‘Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues’
Grade: C
Starring: Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Christina Applegate, Steve Carrell, David Koechner
Rating: Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, drug use, language and comic violence.
Running time: 1 hour, 59 minutes
Theaters: Alamo Lakeline, Alamo Slaughter, Alamo Village, Barton Creek, Cinemark Southpark, Moviehouse and Eatery, Regal Gateway, Metropolitan, Westgate.
Will Ferrell captivated the nation with the litany of high-status boobs he played on “Saturday Night Live” for almost a decade. He left the show while he still had his fastball and started a career in film that solidified his position as the funniest man in America.
His film career received its initial boost from his performance as TV personality Ron Burgundy in 2004’s “Anchorman.” Festooned in a cheap wig, cheaper suit and a mustache that looked like roadkill, Ferrell relied on all of the tools that had made many of his TV characters so riotous: overconfidence, inanity and a lack of vocal modulation.
The Burgundy character felt familiar but was different enough from what audiences had seen in the past to make the movie a cultural touchstone of the past decade. It made less than $100 million, but its characters and one-liners permeated youth culture for years.
Almost a decade later, Ferrell returns with his same running buddies for another ridiculous romp. But what once seemed at least a little bit fresh and surprising, now feels contrived and completely expected. When Burgundy originally exclaimed “Great Odin’s Raven,” the novelty and absurdity of it caught us off guard. Now you can see the jokes coming from the end of the plush-carpeted hallways, and they land with a thud.
Burgundy has moved to New York City where he and his wife, Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), seem on the precipice of breakout success. But when TV news legend Mack Harken (a miscast Harrison Ford, who rarely seems like he’s having fun) fires Burgundy, the pompous anchor leaves town reeling, his precious ego shattered.
He returns to San Diego (which, of course, he still mispronounces — another joke not nearly as funny the second time around). The movie quickly falls into formulaic action. Burgundy must “get the gang back together” and summons his former news team: There’s the bigoted meathead sports guy Champ Kind (David Koechner), investigative reporter and lothario Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), and the spastic goofball weatherman Brick Tamland (Steve Carell). Though the actors all obviously enjoy the reunion and tossing one-liners around like hot potatoes, the clunky plot device burdens the story.
Burgundy and company end up in New York City, where they are to serve as the graveyard shift on the nation’s first 24-hour cable news network, run by an arrogant Aussie multi-millionaire (yes, the swing at Rupert Murdock is obvious). But when Burgundy decides to sensationalize the news and give audiences not what they need, but what they want (basically jingoistic slogans and high-speed car chases), his team ascends to the status of superstars.
The movie actually attempts to be about something this time and makes a very modest attempt at social satire, but the sociopolitical overtones feel like afterthoughts that never deliver that caustic sting we witness on a nightly basis with “The Daily Show.”
Amid the jockeying for ratings, Burgundy attempts to win back his young son (and any movie that relies on more than a few laughs from a child younger than 10 is taking great risks that rarely pay off) while falling quickly into and out of a love affair with his African-American boss, Linda Jackson (Meagan Good, who gives the movie’s best performance outside of Ferrell). That relationship tries to play off racial stereotypes, but it feels cynical and out of place, painting our lovable moron as an insensitive cretin.
Like much of the movie, the entire bit could have used some finesse. The movie runs two hours, which is about 30 minutes too long. There are deviations from the plot, like an overly long sequence of a blinded Burgundy banished to live in a lighthouse, that drag the proceedings to a confusing halt. And a stupid scene near the end features about 20 cameos and zero laughs.
Ferrell remains one of the most likable comedic actors and personalities working today. Even when you know which jokes are coming, Ferrell can still inspire a giggle with his bombastic delivery alone. He commits to every asinine quip and maintains the vulnerability of a dumb, helpless dog. He makes it almost impossible not to love him, but there’s not a lot to like in this follow-up that feels like the original dressed up in a different cheap suit.
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