Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Theatrical release poster

***Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy*** is a 2004 American satirical comedy film directed by Adam McKay in his directorial debut, produced by Judd Apatow, starring Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate and written by McKay and Ferrell. The first installment in the *Anchorman* series, the film is a tongue-in-cheek take on the culture of the 1970s, particularly the new *Action News* format. It portrays a San Diego television station where Ferrell's title character clashes with his new female counterpart.

The film made $28.4 million in its opening weekend, and $90.6 million worldwide in its total theatrical run. It was met with generally positive reviews from critics upon release and is now widely regarded as one of the best comedy films of the 2000s. It was ranked at number 100 on Bravo's 100 funniest movies, number 6 on *Time Out*'s top 100 comedy films of all time and 113 on *Empire*'s 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.

*Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie*, a companion film assembled from outtakes and abandoned subplots, was released straight-to-DVD in late 2004. A sequel, *Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues*, was released on December 18, 2013, with Universal Pictures joins with DreamWorks Pictures as the distributor.

## Plot

Ron Burgundy is the famous anchorman for a local San Diego television station, fictional KVWN channel 4. He works alongside his friends, whom he had known since childhood, on the news team: lead field reporter Brian Fantana, sportscaster Champ Kind, and meteorologist Brick Tamland. Station director Ed Harken informs the team that they have retained their long-held status as the highest-rated news program in San Diego, leading them to throw a wild party, where Burgundy unsuccessfully attempts to pick up a beautiful blonde woman, Veronica Corningstone. Harken later informs the team that they have been forced to hire Corningstone. After a series of unsuccessful attempts by the team to seduce her, she finally relents and agrees to a "professional tour" of the city with Ron, culminating in a sexual relationship. Despite agreeing to keep the relationship discreet, Burgundy announces it on air.

After a dispute with a motorcyclist ends in Burgundy's dog Baxter being punted off the San Diego–Coronado Bridge, Burgundy is late to work. Corningstone fills in for him on-air, receiving higher ratings than Burgundy usually receives, and the couple breaks up when Burgundy bemoans her success. Corningstone is promoted to co-anchor, to the disgust of the team. The co-anchors become fierce rivals off-air while maintaining a phony cordiality on-air. Depressed, the team (barring Corningstone) decide to buy new suits, but Tamland, who was leading the way, gets them lost in a shady part of town. Confronted by main competitor Wes Mantooth and his news team, Burgundy challenges them to a fight. When several other news teams converge onsite, a full-on melee battle ensues, only to be broken up by police sirens that cause them to flee. Realizing that having a female co-anchor is straining their reputation, Burgundy gets in another heated argument with Veronica, and they get in a physical fight after she insults his hair.

After one of Corningstone's co-workers informs her that Burgundy will read anything written on the teleprompter, she sneaks into the station and changes the text in revenge. The next day, Burgundy (unaware of what he is saying) concludes the broadcast with "Go fuck yourself, San Diego!", instead of his signature closing line, "You stay classy, San Diego!", triggering an angry mob outside the studio and prompting Harken to fire Burgundy. Realizing she went too far, Corningstone attempts to apologize but Burgundy angrily dismisses her apology. Burgundy soon becomes unemployed, friendless, and heavily antagonized by the public, grows depressed, and begins to neglect his duties while Veronica enjoys fame, although her male co-workers work with her grudgingly. Harken tells Kind, Tamland and Fantana that they are not allowed to talk to or do anything with Ron or else they will be fired as well.

Three months later, when a panda is about to give birth, every news team in San Diego rushes to the zoo to cover the story. In an attempt to sabotage her, a rival news anchor pushes Corningstone into a Kodiak bear enclosure. When Ed is unable to locate Veronica, he recruits and rehires Burgundy. Once at the zoo, Burgundy, his personal morale restored, jumps in the bear pen to save Veronica, as the public watches helplessly. The news team then jump in to save Ron and Veronica. Just as a bear is about to attack, Baxter, who miraculously survived, intervenes and encourages the bear to spare them. As the group climbs out of the pit, Wes appears and holds the ladder over the bear pit, threatening to drop Ron back in, and says that deep down he has always hated him, but then admits to Ron that he also respects him and pulls Ron out to safety.

After Burgundy and Corningstone reconcile, it is shown that in years to come, Fantana becomes the host of a Fox reality show named *Intercourse Island*, Tamland is married with 11 children and is a top political adviser to George W. Bush, Kind is a commentator for the NFL before getting fired after being accused by Terry Bradshaw of sexual harassment, and Burgundy and Corningstone are co-anchors for the CNN-esque *World News Center*.

## Cast

* Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy – Anchorman for a small news station in San Diego called KVWN Channel 4.
* Christina Applegate as Veronica Corningstone – Intelligent news anchor beside Ron Burgundy for KVWN Channel 4.
* Paul Rudd as Brian Fantana – Friend, anchorman, and coworker of Ron Burgundy. Known for being a ladies' man.
* Steve Carell as Brick Tamland – Weatherman at KVWN Channel 4. Known for being mentally challenged and part of Ron Burgundy's crew.
* David Koechner as Champion "Champ" Kind – Sportscaster at KVWN Channel 4. Comes across as masculine, sexist, and enthusiastic.
* Chris Parnell as Garth Holliday
* Kathryn Hahn as Helen
* Fred Armisen as Tino
* Fred Willard as Edward "Ed" Harken
* Vince Vaughn as Wes Mantooth
* Jerry Minor as Tino's Bassist
* Laura Kightlinger as Donna
* Danny Trejo as a Bartender
* Jack Black as a Motorcyclist
* Judd Apatow as a News Station Employee
* Paul F. Tompkins as a Cat Fashion Show Host
* Jay Johnston as a Member of the Eyewitness News Team
* Adam McKay as a Janitor
* Tim Robbins as the Public News Anchor
* Luke Wilson as Frank Vitchard
* Ben Stiller as Arturo Mendez
* Missi Pyle as a Zoo Keeper
* Seth Rogen as Scotty
* Bill Kurtis as The Narrator

### Casting

Will Ferrell and Adam McKay wanted Ed Harris to play Ed Harken, which was eventually given to Fred Willard. Dan Aykroyd was considered for the role of Garth Holiday. Alec Baldwin was considered for the role of Frank Vitchard. James Spader was considered for the role of Brick Tamland. Bob Odenkirk and Ron Livingston were considered for the role of Brian Fantana. John C. Reilly was originally considered for the role of Champ Kind. Amy Adams, Leslie Mann, and Maggie Gyllenhaal auditioned for the role of Veronica Corningstone.