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Anchorman Brings Absurdity to the Newsroom

I went to see Anchorman only because I think Will Ferrell is pretty funny. For years, he was the only reason I'd watch "Saturday Night Live." And even though Old School was sophomoric, I loved his work in Elf. With that in mind, I still went to see his new film with a bit of reservation. Considering his character is a pompous, egomaniacal, news personality, I expected Anchorman to be a one-joke comedy. With expectations set low, I went to the movie and found it pretty funny.

Ferrell plays Ron Burgundy, a news anchor of "legend" in the 1970s. In a time when only men read the news, the film plays on every stereotype of the good-ol'-boys network. The men in the Channel 4 news room (including David Koechner, Paul Rudd, and Steven Carell) bring new lows to the term "male chauvinist pigs." They do news like the pros, but they party like frat boys. So when their news team is invaded by hard-hitting reporter Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), it appears that their good times are at an end.

As a supporting cast to Ferrell, the Channel 4 News Team is perfect. Koechner plays a Texas-type sportscaster who is an effective blowhard. Rudd, almost unrecognizable behind a big cheesy mustache and sideburns, plays the slick man-on-the-street. And Carell, recognizable to fans of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," is a weatherman who has the I.Q. of a turnip. The three worship Burgundy for his manliness, and seem perplexed when their leader starts showing a real romantic interest in Veronica. Although they are all supporting cast to Ferrell, they are by no means second fiddle. Each of them brings some genuine laughs to the story.

Aside from the obvious battle of the sexes, the film is a pretty absurd piece of comedy. Most of the really funny bits have nothing to do with the central story at all. It reminded me of high school improv class where "canned" bits were thrown into a skit to make it fit the 8-10 minutes required for a piece.

Some of the strangest laughs comes with the seemingly endless stream of guest star cameos. It is a testimony to Ferrell's star power that he can line up the likes of Jack Black, Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, and Tim Robbins to do bit parts in this film. At one point, the rival news teams have a back alley rumble that quickly escalates to resemble something out of Gladiator. The more absurd the fight became, the dumber -- and funnier -- it became.

The film has plenty of fun with the 1970s too. The film parodies the clothes and styles easily enough, but it also has some small touches referencing pop culture from the decade that made me laugh. Backing up the '70s setting is a soundtrack filled with classics like "Ride, Captain, Ride," and "Cherry, Cherry." The music certainly sets the mood, but the music hits its pinnacle when Ron sings "Afternoon Delight" a cappella with his news team.

Whether talking to his dog Baxter or trying to impress Applegate with his knowledge of San Diego history, Ferrell has some great moments. Sadly, many of these vignettes rely on Ferrell to carry them, and even his surreal wit fails to make it all funny. By the end of the film, any pretext at a "real" story is thrown out the window for a series of gags that make Ron Burgundy's story more tall tale than news.

MY RATING: 6 out of 10.

RATED: PG-13
RUN TIME: 91 min.