Sean OLeary Mr.

Matos

Anchorman: Pure Ridiculousness at its Best Oop... I almost forgot. I won't be able to make it fellas. Veronica and I are trying this new fad called uh, jogging. I believe it's jogging or yogging. It might be a soft j. I'm not sure but apparently you just run for an extended period of time. It's supposed to be wild. These words, taken completely out of context, come from the 2004 comedy, Anchorman, directed by Adam McKay and staring Will Ferrell. Right now, you are probably confused, amused, or think that this is just plain stupid. But dont worry, your reaction will indicate whether you absolutely love or completely despise this movie. Its that type of movie: an entire series of skits full of outrageous lines that make no attempt to follow any sort of logical plot causing it to be equally loved and despised by moviegoers everywhere. The movie follows the ridiculous life of Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), the lead anchorman for the San Diego channel 4 news team in the 1970s. Rons overconfidence and somewhat sexist demeanor are perfectly exemplified by his outlandish red suits and boastful mustache. In addition to reading the news, Mr. Burgundy enjoys drinking scotch, flaunting around office parties with his extremely hairy chest exposed, making over the top, sexually explicit, pick up attempts, and having bilingual conversations with his dog Baxter. Joining Ron on the news team are his associates: reporter in the field Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), sportscaster Champ Kind (David Koechner), and weatherman Brick Tamland (Steve Carrell). Each of these characters is distinctly different yet they are all equal in there level of ridiculousness. In a way, the characters reflect the various comedic styles of the actors, who have

each had great individual success in the years following the films release. Brain, a selfproclaimed ladies man takes great pride in his secret collection of manly cologne, including his personal favorite and most trusted, Sex Panther from Odeon. Theyve done studies you know. 60% of the time, it works every time. Similarly, Champs wacky personality and style of humor are exemplified in his description about himself. Champ here! I'm all about havin' fun. You know, get a couple cocktails in me, start a fire in someone's kitchen. Maybe go to SeaWorld, take my pants off. Anyway, I kinda known for my catch phrase WHAMMY! Last but certainty not least is Brick, whose unmatched level of stupidity and pitifully simplistic sense of humor are best displayed in his attempt to talk trash to a rival news crew. Where'd you get your clothes... from the... toilet store? Together the four members of the channel four news team form a tight knit group and take pride in their status as the number one rating news program in the area. In the midst of their blissful arrogance and stupidity, the team receives a sudden shock when all of a sudden a new female correspondent named Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) arrives at the station. The teams outraged attitude towards working with a newswoman is best described in the words of Brian Fantana. Don't get me wrong, I love the ladies. I mean they rev my engines, but they don't belong in the newsroom. In contrast to her dimwitted and crude male counterparts, Ms. Corningstone is attractive, confident, and intelligent. Christina Applegates portrayal of a bold woman sticking up for herself in a male dominated environment is very convincing. Such qualities are exemplified when Ms. Corningstone rejects each of news anchors outlandish pick up attempts including Rons gun sculpting session in his own office.

This overall theme of exaggerated male arrogance is an example of the films attempt to embrace its time period. The 1970s was a time well after the invention of the birth control pill but before the strong feminism movement that helped project woman into the working world as the independent individuals that they are recognized as today. The movie overemphasizes this point with the outrageous and sexist remarks the lead male figures make throughout the movie. However, these underlying feminist tones are secondary to the comedic aspects of the movie. Although Ms. Corningstone dismisses Ron initial romantic gestures, she eventually falls for him after his ludicrous display of jazz flute improvisation at Tinos club. The tumultuous yet outrageous relationship between Ron and Victoria throughout the movie reflects the films overall sporadic nature. After leaving Tinos club, Ron and Veronica return to Rons place for a cartoonish sex scene full of unicorns and rainbows. However, despite this romantic experience their relationship is thrown into turmoil when Ron reveals to Veronica that he thought her dream of being of a network anchor was a joke. This scenario is brought about after Veronica is forced to fill in for Ron one evening when he fails to show up to work because his beloved dog, Baxter, is punted off a bridge as a result of a motorcycle accident that Ron caused by tossing his unfinished burrito out his car window. This series of events is nothing short of ridiculous but it fits perfectly in with the overall nature of the movie. Due to its unique nature and over the top sense of humor, Anchorman targets a very specific audience. As a result, the film has received mixed review from a variety of different credible sources. To some, the movies lack of an actual plot proved to be the defining feature that scars the movie to point where it is no longer worth watching. Geoff Pevere of the Toronto Star writes, Like most of these sofa-spud comedies, Anchorman bears its attention-deficit disorder proudly, as it shifts tone and abruptly sidetracks. To others (including myself), the

movies witty lines and outrageous characters help cement its places as a comedic classic. Stephen Hunter of the Washington Post writes, It hews brilliantly to that line, only rarely breaking mood, never losing its nerve and always generating humor. It's certainly the role that Ferrell was born to play. However, to most, the films impact can accurately be summed up in the words of Phillip Martin from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. By no means is Anchorman a great movie. But I not only understand why some people love it, I think Im even beginning to love it a little myself. Ultimately, ones opinion of the movie is based off their opinion of the star, Will Ferrell, and his unique comedic style. For those unfamiliar with Will Ferrell, his comedic style consists mostly of himself yelling unusually worded insults and expressions as in Knights of Columbus, that hurt! This comedic technique is similar to that used in the skits of the hit television show Saturday Night Live, which as one might expect is where Ferrell started his career. The boisterous and arrogant Ron Burgundy is a character perfectly developed for Ferrells comedic style. For this reason, fans of Ferrell will be brought to stitches by the never ending barrage of one liners that is Anchorman. However, those looking for quality, plot-driven, production is will be slightly bewildered and very disappointed by the film given that the actual climax consists of Ron reassembling the news team via conch shell so that they can jump down into a bear pit in their exquisite suits to hand to hand fight several large Kodiaks as cheesy 80s action music blasts in the background. For those still uncertain whether they should give Anchorman a change, I will leave you with this. If while reading this review, the assortment of out of context lines provided managed to make you crack a smile, then you absolutely need to go grab couple of friends and go watch this film. However, if you would categorize yourself as a serious moviegoer who is interest in a

good story, then you might want to pass on this one. Personally, I found the movie to be hilarious to the point where I find myself quoting it one a regular basis in conversations with my friends. For this reason, Anchorman gets eight out of ten glasses of scotch.

Works Cited Hunter, Stephen. "On the Spot News." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 09 July 2004. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. Martin, Phillip. "ON FILM: Ferrell's Burgundy Is Aging like Wine." ON FILM: Ferrell's Burgundy Is Aging like Wine. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. Pevere, Geoff. "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy." Thestar.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.