The film takes place several years after the events of the first. Now relocated in New York City, Ron (Ferrell) has just been fired from his position as co-network anchor while his wife Veronica (Applegate) is promoted to lead anchor of the evening news. His marriage ends up on the rocks and his relationship with his son Walter (Judah Nelson) isn't in any better shape. Ron is then contacted by Freddie Schapp (Baker), a representative of the experimental 24 hour news network GNN, who wants a reliable and likable anchor to fill the graveyard shift from 2am-5am. Defying their boss Linda Jackson (Meagan Good) to try and win a bet against popular and favorite Jack Lime (Marsden), the news team reports on personal interests such as why America is the greatest country on Earth, cute animals, and sexual interest stories, throwing out the real news in favor of what people "want to hear." The team then face resistance from head of the network Kench Allenby and the continued strain of his relationship with Walter and Veronica's new lover, Gary (played by Greg Kinnear).
A lot of pressure was riding on this film. It gave us classic lines such as "By the beard of Zeus", "Did you just throw a burrito out your window?" and my favorite: "I wanna be on you." "Anchorman 2" is weird, quirky, funny, and a perfect sister film to the first. Ron Burgundy solidifies his legendary status in the annals of pop culture. The chemistry from the first film is back, returning with the principal cast. The new additions add much more to the equation as well. James Marsden is nasty, yet extremely hilarious as Jack Lime and Meagan Good is sexy and powerful as Linda Jackson, the butt of many racist jokes coming from Will Ferrell's brilliant performance.
Where as the first film is more of an adventure film, looking at the crazy lives of the Channel 4 News Team, "Anchorman 2" is a satire on the 24 - Hour news culture that we so insanely turn to for instant news, at all hours of the day. This is definitely one of the film's strongest points, poking fun at the birth of a few modern news trends and exposing them for the sensationalist pseudo-porn that news networks make them into. The scenes with Good's Linda Jackson make the movie comes alive with the fire that she brought to her character.
Steve Carell gets much more screen time in this film as fan-favorite character Brick Tamland. He even gets a love interest with Kristen Wiig's character Chani, making for some of the warmest and weirdest moments in the film. What works so well is that it's much more of an exploration of the principal four "Anchorman" characters, giving each of they actors a chance to really show their stuff off in the scenes where their dialogue gets to really play out into over-the-top goodness. Paul Rudd's lines about returning to Los Angeles to hang out with his buddies the "Lady Killers" was too much for me to handle.
The film does drown at times in its 119 minute runtime. The scene between Burgundy and Jackson in her office is far too long and I found much of the stuff with the Allenby character to be absolutely pointless and unexplored. McKay & Farrell's script runs about 20 minutes too long and at times indulges in its own weirdness for too long. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the scene in which Ron chooses to cover a live high speed pursuit is brilliant and a testament to what great writers McKay and Ferrell are, for the most part. The third act of the film is probably the funniest 30 minutes of any movie you'll see this year.
"Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues" is acfunny and worthy sequel to its predecessor. The script is pretty good but is saved by the excellent performances of its cast. The satirical edge to the film creates an original overtone as opposed to making an alternate version of the first like "The Hangover Part II" blundered with. Deep exploration of the characters also does wonders, making it stand apart from the first, yet feel like a natural continuation of " Anchorman." This movie in no way is on the level that the first is on, but comes close. By the end of this film, you'll wish that "Anchorman 3" was on the way. Sit back, prepare to have fun, and stay classy.
From left: Paul Rudd, Will Ferrell, David Koechner, and Steve Carell all return to reprise their roles from the first "Anchorman"
A lot of pressure was riding on this film. It gave us classic lines such as "By the beard of Zeus", "Did you just throw a burrito out your window?" and my favorite: "I wanna be on you." "Anchorman 2" is weird, quirky, funny, and a perfect sister film to the first. Ron Burgundy solidifies his legendary status in the annals of pop culture. The chemistry from the first film is back, returning with the principal cast. The new additions add much more to the equation as well. James Marsden is nasty, yet extremely hilarious as Jack Lime and Meagan Good is sexy and powerful as Linda Jackson, the butt of many racist jokes coming from Will Ferrell's brilliant performance.
Where as the first film is more of an adventure film, looking at the crazy lives of the Channel 4 News Team, "Anchorman 2" is a satire on the 24 - Hour news culture that we so insanely turn to for instant news, at all hours of the day. This is definitely one of the film's strongest points, poking fun at the birth of a few modern news trends and exposing them for the sensationalist pseudo-porn that news networks make them into. The scenes with Good's Linda Jackson make the movie comes alive with the fire that she brought to her character.
Linda Jackson is Ron Burgundy's new boss in "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues"
Steve Carell gets much more screen time in this film as fan-favorite character Brick Tamland. He even gets a love interest with Kristen Wiig's character Chani, making for some of the warmest and weirdest moments in the film. What works so well is that it's much more of an exploration of the principal four "Anchorman" characters, giving each of they actors a chance to really show their stuff off in the scenes where their dialogue gets to really play out into over-the-top goodness. Paul Rudd's lines about returning to Los Angeles to hang out with his buddies the "Lady Killers" was too much for me to handle.
Kristen Wiig as Chani, Brick's crush.
The film does drown at times in its 119 minute runtime. The scene between Burgundy and Jackson in her office is far too long and I found much of the stuff with the Allenby character to be absolutely pointless and unexplored. McKay & Farrell's script runs about 20 minutes too long and at times indulges in its own weirdness for too long. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the scene in which Ron chooses to cover a live high speed pursuit is brilliant and a testament to what great writers McKay and Ferrell are, for the most part. The third act of the film is probably the funniest 30 minutes of any movie you'll see this year.
"Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues" is acfunny and worthy sequel to its predecessor. The script is pretty good but is saved by the excellent performances of its cast. The satirical edge to the film creates an original overtone as opposed to making an alternate version of the first like "The Hangover Part II" blundered with. Deep exploration of the characters also does wonders, making it stand apart from the first, yet feel like a natural continuation of " Anchorman." This movie in no way is on the level that the first is on, but comes close. By the end of this film, you'll wish that "Anchorman 3" was on the way. Sit back, prepare to have fun, and stay classy.
7/10
Rated PG-13
Directed by Adam McKay
Written by Adam McKay and Will Ferrell
Runtime - 119 minutes
7.3 of 10 stars on IMDb
75% on Rotten Tomatoes
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