Beauty and the Self-Absorbed Anchorman

Rating: 8/10 (18 July 2005)

I came unto this movie only for the scene in the trailer that showed Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) and Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) leaping into each other's arms, right on top of a conference table, as Ferrell yelled, "Let's make a baby!" Which is essentially saying I decided to give it a chance out of vague curiosity, not expecting an even remotely good collection of skits straight out of Saturday Night Live. And, I'll say this: I was proved wrong.
The story that THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY tells is simple, but deceptive: while having Ron Burgundy (San Diego's Channel 4's main anchorman) as its main character, it's actually the story of how Veronica Corningstone came unto this TV station and on the way to becoming the first female news anchor confronted massive opposition from her male co-workers who wouldn't even assign her a decent office on her first day of work, much less give her the chance to report the news. That she is quoted as being an ice queen after she aggressively rebukes the sexual advances of Burgundy's clique (recalling in a much lesser way Faye Dunaway's emasculating Diana Christensen) is part of her charm, and it's this charm the reason Burgundy eventually falls for her, and part of what belies her true nature once she decides to climb her own ladder to success.
Applegate is great in her role because she never tries to make her character too harsh even when her own mean streak comes out late in the movie and gets Ron Burgundy fired from the office. While still not having a breakout role, her interpretation has the right element of spunk and humanity, and her chemistry is very palpable with Ferrell whenever they're on camera together which is often. Ferrell, on the other hand, let's loose, but because he's so good, his role doesn't become something that belongs strictly on Saturday Night Live and I think he has the potential to do with his career what Tom Hanks has done with his own which is transcend broad comedy and move into power-acting. His Ron Burgundy is, quite simply, a deluded clown, but a likable one, much like the Ted Baxter was on THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW.
Much credit has to go to the writers who devised the hilarious jokes. The names of the characters alone are exaggerated, as is the scene where the news anchors from rival stations collide in a bloodbath (which features cameos from Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn, and Tim Robbins), and another great moment when Burgundy encounters an angry biker (Jack Black) on his way to work, and who kicks his dog into the bay. We can see the dog is clearly a doll, but the temerity of the scene which recalls a similar scene in THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY stands.
I think the essence of the movie can be summed up in one scene, though: who can recall growing up in the 70s and seeing the credits roll as the news program came to an end and the two anchors were seen chit-chatting amicably? There's a great inter-cutting between what a television (in Any Home, USA) is showing to the open verbal war that both anchors (Applegate and Ferrell) are engaging in. It makes one think of what actually happens once the newscast is over.