Decent rental

Rating: 5/10 (15 November 2005)

"Anchorman" is one of those movies that i have a hard time with. I don't know what to think really. While i did get some laughs out of it, it still left me wondering what it was i just saw. It's like a joke with no clear punchline, it might be funny but you still wonder what the big point was.
This movie rests heavily on the shoulders of Will Ferrell. He's in almost every scene in the movie and i think he carries it quite well. Ferrell is one of those comedy actors that has the ability to be at least somewhat funny even when the material is not. Many Saturday Night Live-skits were saved by him in my opinion. Here he is the centerpiece but he also has good help from the standard supporting actors for movies like this one, people like Vince Vaughn and Steve Carell. Aside from Will Ferrell most responsibility lies on Christina Applegate. She has comic timing enough but her character is quite poorly written which doesn't really allow her to deliver.
"Anchorman" is a movie that is sometimes very funny but most of the time not spectacularly so. Rather i was sitting there watching, often with a smile and an occasional laugh. It's not boring but it's not great. It's the most funny when well-known actors show up in cameos. Not only do they add some surprise to the mix but those scenes also feel more well-written than most. "Anchorman" is not an intelligent movie but it doesn't offend your intelligence either like so many other movies with this set-up and actors. Recommended as a decent rental.
5/10.