Great Summer Comedy

Rating: 7/10 (9 July 2004)

Will Ferrell just has a knack for making people laugh. Throughout his career he has been everything from the cowbell player of the Blue Oyster Cult to an elf to even Robert Goulet. In "Anchorman," Ferrell plays pompous Ron Burgundy, a four-time Emmy winning news host in San Diego. Set in the wonderful 70's (and with a fantastic soundtrack to boot), Ron has to deal with the competition of other networks and if that wasn't enough a new female journalist (Christina Applegate as the sultry Veronica Corningstone).
Since there is a large sex barrier in the newsroom it is tough for Veronica to get a decent subject to report on, let alone do anything without being hit on by almost all of the her male counterparts.
As funny as Ferrell is as Burgundy, Steve Carell steals the spotlight with his performance of weatherman Brick Tamland, who has an IQ of 48 and refers to South Dakota as the "Middle East." The other members of the news team include Champ Kind (David Koechner) as a cowboy sports reporter and Paul Rudd as man on the street Brian Fantana.
While the movie's plot is outrageous at times, it has to be expected when you walk in the theater. The comedy more than makes up for the plot lapses and the tension between the rival news teams and the star cameos in the flick just add to the fun.
All in all "Anchorman" is a great light summer comedy that one just can't help but be entertained by.
7 out of 10.