Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy(Unrated)

"Yeah, there were horses, and a man on fire, and I killed a guy with a trident!"


Hey all, Juvs (aka nothintoseehere) here reviewing Anchorman starring SNL alum Will Ferrell.

I started watching this movie by accident. Someone else was watching the movie and I was listening in. I had to watch it through by myself, and I have to say, it's very entertaining.

The movie centers around Ron Burgundy (Ferrell), the top anchorman in 70s-era San Diego. His station earns top ratings over other news channels. His news team consists of Champ Kind, sports(David Koechner, A Guy Thing); Brian Fontana (Paul Rudd, Clueless, Cider House Rules), the on-field reporter, and Brick Tamland(Steve Carell, Bruce Almighty, where ironically, he plays yet another tv anchorman), the weatherman, who admits to having an IQ of 48. At Channel 4 News, it is a man's world.

So it's no surprise that when Veronica Corningstone(Christina Applegate, View From The Top, TV's "Married With Children"), an ambitious reporter enters the scene at Channel 4 News, Burgundy and his team are thrown in for a loop.

What happens afterwards is a hilarious concoction of humor, 1970s Will Ferrell style. There is a lot of "sexual content," (this is the Unrated version, after all) but much of the sexual humor is implied rather than stated. If stated, it is subdued, and Ferrell's Burgundy plays it off (almost) innocently. In the scene where Ferrell is "making whoopie" with a certain love interest, the scene is played off comically as the characters prance about on white cartoon horses in a cartoon "Pleasure Town."

When asked on how love was like, Ferrell starts singing 70s hit "Afternoon Delight," a song famously known for being about making whoopie in the afternoon. Unlike Ferrell's rendition of Kansas' "Dust In The Wind," which elicits snickering amongst Old School viewers, Anchorman's take on "Afternoon Delight" improves on the original. Burgundy's news team joins their leader in soothing harmony. I actually think they've made the song better. Don't believe me? Check it out: Ron Burgundy and his crew harmonize on "Afternoon Delight."

What also stands out about this movie is its quotability factor. Take for instance Steve Carell's character Brick Tamland. I'm not going to spoil anything else for you lovely readers, but you will fall in love with this guy. Carell has done a marvelous job in being Brick. Ferrell's Burgundy has his share as well, but Brick Tamland is most definitely my favorite character in this movie...hands down.

There are many great and funny scenes in this movie, and many cameos. Ben Stiller as a Spanish news anchor; Tim Robbins with a uber curly wig of hair for the Public News...Luke Wilson...

I'll have to give this movie....4/5 Shakas. Man. I should get a 10 point scale instead. Which would make Anchorman get 8/10 shakas. Alright.