ANCHORMAN 2 : THE LEGEND CONTINUES – The Review

What’s that Baxter? The news team is back together? And they brought more jokes?

That’s right folks! ANCHORMAN 2 : THE LEGEND CONTINUES answers the nearly decade long question “What ever happened to the best darn news caster and his team?”. Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) has returned to the news desk with his news team after being fired from his last job, and throwing away his marriage to wife Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) because he couldn’t handle her success. This time, they are taking a risk as a news team for the first 24-hour news channel. Burgundy, Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), and Champ Kind (David Koechner) are now on a mission to become the best news team in the country, and are enjoying the ride to the top.

ANCHORMAN 2 : THE LEGEND CONTINUES does a pretty decent job in its follow-up to its 2004 predecessor ANCHORMAN : THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY. The original film instantly became a comedy classic, and gave drunk college kids, adults at festive holiday parties, and people who just really love lamps dozens of one liners to liven up almost any situation. Fear not, you movie quoting fun-havers. There are plenty more lines coming your way!

If you are expecting to see anything new, then this movie is not for you. Although the story is a progression from the original it still hits the same beats, because story is secondary to the comedic gags of the film. Sure, they bring in new bits, but it still fits the mold of comedy that the first film brought forth. The film is funny, but if you are expecting it to top the first film you will be disappointed. When I first left the film I was a bit disappointed, but looking back on it and some of the jokes, it’s still funny.

Farrell, Carrell, Koechner and Rudd are great at improvising, and there is plenty of it in the film. What is really clever about this film though is what lies underneath. This film takes a look at the progression, or should I say downfall, of news journalism and what stations choose to cover. In this film, Ron Burgundy and his quest for ratings changed the face of the news as he decided to tell the viewers “What they wanted to hear” and not “What they needed to hear”. American tales of heroism, cute animal stories, weather disasters and “Why blondes have more fun” were the stories he and his crew would tell to gain ratings. Does any of this sound familiar?

There’s a great side story of a budding romance between dim-witted Brick and a receptionist played by Kristen Wiig named Chani. She has just as many odd ticks as Brick, and Wiig’s character acting is perfect for a role like this. She and Carell are incredible together. She is, by far, my favorite addition to the Anchorman cast. There are also a ton of great celebrity cameos including Harrison Ford and Will Smith. It seems everyone wanted to be apart of this film!

Farrell and director Adam McKay show that there is no such thing as “far-fetched” in this sequel. Believability is never a factor as the characters make their way throughout their crazy lives. (Sorry if that sounds vague, but I don’t want to give any jokes away.) That’s the best part of a legend, though… it can transcend reality to tell a story. This one certainly does that!

ANCHORMAN 2 : THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY is a fun trip to the movies. The comedy team of Farrell, Rudd, Carell, and Koechner might be the greatest thing since pre-wrapped cheese! Sure, it’s not as legendary as the first film, but Great Odin’s raven… it is clever.

OVERALL RATING: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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