Winning Effort

Rating: Null/10 (11 July 2004)

`Anchorman' is a pretty darned funny movie and Will Ferrell has a winning release here, for the reasons that it is pretty smart stuff and will be a box office smash to boot. Cut from the same mold as `The Naked Gun' series and `Airplane' we are reminded of Leslie Nielsen efforts when he was at the top of his game. But perhaps the casting of Fred Willard more contemporarily ties `Anchorman' to the sarcastic treats `Best Of Show' and `A Mighty Wind', successful parodies which may have influenced Ferrell in lampooning the worst of the 70's.
Focusing on a TV news team of the era, Ferrell (as Ron Burgundy, a local anchorman on evening broadcasts) looks, dresses and acts the part of a familiar subject (let's face it, Ted Knight was an original); a no-nothing hedonistically sexist talking head. His teammates support the theme that TV news people have characters the thickness of a playing card and all the social skills of college frat pledges.
Of the supporting cast, standouts include Paul Rudd as supporting newsperson Brian Fontana, Fred Willard as their boss Ed Harken and unbilled cameos by three Hollywood regulars. Vince Vaughn reveals a wonderful laugh to us and contributes well as the second banana (therefore arch enemy of Ron Burgundy) in San Diego newscaster ratings. Vaughn also got a chance to appear in two movies very recently where a fairly important, if not the main, character could not articulate a metaphor, was ignorant of common idioms and/or makes up historical references (see also Ben Stiller in Dodgeball).
There was one item that became distinctly more noticeable and almost unbearable as the movie went on  this is the worst sound track in memory. As if the 70's weren't unmemorable enough, the tunes  all the vapid hits of that era  were chosen for the movie. `Afternoon Delight' could be the worst tune of the second part of the 20th century; if you like rock that has an edge, this is not the soundtrack for you. It might be argued that these were the hits then; well, no one should have to listen to 90 minutes of the following:
1) Legendary Anchor Ron Burgundy Welcomes You To His Album "A Life, A Song" 2) Ride Captain Ride - Anchorman Medley 3) Sunshine - Anchorman Medley 4) Treat Her Like A Lady - Anchorman Medley 5) Groovy Situation - Anchorman Medley 6) Carry On My Wayward Son - Anchorman Medley 7) Grazing in the Grass - Anchorman Medley 8) Cherry, Cherry - Anchorman Medley 9) Who's That Lady -Anchorman Medley 10) Shannon 11) Use Me -Anchorman Medley 12) Help Yourself -Anchorman Medley 13) She's Gone -Anchorman Medley 14) Afternoon Delight 15) Ron Burgundy's Sign Off
(Source: http://music.ign.com/articles/522/522968p1.html)
Christina Applegate (as Veronica Corningstone, a serious challenge to the all-male broadcasting station staff) generated just the right amount of lib-ness to her role and is a perfect choice as Will Ferrell's in-house competition. She shows us smart, sexy and talented; Fred Willard has no choice but to make her the lead on the occasion of Burgundy's inability to make an appearance for the nightly news and she runs with it.

The news team is composed of a sports anchor (Champ Kind, played by David Koechner); Brian Fontana (Paul Rudd) - Rudd has appeared in 200 Cigarettes and The Cider House Rules and is far funnier than any of the other news team members; and Steve Carrel (playing Brick Tamland). Anyone living in the Seventies knew a Brian Fontana, something of a disco ladies man.
So we witness the penetration of the news team by a woman, tension and finally all-out war between the local news stations and a somewhat tepid romantic angle between two unlikely lovers. There are even two great lines that one can steal in the bargain. And if you squeak out a few laughs like Vince Vaughn you will have covered the value of your ticket.

Rating: Three Stars.