: can "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" keep its momentum for 98 minutes?As newsman Burgundy would say in his best TV voice, "You betcha." Set in a fictional San Diego television station in 1977, Burgundy's hair is as perfect as his polyester suit. He's a local celebrity who rules the air and the town, so when a female newscaster is brought in to the testosterone-filled newsroom, Burgundy and friends make it their job to mark their territory.The movie is ripe with sophomoric comedy and its PG-13 rating is a bit borderline. Although I suppose nowadays 13-plus teens have been exposed to plenty of sexual innuendo and bad breast jokes, and that's just on television. Still, a questionable scene, which reeks of bad taste, makes a tawdry joke about an exaggerated erection.While Ferrell and his pal, screenwriter and director Adam McKay, said the genesis for the idea came from watching a serious documentary about men having a difficult time accepting women in TV newsrooms and women trying to break the glass ceiling, the amount of sexism that exists in this movie is too unbelievable for even satire.Still, there are many laugh-out-loud surprises including a "West Side Story" rumble between TV stations, including PBS and the Spanish-language stations, which features a celebrity cameo around every corner. There's the riches to rags scene where Burgundy's turned into a bum and is walking the streets drinking milk out of a carton. (By the way, the carton says low fat? Did they have low fat in 1977? Continuity, stat!The cast is a priceless collection including Fred Willard as the hapless station manager, Paul Rudd as the field reporter whose big story is covering the zoo's panda birth. "The Daily Show" correspondent Steve Carell turns weather guy playing Brick Tamland, whose name is well-suited since the guy is about as thick as a brick in the IQ department. David Koechner is sportscaster Champ Kind, whose signature phrase "Whammy" is as original as his 10-gallon hat. Christina Applegate is the feisty blonde who holds her own against a newsroom full of male chauvinists as Veronica Cornerstone."Anchorman" is a light, fluffy and funny summer comedy. In the end the message is clear. Who knew news could be funny?
>(out of four)The history of "Saturday Night Live" alums taking sketch comedy-type characters and putting them on a big screen is, well, sketchy at best.In some cases, it's a recipe for disaster (think "Pat") and other times it's a hit, "Wayne's World." There's an idea brewing for Rachel Dratch's "Debbie Downer" to become a full-length feature. Add that to the failure list before it even hits the big screen."Anchorman" Interactive CoverageWhile Will Ferrell's character Ron Burgundy never saw the light of "SNL," he could have easily played there. In fact, you'll wonder why Burgundy never showed up on "Weekend Update," which begs the question: can "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" keep its momentum for 98 minutes?As newsman Burgundy would say in his best TV voice, "You betcha." Set in a fictional San Diego television station in 1977, Burgundy's hair is as perfect as his polyester suit. He's a local celebrity who rules the air and the town, so when a female newscaster is brought in to the testosterone-filled newsroom, Burgundy and friends make it their job to mark their territory.The movie is ripe with sophomoric comedy and its PG-13 rating is a bit borderline. Although I suppose nowadays 13-plus teens have been exposed to plenty of sexual innuendo and bad breast jokes, and that's just on television. Still, a questionable scene, which reeks of bad taste, makes a tawdry joke about an exaggerated erection.While Ferrell and his pal, screenwriter and director Adam McKay, said the genesis for the idea came from watching a serious documentary about men having a difficult time accepting women in TV newsrooms and women trying to break the glass ceiling, the amount of sexism that exists in this movie is too unbelievable for even satire.Still, there are many laugh-out-loud surprises including a "West Side Story" rumble between TV stations, including PBS and the Spanish-language stations, which features a celebrity cameo around every corner. There's the riches to rags scene where Burgundy's turned into a bum and is walking the streets drinking milk out of a carton. (By the way, the carton says low fat? Did they have low fat in 1977? Continuity, stat!The cast is a priceless collection including Fred Willard as the hapless station manager, Paul Rudd as the field reporter whose big story is covering the zoo's panda birth. "The Daily Show" correspondent Steve Carell turns weather guy playing Brick Tamland, whose name is well-suited since the guy is about as thick as a brick in the IQ department. David Koechner is sportscaster Champ Kind, whose signature phrase "Whammy" is as original as his 10-gallon hat. Christina Applegate is the feisty blonde who holds her own against a newsroom full of male chauvinists as Veronica Cornerstone."Anchorman" is a light, fluffy and funny summer comedy. In the end the message is clear. Who knew news could be funny?Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
