Film #030 - Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
I love Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. It does something that I always admire in a film: it builds its own take on reality and blindly holds onto it no matter what. The world of Anchorman is a specific take on the 1970s: male chauvanist, environmentally unfriendly, yet harmlessly naive (despite the gang fight). While not a serious look at the attitudes of the day, nonethless Anchorman is able to speak to those attitudes by its very atmosphere.
Not that it ever gets too preachy or anything. Much like the “Austin Powers” movies, it never dwells on its issues long enough to ruin the fun. And it’s the fun that really makes Anchorman such a great film. It’s clear that the cast and crew are having a blast with the material and its easy to understand why they produced enough material in the original shoot for virtually an entire extra film. (The bonus film Wake Up, Ron Burgandy was put together from alternate takes and discarded plotlines.)
Anchorman was Will Ferrell’s followup to his all-time classic film Elf (Don’t question the attribution, it was an instant all-time classic.) and he couldn’t have gone more fully in the opposite direction. But there are still similarities. While in Elf, Ferrell needed to portray Buddy’s innocence and simplicity, yet not make him seem like an idiot, in Anchorman, he has to show Ron’s relative dimness and lack of social graces, while still making him appealing to the audience.
He is helped by the stellar supporting cast. From Steve Carell’s star-making turn as Brick Tamlund to Christina Applegate’s Veronica Corningstone, they all manage to keep on target. Carell is of special note, as the outtakes show just how hard it was for him to keep a straight face, yet he makes it all work in the final film.
Then there’s the myriad of cameos from the “Frat Pack”. Jack Black gets a great scene as a biker. Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller (and for some reason, Tim Robbins) show up as other anchormen in the fantastic “gang fight” scene. Of course, the best is left for Vince Vaughn, who chews the scenery as Wes Mantooth, the number two anchor behind Ron.
The strength of Anchorman, as I mentioned earlier, is the way the cast and crew completely buy into the world. Like with Spinal Tap, they flawlessly carry that world into other material, from Wake Up to the Comedy Central specials, to the soundtrack CD, which is brilliantly narrated by Ferrell in character as Ron (and crying throughout the playing of “Shannon”).
It is, of course, not for everyone. Some will find fault with the craziness of the storyline and the nature of the jokes. Politically-correct types will be unable to see past the lead character’s attitudes. But for those who can let go and just have fun, there are few films that can provide one with so much as Anchorman.