2004’s TV news comedy “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” is still one of Will Ferrell’s most popular films, even though it only grossed $85 million at the box office. Over the past decade, the film has become a “cult classic”, with fans demanding a sequel. And now their wish has been granted. As was the case with its predecessor, the humor in “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” is hit and miss, but Ferrell and co-writer/director Adam McKay are much more effective this time in their skewering of the world of broadcast journalism.
The setting moves to New York City in the 1980’s. Ron is co-anchoring the weekend evening news with wife Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate returns) at #1 station – WBC. Veronica receives a promotion, but Ron gets fired, causing a break-up of their marriage and sending Ron to a short-lived job as host of a SeaWorld dolphin show, which doesn’t end well.
But soon an offer comes that Ron cannot refuse: to be part of GNN – the Global News Network, the world’s first 24-Hour News channel. And he gets to bring his trusty San Diego Channel 4 News Team along with him. News reporter Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), “Whammy!” sports guy Champ Kind (David Koechner) and whacked-out weatherman Brick Tamland (Steve Carell) return and join Ron as they prepare to revolutionize TV news.
“Anchorman 2” does a much better job of satirizing the TV news business than the original. That’s because the 24 hour cable news format, started in the 80’s, is such an easy target. The Ferrell/McKay script is spot-on, delivering several laugh-out-loud on-air moments and genius one-liners. Ron’s “give the viewers what they want instead of what they need” philosophy turns him and the news team into ratings winners and celebrities. A scene involving the coverage of a Breaking News event involving (as the narrator points out) something so common to us today, but so shocking back in the 80s, is the strongest in the entire film.
As we’ve seen in “Broadcast News”, “Morning Glory”, and other movies involving the subject of TV news, relationships away from the job often suffer, and, of course, that happens here as well as Ron Burgundy’s career goes from an all-time high to a new low when the one thing God put him on this Earth to do (other than have salon-quality hair) is suddenly taken away from him. So, once again, he needs to make a dramatic comeback and redeem himself (sound familiar).
Not everything in “A2” works, which is typical for Ferrell, McKay, and producer Judd Apatow. Scenes involving Ron’s new boss, and his young son go on way too long, and the Brick character can get tiresome quickly. Since Carell has become as big a star as Ferrell over the past 10 years, Brick has a much bigger presence in this film, including getting a love interest (Kristen Wiig).
But “Anchorman 2” is Ron Burgundy’s story. In multiple scenes, Brick, Brian and Champ stand off to the side and watch Ron go. James Marsden spices things up a bit as a dashing, brawny rival anchorman at GNN. And there are plenty of big name cameos, particularly in a scene near the end of the film which pays tribute to the original, while also making fun of the over-abundance of TV news outlets.
“Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” is a hard PG-13 for lots of adult language, content and references. It’s appropriate for mid-teens and up. The two hour running time isn’t a problem because, even though this isn’t the funniest film of 2013, you keep hoping that the next gag will work. And more often than not it does.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” gets a B.