A night at the improv

Rating: 9/10 (2 December 2014)

A comedy that mostly ditches the script and gives the actors their freedom can really only go two ways: it's either going to be really good or really terrible. It just depends on how well the actors play off one another and how long they have to ramble on before a decent punchline comes along. Thankfully, this movie is chock full of fantastic comedians so there was never really much of a risk. If you put Will Ferrell and Steve Carell in a room together you can count on it that they'll have something good in five minutes, and writer/director Adam McKay (without underestimating his input, obviously) lets the magic happen. It also helps that Will Ferrell knows everyone, so there are a lot of amusing cameos in here. They just keep piling on new familiar faces as the movie progresses, without it ever feeling forced. "Anchorman" is just about as disjointed and filled with non-sequiturs as a movie can get, but in the final act there's even some room for character development and a genuinely touching ending. Infinitely rewatchable.