Will Ferrell was funny in "Old School." In "Anchorman" he is HILARIOUS!!

Rating: Null/10 (9 July 2004)

*-Catch it on TV **-Worth a Rental ***-Buy it Used/On Sale ****-Buy it New/Top Dollar *****-Worthy of a Blind Buy
Will Ferrell. That is the only thing that needs to be said about "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy." The movie tells the story of Ron Burgundy (played by Ferrell) who is a newscaster in 1970's San Diego. He is the king of the news world and suddenly finds himself competing with his new female co-anchor Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate).
The first half of the film is filled with hilarious moments by Ferrell and company. Will Ferrell does a fantastic job and I am eagerly awaiting the day that he turns his sights to dramatic portrayals a la Tom Hanks or Jim Carrey. Ferrell was funny in "Old School," but in "Anchorman" he is hilarious. There are so many moments that I couldn't control myself. As far as Christina Applegate is concerned, she was alright. She was funny but couldn't seem to keep up with Will Ferrell.
Ron Burgundy is the leader of a newscast team. The other members are Brian Fanatana (Paul Rudd), Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), and Champ Kind (David Koechner). Their antics are all pretty much hit or miss. Steve Carell, however, hit the most. He had quite a few hilarious moments and really seemed to enjoy the character. Paul Rudd and David Koechner, unfortunately, were forgettable.
After the first half, the film kind of drifts off into a series of fairly ridiculous sequences that I found to be too over-the-top. There are a few surprising cameos that I will not spoil for you. If you can get past the brand of humor employed in the second half then you will be sure to find the charm that graced the first half. Overall I give this movie ***. It is Will Ferrell at his best and his fans will not be disappointed.