Stupid, brainless laughs. It’s all I was expecting or hoping for out of Anchorman, and I’m pleased to say it delivered just that‚Ķ but nothing more. But as I mentioned in a previous post, you really can’t anticipate anything else out of a Will Ferrell film.
The one element that stands out from the other Ferrell films is the supporting cast. They were fantastic. Ferrell’s news team, a sports guy, beat reported and Weather man were every bit as funny as Ferrell himself (especially the Weather man, played by Steven Carell, who was hilarious in Bruce Almighty as the other Anchorman)
One of my favorite scenes was a street rumble between 5 competing news teams. The confrontation is so ridiculous and splashed with such wonderful cameos that I had a permanent grin on my face for the entire duration of the scene. You can just tell that all these guys were having a blast making the movie, which added to the enjoyment of watching it.
Now, before you start to think I’m about to hand this movie an Oscar, there are a number of down sides. The film’s strength (being stupid brainless laughs) is also its weakness. Some things in the movie were very stupid FUNNY‚Ķ but other gags were just stupid STUPID. Ferrell is a master at rolling the dice and taking some risks with his comedy, and many times it pays off with big laughs‚Ķ but sometimes it goes the other way and just comes across as dumb. Also, while I believe Christina Applegate is underrated as an actress and deserves a place in movies, she just didn’t fit in with this group of characters and it was painfully obvious the entire film.
Overall, Anchorman is fun, funny and a good evening of light entertainment. Better than Elf, but not quite as good as Old School (although it had more laughs). It’s worth seeing (heck, I’ll probably see it twice). I give Anchorman a 7/10.
I guess i should of said:
I disagree that it was brainless laughs….
But 7/10? Schindler’s List was 7/10.
This could be the greatest comedy since the Big Lebowski.
I cannot stop dry humping my cat, it is the only thing we like to do as a couple.
Ummm… Dougy… how can you “disagree completely”? I said it was really funny. I said I liked it and would see it twice. I gave it a 7/10 which is good. So maybe you just disagree with me a bit. Now quit dry humping your cat.
I have to disagree completely.
Anchorman was one of the purest comedy films I have ever seen. Will Ferrell is not about brainless laughs, he is a sculptor of the absurd.
The story is simple and tight, never does the movie lull or drag. I hate all romantic comedies, and when i saw that he was courting applegate I thought the movie would go to hell, but they stayed on course and made the focus laughs and not romance. It is one solid laugh to the next as the story unfolds.
Just when you thought the movie was funny you saw “massive boner’ when you thought it predictable you saw a trident death, when you thought it strange you saw dog vs bear (one of the funniest scenes ever to hit the big screen)
The movie is over the top. It may be too much for some. It may take a few chews of the cud to digest. But I stand firm and say this is one of the best comedy films ever made.
Dosen’t matter what Ebert liked…..look his partner died from not laughing….he will too.
And the stupid gags that didn’t work were…?
samples please. I’ll even provide a curtain so you can deposit them in relative privacy.
Actually I have found it funny how almost every reviewer has found it necesary to apologize for liking one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in a long long time.
Unlike Ebert I thought the Anchorman gang war was hysterical and inspired and the real reason the movie works that and the fact that Burgundy is a character not just a sketch.
Big Bald Dave
Hell yes.
John…..only got one questions……since quite a few of the recent comments is wed masters know what will make money based on hits…..did Anchorman get “hits”? I bet it did….