Anchorman (2004)

I have come to the conclusion that it is almost impossible for Will Ferrell to make a movie that is not hilarious (I even thought Stranger Than Fiction was pretty funny). In Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Ferrell plays San Diego's top-rated newsman who is forced to come to terms with a female coworker who is stealing his spotlight. This movie is absolutely hysterical, a lot of it is also stupid, but it is the kind of stupid that makes a film like this even funnier. The cast of Anchorman is terrific. Will Ferrell is amazing, I doubt he could avoid being funny if he tried. I will say, his lower teeth need some serious orthodontic work, but I can overlook that, since he may be the single funniest person on Earth. A lot of the others actors in this film were not big at the time, but are now household names. Steve Carell was just starting to get recognition from The Office, but his movie career had not yet taken off. This film was almost a precursor to the great work he was going to do in 40 Year Old Virgin. David Koechner, who can be seen in many of this ensembles' films, plays a terrific, insecure chauvinist, and while he is probably the least recognizable actor, he usually plays the character that holds films like this together. Paul Rudd is, as usual, amazing. He is far and away the most underrated comedic actor of his generation. Much like Ferrell, it is impossible for him to do anything that is not hysterical. The film also includes countless cameos from actors like Ben Stiller, Paul F. Tompkins, Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn and several others, and if you watch closely, you'll catch Seth Rogen in one of his first on-screen performances. The one problem that I have with this film is the same problem that I have with most recent comedies; it is not as funny as Old School. I know this is an unfair comparison, but if Will Ferrell did not want his work compared to that classic, he should not have made such a hilarious movie. That said, I really enjoyed Anchorman. I recently watched it for the second time, and much like most of Will Ferrell's films, it becomes funnier with each subsequent viewing. I am obviously reviewing it now, but I imagine if I watched it a few more times, there is a possibility that my rating would go up. My wife loves Will Ferrell, and this movie was no exception; next time that it is on TV, we will watch it again. I give Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy 3 stars.