I had been avoiding myself from watching 'Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy' for a long time because I thought that it would be another one of those wannabe non-funny comedies. I liked Ferrell a lot in comedies like 'Legally Blonde' and 'Stranger Than Fiction' where he really downplays the humour but I saw some of his Saturday Night Live sketches and many were plain awful. Anyway, I later found out that the cast also included Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd and Steve Carell and so I was curious to how Ferrell works with these talented comedy actors.
So that's that and now, after having seen it, I must add that 'Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy' is a laugh riot. It superbly spoofs the 70s. Adam McKay brings together an excellent comedic cast playing colourful characters. Ferrell and Applegate are at the centre of the film and both are stupendous! But the supporting cast that includes David Koechner as a 'macho' wannabe who's actually a closet homosexual, Paul Rudd as a virgin stud, Steven Carell as a mentally stunted weatherman and Fred Willard as the laid back boss equally stand out with their gags and superb comic timing. Just when I was thinking that it would be funny if Vince Vaughn was part of the cast, he appears on screen as the 'deadly' rival. There are also notable cameos by a psychopathic Tim Robbins, a Hispanic Ben Stiller, an armless Luke Wilson and Jack Black as a cruel junkie.
I'd recommend to watch the movie with English subtitles as there are some hilarious lines between Burgundy's dog and a bear which is spoken in animal language. There are so many more laugh-out-loud moments that it's hard for me to single out a particular scene. Which one shall I say? The scene where he plays the flute to impress Veronica, Veronica screaming 'Ron!' (in typical 70's melodramatic style) when he gets fired, the entire bear awakening sequence, the battle between the anchormen, Veronica challenging Ed with her three strengths: screwing, fighting and news-reading ....there's just too many.
While being an out-and-out comedy, it does bring forth some serious issues like gender equality (which was still a problem in the 70s). Though the undertone is serious, it's all presented in a comedic way but it never makes fun of the issue. For example, Veronica is continuously harassed by her male co-workers but she stays strong without succumbing to their rudeness.
'Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy' is a joyride all the way. Whether one likes the film or not, I'm sure they at least would have a good laugh.
