Can't really say I remember much about the first 'Anchorman' movie bit I remember not liking it quite as much as the rest of the world seemed to do. That's always the problem I have with Will Ferrell movies; I really do like him as a comedy actor and his movies are often filled with some great comical moments but the movies as a whole just never are any good ones to be honest.
Having said that; at the same time, this movie isn't quite as terrible as some people make it out to be. It's pretty much up to par with Ferrell's usual outings. It has a weak story and some hits and misses, when it comes down to its comedy but overall the comical moments that do work out still make this movie a pretty decent and funny one to watch.
That only mostly goes for its first half though. The second half of this movie is definitely the weakest. Suddenly the movie decides to throw in some more story and developments that however don't always work out too well. It also suddenly isn't as much about Ron Burgundy the anchorman and his news team anymore but more about Ron Burgundy the person and family man, which just isn't all that fun or interesting to watch, especially not in combination with the weak writing and storytelling. Some plot lines literally come out of nowhere and don't at all feel like they are an actual real part of the movie. They are a distraction, especially also because you already know where the story is going to take the movie and what is going to happen next, so why even bother with the writing. It's also part of the reason why the movie is a far too long one. 90-100 minutes is perfect for a comedy but 2 hours however is just far too long, no matter how great and funny your movie is. You can only amuse and provide laughs for so long. It's an absolute fact that people are going to loose interest in your comedy once things go on for too long, no matter how hard they were still laughing at first. That's one of the weird things about comedy; it usually only works in short and small doses. You would think that this is something director Adam McKay and comedy experts such as Will Ferrell would know about already but yet for some reason they decide to stretch things out and turn this movie into a 2 hour long one.
But there's another reason why this movie feels too long; it's featuring far too many different characters in it. When you went to see a Steve Martin/Eddie Murphy/Bill Murray movie in the '80's or '90's, you knew it was going to be all about Steve Martin/Eddie Murphy/Bill Murray and it really didn't matter all too much who was starring with him. You went to see the movie just for them but nowadays; when you go to see a Will Ferrell movie, you know you are going to see a whole bunch of other well known comedy actors in it as well. It sounds like a good thing, the more the better right? Well, not really. The presence of other well known comedy in a movie actors usually also means that they are going to receive a big chunk of screen time and some individual character plot lines to go along with it. Plot lines that usually aren't all that funny or relevant to the movie and only distract from the main story and character, as also is the case within this one.Thing that also slightly bothered me about this movie was how it was trying to be a parody of news and news channels. Something that has been done so many times already (of course by the first 'Anchorman' as well), in many different variations. This movie besides isn't ever doing anything clever or original with it at all
But sure, this movie does provide some laughs and I also still consider it to be a perfectly watchable one. It's basically some harmless, silly, simple fun that's fine to watch when you are in the mood for some fun and laughs. It's not a great movie by any means but then again; I don't think the film-makers were trying to win any awards with this movie.
6/10
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