Summary
4 tech score
Will Ferrell in “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues”; photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures
“Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” (Paramount Pictures)
In 2004 Will Ferrell introduced News Anchor Ron Burgundy to the world in the film “Anchorman.” This movie was not a huge success but over the years it has developed a cult status so intense that it begged for a sequel. Now, nine years later, the sequel has arrived. “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” has arrived in theaters in all of its glory. The anticipation has been tremendous; the actual presentation not so good.
The problem with the movie is that it is just not funny. Oh it has jokes, a million jokes but the vast majority of them falls flat and elicits groans rather than laughs. Just about everything funny in this film was seen in the trailer and it actually seemed funnier in the trailer.
As the movie opens the old gang surrounding Ron Burgundy has splintered. Ron (Ferrell) himself is sharing anchor duties with his wife Veronica (Christina Applegate). Then Veronica is promoted and Ron is fired, causing a split in their marriage. It seems Ron’s days as an anchor are all in the past.
Amazingly Ron is contacted by Freddie Shapp (Dylan Baker) who represents GNN. GNN is looking for a new news team to be on this station, which is going to be an all news station twenty four hours a day. Ron is elated and goes looking for his past team which includes Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), Champ Kind (David Koechner) and Brick Tamland (Steve Carell).
When he gets the old gang back together they go to GNN and meet the station manager, Linda Jackson (Meagan Good). They also meet their main competitor Jack Lime (James Marsden). The members of the Burgundy group will have their work cut out for them to become the top news team at GNN.
There is so much potential for good comedy in this script and this framework. It cries out for the brilliant comedic talent of Ferrell, Carell and the others. So why doesn’t it work? The answer is, who knows. Whereas Ferrell used to hit it out of the park in every movie he made, in the past few years each movie he has made has been less entertaining than the one before. Whatever magic he has, has evaporated before our eyes.
The film is rated PG-13 for profanity and sexual innuendoes.
Ferrell does give it all a good try but he and his gang are just left in the lurch. The only really funny spot is when different news groups go forth to do battle. Some real laughs are had there but this comes too late in the movie to save it. After we have had the poor situations of Ron trying to find common ground with his son Walker (Judah Nelson), and then going thru the motions of raising a shark the movie has jumped the shark.
It is to be hoped that in nine years we don’t get another cry for a “Ron Burgundy” movie. We just don’t deserve that much boredom in our lives.
I scored “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” an off air 4 out of 10.
