This raunchy and comedic film is much like other movies featuring Will Ferrell. Hilariously funny, slightly offensive, and very inappropriate. Director Adam Mckay and Will Ferrell have developed a healthy working relationship creating other similarly amusing movies such as The Other Guys, and Step Brothers. As a result of this, we can get a relatively good idea of the type of comedy that will be used in Anchorman, the kind of humor you wouldn't want your kids within earshot of. From extremely sexist remarks towards women to a battle royal style fight between San Diego’s news teams this movie definitely isn’t for young audiences.
However, if you're mature enough the hilariously immature humor will make you double over in laughter. The scene when Champ Kind (David Koechner) says “[describing Veronica] Oooh, she has got a big ole' behind! I mean, I'd like to slap some barbecue sauce on that big ol' butt and just uh burr burr burr burr burrrr. OOwwwwooooo!!!!” stood out as the perfect example of the childish yet hilarious humor the film has to offer. Another prime example of Anchorman style comedy is when Brick Tamland (Steve Carell) kept repeating the phrase “I love lamp” which in a way was a metaphor for his entire character in the film, merely a man who has no idea what's going on. Brick provides comic relief to tenser scenes in the movie because he always seems out of place or a few steps behind everyone else even in the most serious of situations. As you can likely tell, Anchorman isn't the type of movie you would watch if you're looking for intelligent, sophisticated, and complex humor. Instead, taking on the mantle of the movie people from all walks of life can enjoy.
When watching movies, I rarely laugh out loud, instead simply recognizing where comedy is used and appreciating it. However, Anchorman made me burst out laughing on more than one occasion. One such scene was when Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) began to play the jazz flute while on a “date” with Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate). Ron somehow teleported around the bar invading everyone's personal space and even found himself in a bathroom stall with another occupant, all the while playing a rather impressive jazz flute solo. Pure absurdity and chaos are often where this movie shines.
On the contrary, the raunchiness of the film will be a turnoff for many. The film is chock-full of racist and sexist remarks that would be considered inappropriate and offensive in today's political landscape. Hell, one of the major plot points of the movie was a competition between the channel four news team to see who could have sex with Veronica first. On a more positive note, Veronica remains an example of a strong and determined woman in a male-dominated industry. Rather than stooping to the low level of the men, she chooses to focus her time on perfecting her craft and becoming better than everyone else, even Ron Burgundy himself. She eventually takes Ron’s job as lead anchorman, or anchorwoman in this case, right from under his nose, proving that women can be just as good or better than men at reading the news. Once Ron loses his job he now has to deal with the fact that his love interest just surpassed him and became San Diego's new favorite channel four news member.
All in all, I give Anchorman a BAD GOOD rating. This is because the plot of the film is relatively weak, focusing on a woman joining an all-male news team and their long journey to accepting her as an equal. This theme of overcoming insurmountable odds combined with the theme of hubris leading to the downfall of those in power falls on its face when you realize it's less of a political statement and more of one big joke poking fun at a genuine problem women face in the workforce today. On the other hand, the outrageously funny humor throughout the film in my opinion not only redeems the weak plot but also tempts me to watch the movie again so I can re-experience the hilarity that ensues when a strong independent female joins a group of sexist, outrageous, and pompous anchormen.
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