Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
What a contrast of Will Ferrell characters I have in front of me. Buddy from Elf, an extremely lovable character due to his big heart & naivety. Frank from Old School, less of a sympathetic character because of his bros before hos mentality. & finally, Ron Burgundy, one of the least likable characters I've ever seen.
Ferrell brings some element of charm to the character of Burgundy, a news anchor for a San Diego TV station back in the '70s. However, because this was the 70s, Burgundy's a male chauvinist pig & an idiot. He's a lech, a schmuck, a fucking moron. I know the newsroom situation was very different back in the day, but translating it to an era of PC isn't exactly a prize-winning idea.
There are some gold moments, mostly involving Steve Carell (Brick Tamland) & the rest of the News Crew (Paul Rudd & David Koechner), but that's just because of how stupid their characters are. They play them convincingly though, especially Carell, who's retarded brilliance insured that he'd steal a second newsroom comedy movie in as many years (the first being last year's Bruce Almighty).
I know there's a bunch of actors in Hollywood that are part of a close-knit group or clique or something, but these celebrity cameos are fucking out of hand. Does Ben Stiller HAVE to be in every movie, playing essentially the same character? Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Tim Robbins, Danny Trejo, Jack Black. If it was a quality movie I'd probably be more behind it, but this movie ain't that great of a newsroom comedy.
Asking the audience to find humour in a situation we've been conditioned to know is wrong for the past decade or so, is asking for a big leap of faith on the part of the audience. I just couldn't make that leap, which is odd because I'm such a big fan of the offensive & black comedies. I think it's because, other than a few good lines, Ron Burgundy is a horrible, unlikable, unsympathetic character. I didn't give a damn about him, & neither should you. Now Christina Applegate! PM Dawn was right about you. 2 outta 5 for Anchorman.
Roger Ebert's review of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)