Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Incredibly silly yet often hilarious, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy follows a 1970s news team (Will Ferrell’s Ron Burgundy, Paul Rudd’s Brian Fantana, David Koechner’s Champ Kind, and Steve Carell’s Brick Tamland) as they’re forced to contend with the presence of a woman (Christina Applegate’s Veronica Corningstone) in their ranks. Director Adam McKay, working from a script cowritten with Ferrell, has infused Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy with a freewheeling sensibility that, generally speaking, proves impossible to resist, with the uniformly charismatic work from the four leads heightening the movie’s pervasively affable atmosphere. (It’s not surprising to note, then, that the film fares best in its newsroom-based sequences, as such moments are rife with quotable, laugh-out-loud funny bits of comedy.) There’s little doubt, however, that the movie’s momentum takes a palpable hit with the introduction of Applegate’s energy-draining character, with the actress’ less-than-engaging performance – ie she seems to be struggling to keep up with her razor-sharp costars – resulting in a number of lags within the decidedly erratic midsection (eg a long, tedious sequence in which Ron and Veronica head out on a date). It’s just as clear that Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy demonstrably bounces back after the title character experiences a series of setbacks (eg his dog is thrown off a bridge, he loses his job, etc, etc), with the ensuingly engaging third act essentially (and effectively) compensating for the lackluster stretch that precedes it – which ultimately cements the film’s place as a hit-and-miss (but mostly hit) comedy that boasts an impressive number of memorable lines and gags (eg “60% of the time, it works every time!”)

*** out of ****

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