Given the enormity of the impact that this film will have on our society, we here at TheCinemaSource felt it would be prudent to present at least two different opinions and analysis’s of it. With that in mind… this just in!!!

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Anchorman is set in the loud decade of the 1970's, in a world where local TV news reined supreme and one anchorman stood above the rest. Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) is the best of the best as anchor for the number one news station in San Diego, California. That is until Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) arrives on the scene and turns his world upside down. Ron is instantly blown away by this intelligent blonde beauty who dreams of infiltrating the all boys club of anchoring.

After hearing that Burgundy's new team has, once again, made it to the top of the ratings, Ron encounters Ms. Corningstone at a pool party he is hosting. Women are at the mercy of his animal magnetism and success. Ron Burgundy mirrors Burt Reynolds in his prime with a full head of hair and sprouting a caterpillar of a mustache. However, Veronica resists his charms while he compliments her ample physique. Deflecting his advances as she walks off into the night only heightens his interest. The party ends and as Ron prepares for bed we notice his softer side as he shows sweet affection for his dog, Baxter. They go to sleep in matching pajamas sharing the same bed.

Ron's trusty news crew consists of Brian Fontana (a heavily mustachioed Paul Rudd), sports reporter Champ Kind (David Koechner), and dimwitted weatherman Brick Tamland (Steven Carell). Ron's co-workers bask in his overpowering appeal and follow his lead wherever it may take them. These men comprise the number one rated news crew, which is ironic once you see them struggle at work or trying to interact with others.

Unbeknownst to Ron, Veronica has accepted a job at his news station. Veronica is forced to fend off catcalls and attempts by the male staff to sleep with her. Veronica does accept an invitation from Ron to see the sites of San Diego her new home, but only as colleagues. On this occasion we get to see Ron's charm that more than makes up for his lack of intellect, as displayed at a bar lounge with a flute. Underneath all the overflowing testosterone is a man looking for love.

Things are moving along swimmingly until her quest to be a news anchor and his pride to remain number one clash head on. Things become contentious between them and this is when the story really takes off as they spar and try to sabotage one another to comical effect.

Will Ferrell excels in the role of Ron Burgundy as he finds a way to combine male bravado with tenderness and vulnerability. He can

make an obvious gag funnier simply by the intonation of his voice or a look he shoots at you. By crying hysterically in a phone booth he has your attention. The chemistry between Ferrell and Applegate is strong and she gives as good as she gets exchanging one-liners. Her comedy background from Married With Children makes her more believable, even though her intelligent Veronica is nothing like her role as Kelly Bundy. Except perhaps in her ability to stand up for herself and fight.

The supporting cast succeeds in providing more laughs, as they are all funny characters. Steve Carell steals some scenes because you cannot believe his weatherman can be as dumb as he is and still find his way to the office each day. He is that unaware of the world. Paul Rudd and David Koechner help establish that 70's machismo, as they truly believe they are God's gift to women and that it is a Man's World. They aspire to be what Ron is.

The lead news story of the film is that a panda at the local zoo is pregnant. Tidbits like this help paint the portrait of TV news as a satire. Outrageously bright and polyester suits, big hair and even bigger mustaches, help re-create the frivolity of the 1970's. Whether it's the clothes, the hair, or music we are transported back to that time.

I viewed Saturday Night Live when Will Ferrell was a cast member. I watched because I knew that when he appeared the laughs would follow. With great expectations comes the possibility of even greater disappointment. Thank goodness Anchorman did not disappoint. I enjoyed the movie from the opening narration to the end credits. Somewhere in between I found a few moments to catch my breath from laughing so hard. The story, the surprises, the jokes, the cast, somehow all meld together beautifully as ninety odd minutes of hilarity helping to continue to spread the Legend of Ron Burgundy.

Movie Grade: A-

And now for another opinion, we go to our Chicago reporter, Matt Pais for his take on Anchorman.

Anchorman

Review by: Matt Pais MattPais@TheCinemaSource.com

There's a strange charisma to Will Ferrell's characters, most of whom are deliberately obnoxious louts completely devoid of social skills. Yet with totally ironic confidence, Ferrell imbues Old School's Frank the Tank, Zoolander's Mugatu, and every lovable loser in between with appealing, self-assured idiocy. He's one of the few actors that can pull off the role of both class clown and teacher's pet.

The former Saturday Night Live standout stars as the titular newsman in the hysterical but otherwise meaningless Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Set in 1970s San Diego, the film plays on the notion that back in those simpler days, an anchorman didn't need to be sophisticated, professional, or even talented. He just needed a mustache, some

mousse and a closet full of pastel suits.

Ron and his team"”played by Paul Rudd, David Koechner, and The Daily Show's Steve Carell"”don't think much of women in the workplace (they're not particularly polite to women anywhere, actually), so they're miffed when the Channel 4 director (Fred Willard) brings in reporter Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) to add some diversity to the newsroom. Of course, Ron falls for her and must face jealousy from his co-workers as well as his own insecurities about his journalistic abilities.

Anchorman has a ball claiming that the '70s were barely more enlightened than the 1950s when it comes to office relations between the sexes, but there's a passive-aggressive violent streak that doesn't always get its comeuppance. Koechner's slack-jawed sports reporter receives a punch to the crotch for hitting on Veronica, but the film flops when her co-workers, especially Ron, actually hit her. At one point, he casually threatens, "I'm gonna punch you in the ovaries," and it seems an innocent laugh might not be so innocent after all.

Directed by former SNL writer Adam McKay, who also co-wrote the script with Ferrell, Anchorman often looks and feels like a feature-length segment from the legendary sketch comedy show. It's not nearly as stretched out as A Night at the Roxbury or the dreadful It's Pat"”there are plenty of jokes here to sustain a 90-minute running time"”but the improv-style acting strips the film of any sincerity. Nobody onscreen appears to be taking any of it seriously, and you won't care much about any of Ron's numerous petty conflicts.

Featuring an onslaught of cameos that range from amusing to pointless, Anchorman unfolds less as an actual movie and more as an easygoing comedy jam session between friends. It's obvious that everyone in the cast, particularly Ferrell and Rudd"”is tickled pink by his or her own goofball behavior, and it's tough not to have fun when the actors clearly are.

Luckily, Anchorman is also funny as hell. McKay keeps the jokes coming fast enough that even the lead balloons are quickly forgotten, and you may not even realize how utterly lame the storyline is until you leave the theater and notice the pain in your temples from all that eye-rolling.

Chances are, though, you'll be far more aware of the tingling in your cheeks, the sign of a comedy able to create its own laugh track. As expected, much of the humor is juvenile and crass, but nearly every scene has at least one laugh-out-loud moment that would have SNL audiences rolling in the aisles. It's a very specific, late-night brand of comedy, and it's better to view the film as an entire Saturday Night Live episode dedicated to one character.

It's a bit awkward on the big screen, and at times the film seems a bit lost in its own mess of guest appearances and flimsy plotting. It can't tell

the difference between an anchor and a field reporter, and its purposely ridiculous newscasts eventually wear thin.

But there's a giddy, playful stupidity here that cuts through the skepticism and goes right to the funny bone. Even after groaning at all the familiar turning points, you can't help but crack up at Ferrell's relentlessly brazen, side-splitting performance that proves yet again any comedy would be lucky to have him as its anchor.

And it's a blast to see the hairy, overweight, 6'3 ½" actor playing the moronic, uncoordinated Ron Burgundy as if he were the sexiest man on Earth. The kicker is discovering that, deep down, both Ferrell and Burgundy aren't really chauvinistic sex machines. They just play them on TV.

Movie Grade: B-

Synopsis:

Will Ferrell stars as Ron Burgundy, the top-rated anchorman in San Diego in the ’70s. When feminism marches into the newsroom in the form of ambitious newswoman Veronica Corningstone (Applegate), Ron is willing to play along at first-as long as Veronica stays in her place, covering cat fashion shows, cooking, and other “female” interests. But when Veronica refuses to settle for being eye candy and steps behind the news desk, it’s more than a battle between two perfectly coiffed anchor-persons…it’s war.