Very very funny; Amazing cast; Fantastic set - pieces
Disadvantages:
May not be to everyones tastes - quite silly at times
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
It is impossible to go anywhere nowadays, especially in an area populated by students, without hearing Anchorman quoted. Paul Rudd's brilliant sex panther line - "60% of the time, it works every time", or Steve Carells "I love lamp!" And you know what? I love it. I love Anchorman!
This film has received a huge cult following which was entirely justified to me as I sat in front of the TV, laughing so hard I could barely breathe upon the fourth time of watching this great film through. According to Wikipedia the title is a pun from the film: 'Porn star: the legend of Ron Jeremy'. It follows Ron Burgundy, a legendary local news achor who aspires to make it to the top. His dreams and time in the spotlight are jeopordised when a female news reporter enters the company - Veronica Corningstone. She slowly rises up and eventually has to fill in for the missing Ron as lead news anchor (he is out getting his dog dropkicked off a bridge by Jack Black...just watch it, you'll understand). She does a great job, and soon causes Ron's exile through adjusting the words on the teleprompter. So begins Ron's struggle. Will he be called back in time to cover the huge story of female Panda Mai-Ling finally giving birth?
The acting in this film is good, but it is the cameos and starpower that is most phenomenal. At some point, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Tim Tobbins, Paul Rudd, Jack Black, Christina Applegate, Will Ferrell and Steve Carell all feature. Such a huge collection of great comic minds was always likely to end in hilarity.
Some of the scenes in Anchorman were massively memorable. The harmonised singing of Afternoon Delight for instance as a response to the question, 'what is love?'. How about the huge 5-way multi-network melee featuring tridents, horses, nets, hacked off limbs and a man on fire. It is because the film is so outrageous that it works so well.
Let me be straight - very few films actually make me laugh. Some may make me smile, even grunt a tone of approval, but I very rarely go past that. Anchorman had me laughing loudly at almost every perfectly delivered line. I cannot emphasise enough how funny this film is - and it actually maintains the humour all the way through, as opposed to conventional comedies which tend to drift off near the end.
The only disappointing thing about the DVD is the extras, which may as well be non-existant. The directors commentary is unengaging and drab, and the 'making of' is weak. But I don't buy a DVD for the extras - they are sometimes simply pleasant surprises if they turn out to be good. As this is a subjective review, I don't believe the state of the extras detract from the quality of the film enough to lose it marks - at least they tried eh?
Anchorman is over-the-top, outrageous, silly and plain dumb at times, and therefore it will not appeal to everyone. Those who like the more subtle, smarter comedy may choose RomComs or the like instead. Those who appreciate anything with Ferell, Carell or Stiller though need to buy this DVD immediately. A very funny film that cannot be quoted enough.
I love computer. I love keyboard. I love Anchorman.
Now if you excuse me, I'm off to the pants party. The er...party, with the pants... (you'll understand soon enough - watch this film, it's an unconventional classic up there with the Godfather, Scarface and Fight Club)
More details
Soundtrack
Average
How does it compare to others by the same director?
Outstanding
Value for Money
Excellent
What format are you reviewing?
DVD
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