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Although I was actually one of the eight people in the country who thoroughly enjoyed
A Night at the
Roxbury, it wasn’t until I saw Old School that I
really started to take notice of Will Ferrell. Now, each time I see him, I like him even
more.
In his latest starring role, Ferrell plays Ron Burgundy, a smooth,
smarmy local news anchorman who loves cheesy suits, his hair, and scotch. It’s the
seventies—the glory days of TV anchormen, when real men read the news and real women
brought them drinks. But when Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) shows up at
the station, determined to fight her way to becoming a real news anchor (instead of just
a reporter covering kitty fashion shows), all hell breaks loose.
Anchorman is almost totally lacking in class and taste—and I,
being the brainless comedy fan that I am, loved almost every minute of it. Ferrell is
pretty much non-stop funny, and his supporting cast (especially Steve Carell, who plays
dimwitted weatherman Brick Tamland) backs him up well—though I probably would have
preferred someone other than Applegate as the female lead.
You’ll be laughing at the
one-liners long after the credits roll—and, much to the dismay of those around you, you
won’t be able to stop repeating them. And there are more cameos than you can imagine.
Jack Black makes an appearance as a biker who punts Ron’s beloved dog off a bridge.
Vince Vaughn plays San Diego’s bitter number-two anchorman. And Ben Stiller, Luke
Wilson, and Tim Robbins all make appearances as rival anchormen (all of whom battle in a
bizarre street-gang fight).
As with any outrageous comedy,
Anchorman has a few jokes that bomb and a few what-were-they-thinking moments, too—and
it’s definitely not for everyone. But if you share my love of brainless comedies, you’ll
find that Anchorman is well worth checking out after a long afternoon by the pool.
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