Review of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) by Thomas C — 28 May 2013

With the majority of comedy films hiding behind their own stupidity, it is a relief to find a movie that embraces it into its whole appeal. This is entirely the case with the Will Ferrell led, tongue-in-cheek film 'Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy'; a film so ridiculous that the majority could be seen to be written by a handful of clowns - which in some ways the writers of the film could easily be seen as (be it not the circus kind). When looking into its silliness the film works. However, when seeing it as comedy venture for its lead stars, the film falls rather short. This is down to the fact that the film only seems to open into a more comedic narrative after the 45 minute mark (the halfway point of the picture). With hardly any jokes or funny sequences shown until this point, the first half comes across rather dull and as such, the film will easily detract multiple audience members within this period of its plot.

A satire of sorts to the old fashioned newsrooms and headlines, the film is immaculate at depicting the difference in past Anchorman's to those who feature on television today. With catchphrases that will be synonymous with the characters of the film, as well as over-the-top comedy set pieces (within the second half anyway), 'Anchorman : The Legend of Ron Burgundy' is an average film that has reached cult status amongst fans of Farrell and the genre as a whole. It is a film that can be entirely seen as a Ron Burgundy based narrative feature - that actually works, through the fact being that this character is instantly able to be iconic within the genre it features. This is both its major strength and biggest flaw, with those viewers who dislike the character having nothing else within the film to fall back upon.

A film that depicts the culture of 1970's news broadcast, 'Anchorman' is a film that bases is narrative around the major news of pregnant pandas in San Diego Zoo - seen through 'News of the Day' headlines. Ron Burgundy is a famous news anchorman that is known for his work in a local San Diego station. The number one for ratings and viewers, he is the envy of other news anchormen, yet he is chauvinistic and rude in his beliefs. He works alongside his friends; field reporter Brian Fantana, sportscaster Champ Kind and weatherman Brick Tamland. Enjoying the routines that surround his job, Ron Burgundy is shocked when femalenews journalist Veronica Corningstone aims to become an anchor in her own right. When a dispute occurs between Burgundy and a motorcyclist, Ron's lifestyle and career is altered forever. Depicting the further discrepancies between the two ambitious people, the film centers on their disputes and rivalry c*mulating in a bear pit and panda birth.

'Anchorman : The legend of Ron Burgundy' is not your typical comedy film. It is stupid, overly ridiculous in many places and discriminative in others, but when it works the film reaches a level of funny that is not often found within the mass releases of comedy films that surround the industry within the last decade. The character of Ron is expertly portrayed and brilliantly written to work within Will Ferrell's strengths as a humorous individual. Managing to bring in a worthy support cast for his over the top lead, the film manages to convey a true satirical look into the past life of this particular industry. With many cameos, each presenting something different to the narrative, the film is able to appear more full than at first it seems. A comedy legend it so nearly is - aside from the fact that the first half is so dull to watch that it takes true commitment to the film to pass through its slow paced beginning. To break that boundary brings about an above average comedy film - however, with that segment included within this movie the overall feel of 'Anchorman', is that it is slightly spoilt. D.