4. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy (2004)Starring Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd
Directed by Adam McKay
After a 5 month hiatus, I am back to finish off this list. I know people don't really care too much about this list besides myself and Luke. I also know a lot of people though will agree with where this movie ranks among my top 100 movies.
Not many movies can make laugh like this movie. In fact, no other movie can as this movie ranks as my highest comedy (spoiler for the top 3). Nearly every line is a great one-liner, probably ad-libbed and sure to make me if not laugh out loud, at least chuckle and make some weird noise that makes people think I'm choking a kitten.
I'll be honest though. When I first saw this movie, I wasn't a huge fan. I liked it, thought it was decently funny, but nothing special. It took the second showing for me to really love it...and now, every time I see it, I love that much more. It all begins just with the start of the movie that is so random and so hilarious, you;re only scratching the surface of the comedy to come.
What I think really makes this movie great is the cast. First off, it may not get any better in comedy than Will Ferrell. He just knows how to strike the right tone with just about any character. And with Ron Burgandy, that is confidence, arrogance, but also a bit of vulnerability. Yeah, big words but then you remember, his lines are hilarious. Then you have a guy like Brick (Carell) who is well, as dumb as a brick but incredibly lovable. You've got Champ (David Koechner), who is the cocky, dumb jock-ish sports guy who doesn't really care about anything. And Brian Fantana (Rudd), the ladies man who plays it cool. Combined they form what seems like a comedy superhero troupe that is only rivaled by The Hangover trio I think.
What I also love about this movie is that it deals with the profession I am in. If you didn't know (which is unlikely), I work in television. And while there are many scenes that in no way mirror what we do on air these days, there are some instances. Those moments are ones I truly enjoy. For example, the fake talking until you go off the air. This movie finds a way to make a mundane 5-10 seconds on local TV everyday and turn it into one of the funniest moments of the movie.
Honestly, I could post 50-60 more scenes here that I am sure will make you laugh. but I think if I post anymore, I'll have to just watch the movie right now and not finish the 3 movie posts I have left. So I'll stop here.
Of course, it is now official there will be an Anchorman 2. When I first heard of it, I was lukewarm to the idea. I hate to see great movies be ruined by mediocre sequels. The Hangover almost did that. Speed 2 did just that. But I'm fairly confident McKay, Ferrell and company won't mess this up. I'm encouraged by the fact that all the main players are returning. That's huge actually. Now let's just hope the movie lives up the hype that it will surely get until its release.
TRAILER
NOTABLE QUOTES
Ron Burgandy: "What? You pooped in the refrigerator? And you ate the whole... wheel of cheese? How'd you do that? Heck, I'm not even mad; that's amazing. How 'bout we get you in your p.j.'s and we hit the hay."
Brian Fantana: "They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time, it works every time"
Brick Tamland:" LOUD NOISES"
Ron Burgandy: "Hello? Who's there, I'm talkin? Hello? Who is this? Baxter... is that you? Baxter! Bark twice if your in Milwaukee... Is this Wilt Chamberlain? Have the courage to say something! Hello?"
FUN FACTS
The first draft of the screenplay included suggested actors for various roles:
- Champ Kind: John C. Reilly
- Brick Tamland: Chris Parnell
- Brian Fantana: Ben Stiller
- Ed Harken: Ed Harris
- Garth Holiday: Dan Aykroyd
- Frank Vitchard: Alec Baldwin
TEASE FOR #3
He is not "the most interesting man in the world" in the commercials but if he were real, he sure would be heavily considered for it.
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