Not so funny movie appeals mainly to males under 30.

Rating: Null/10 (16 January 2005)

Many critics gave 'Anchorman' good marks, but we watched it last night on DVD and couldn't believe how bad it is. It is clearly aimed at broad comedy but most of the situations, dialog and acting simply were embarrassing to watch. Will Ferrell who plays the fictional 1970s title character, anchorman Ron Burgundy, has been funny in many skits I have seen him in, especially on SNL, where other people wrote for him. As I watched him here, I had the feeling he was trying to be another Steve Martin, but just came across as foolish, and not funny.
One of the worst was the conversation he was having in the newsroom with Christina Applegate who plays the new reporter Veronica Corningstone. We see something poking out inside his pants, and Veronica mentions to him that he has a very large erection, and he promptly parades around the newsroom with this "erection" prominently displayed. That MIGHT have seemed funny on paper, and high school boys watching the movie MIGHT have laughed at it, but the three of us watching the movie just though it was stupid. There are many other scenes that shot for a comedic reaction but just didn't work for us.
Fred Willard playing the boss Ed Harken was the only ray of light here. Willard is always funny, and he underplays his role quite appropriately. He is bringing in the dreaded 'woman' on the news team, and the guys don't like it one bit. Burgundy feels threatened, but is immediately smitten when he meets Victoria. Against all reason, she also falls for the dopey and incompetent Burgundy, and they have what seems to be an attempt at a comedic bedroom scene but just seemed absurd to us. When Burgundy has an altercation on the freeway and is then late for the evening news broadcast, Veronica steps in and does great, fulfilling her dream to become an on-air anchor.
Later there is a very silly scene at the zoo, covering the birth of a new Panda, when various news team members end up in a bear pit. There is a silly scene of four rival news teams fighting in an alley, 'West Side Story' style, but one man played by Luke Wilson in a 'cameo' gets his arm cut off and we see the nub but he just looks at it and shrugs. Later, at the zoo, his other arm is cut off.
The very best rating I can give this movie is a "3", and only because I have seen some even worse movies I rate "1" or "2". I cannot imagine how well-known critics can give it a favorable rating. I don't really care about Will Farrell, but I love Christina Applegate as an actress. Her role here was a waste of her talent. I hope she picks better projects in the future.
Can you tell I was totally disappointed in this movie??