The eponymous anchorman, Ron Burgundy takes a stab at the superficial state of news in the follow-up to the hugely popular comedy. As expected, there are a barrage of jokes and gags to be had, but that’s kind-of the problem with this movie – there’s not much room for a story. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues begins lampooning newsrooms this December 18, 2014 and is rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, drug use, language and comic violence.
Ron Burgundy reunites his team for a new gig at a revolutionary 24-hours news channel. His gang of halfwits: Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), sportscaster Champ Kind (David Koechner) and weatherman Brick Tamland (Steve Carell) are relegated to the late-night time slot. Ron has new adversaries this trip: the handsome and seemingly perfect lead-anchor Jack Lime (James Marsden) and tough-as-nails producer (and blaaaack, blaaack, black) Linda Jackson (Meagan Good). A dumb bet between teams, on who can garner the highest ratings, gives birth to the idea that America wants: news-it-wants-to-hear, not news-it-needs-to-hear. A shallow (commentary on today’s newsroom) idea that pays huge dividends, catapulting Burgundy back into the spotlight.
Faithful followers will find a plethora of new lines to quote from Anchorman 2. Laughs are aplenty, though many gags are reused, or in some cases, rip-offs from other franchises. For instance, the trademark brawl between competing newsrooms ensues towards the film’s conclusion, or a “colorful” exchange between Ron and his producer is reminiscent of the “moley-moley-mole” scene from Austin Powers. Then there’s the issue of Steve Carell and his female counterpart (played by Kristen Wiig), who’s scripts must have read something like, “Yell blah yell. Squeal yell, blah blah blah.” -mostly throwaway gibberish from otherwise talented comedic performers. It is not, however, enough to detract from what is overall, a delightfully sinful indulgence that will satisfy the Burgundy faithful. Newcomers (are there any?) to the franchise might feel a wee-bit confused at all the fuss, especially by the fact that there’s no depth to the narrative. That’s kind of a big deal.
Feature Author
Movie Reelist Contributor: Chris Giroux
Comments
If you loved the original you will love this sequel. This movie was hilarious!. Just make sure you know what type of movie you are getting into. If you are looking for a comedy that is realistic, do not watch this. But if the sky is the limit for imagination, then this is your movie.