When going to see a Will Ferrell movie, like Anchorman, one has to take a few things with a grain of salt. Ferrell does Ferrell style comedy, and does it well. When you go in to see him, you know what you’re in for. This creates a bit of a problem for some people since not everyone likes Ferrell style comedy. For those people, no matter how “good” a Ferrell movie is, they won’t like it. For the others, who DO like Ferrell comedy, no matter how “bad” his films are, they’re going to love it.
With that grain of salt firmly in place, a quick scan around the net shows that Anchorman is getting some predictable mixed reviews.
“For a comedy set during the formative era of happy-talk news, Anchorman doesn’t do enough to tweak the on-camera phoniness of dum-dum local journalism.”
— Owen Gleiberman, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
“Proving that even infantile humor can be funny, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy does make you laugh even if you hate yourself for doing so.”
— Kirk Honeycutt, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“the laugh ratio is about 50 percent, but that’s still pretty good.”
— Richard Roeper, EBERT & ROEPER
“Will Ferrell shows that even he is not immune to looking bad when faced with bad material, even if it’s his own. Possibly one of the worst directed films of the year.”
— Boo Allen, DENTON RECORD CHRONICLE
For more reviews check out the good folks over at Rotten Tomatoes.
Best comedy i have ever seen. i cryed through the whole thing in laughter, what an amzing movie! The random one liners are so funny, like when champ slips the liner in “I’m so aroused” after they talk about the comepetition for the girl. best tho, brian fantana “i bet i know what ur askin, and the answer is yes, i do have a name for my penis. its called the octogon, and i also named my testes too, left ones james westfall and the right on is doctor kenneth noisewater, u ladies play ur cards right u might just get to meet the whole gang” I love this Movie!
Will Ferrell is a genius, end of story. If you don’t like one liners thats your own problem the movie is pure genius within all the stupid lines… lighten up and laugh this movie is fucking hilarious.
this movie is pure genuis, i meen its amazing. Whoever wrote it thought up the worlds funnyest insults and random lines like the meaning of san diego i dunno how u could think of something so stupid, but its amazing watch it and like it or else ill punch u in the overies
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I thought this movie sucked and even left halfway through it because it was so awful. It definately wasn’t what I was expecting. Oldschool is my favorite movie so that’s a little more of what I wanted. With that said, I think I’m going to rent this movie on video again since I know what to expect and just watch for the one liners instead of for any kind of plot.
If you want a plot in a movie, this one has absolutely none. Hopefully I’ll enjoy the one liners more next time I watch it.
I loved the movie. Just completely brilliant. The “Tits McGee” bit was possibly the funniest bit in a movie ever. I was shaking for five minutes. Like it has been noted, if you don’t like random humor, don’t go see this movie. You’ll be horribly upset. If you think Will Ferrell’s “Neil Diamond – Storytellers” is one of the funniest SNL sketches ever, you need to see this movie.
I thought this movie was better than Dodgeball, if only because Ferrell bought into Ron Burgundy 120%, while Vince Vaughn looked like he was in cruise control all during Dodgeball. That’s the sad part, to me… Dodgeball truly could have been a classic, but Vaughn didn’t buy into the movie.
I enjoyed Anchorman, but certainly wouldn’t rank it in the “funniest things my bare eyes have ever seen since my heart started beating” category …
However, at the “Milk was not a wise choice” line.. I lost it… absolutley lost it.. I almost left the theatre I was laughing so hard.
Apparently some people still don’t get that stupid humor is Will Farrell’s forte.. Personally I thought this movie was an instant classic, on the level of Monty Python (especially in the randomness category). Random humor isn’t for everyone. One liners are the key to a cult classic.. and this movie has an infinite arsenal. Some of these things just crawl in your head, and days after seeing the movie you find yourself repeating them, and laughing your ass off in the process. Bravo Mr. Farrell, I hope to see more of your work in the future.
What a waste of money! Movie started stupid and stayed stupid. Do not spend a penny on this movie–it’s still too much to pay for.
What a waste of money! Movie started stupid and stayed stupid. Do not spend a penny on this movie–it’s still too much to pay for.
Rich and Susan, Don’t worry I am not here to bad-mouth you. I definately appreciate your opinions and it was brave of you to share them. Personally though, I loved this movie. Although the plot was stupid, it still made a bit of sense, but then again I didn’t not go to the movie for the plot. I have to admit that I did not really like Will Farrell that much before “ELF” but after that movie he started becomming one of my favorites. Although I did not see Old School I heard it was hilarious. This movie was a feel good comedy, I know when I went the whole theatre was laughing their a***s off! My stomach hurt after seeing that movie because of all of the laughing I did. The story was always generally light-hearted which made it even better. It is definately one of my favs. now up there w/ “Zoolander”, “Wayne’s World”, “Rat Race”, “Robin Hood: Men in tights”, “wedding singer” and “airplane” -All of those being light-hearted feel-good comedies. Once the movie starts, you start laughing, literally. It is much much better than dodgeball (although that was extremely funny), and I have to say ties w/ white chicks and shrek 2 for being funniest, most light hearted comedy of the summer! so that’s my opinion…………=-)
EXCELLENT MOVIE! Instant classic. How about that scene when the entire news crew asks Burgundy ‘what its like to be in love’, and then he answers, ‘well, its kinda like this…..’, and then he busts out into a country song. It does not get any more random and hilarious than that. His erection was another great scene. For those of you that did not like it, you must have gone to the theatre with some sort of different expectation. I notice Rich liked Old School though, but keep in mind, Anchorman was the first movie written by Farrell, so it is much different than Elf or OS. If he continues to write and star in movies like this, then we are all in form some classics. How about the Smokey and the Bandits outtakes after the movie with Burt Reynolds? Again, just so random!
Yeah, people have been getting a little cranky, lately. We’ve been avoiding putting up and enforcing a list of posting rules, but it may become necessary …
BLESS YOU SUSAN! I applaud you for having the courage to give your opinion. As for me, I was attacked by a whole slew of psychotic people for giving my opinion. It’s all right to have a difference of opinion! It’s funny because it seems people are divided about half and half for this movie. A lot of my friends loved this movie, but most hated it. I agree that there is a major difference in quality between this and Old School. I’m sure Ferrell will do better next time.
Ok, fine, I figured that this nshow wasnt going to have the greatest of the great plot. But excuse me for going to a movie and expecting to come out of it with something, anything, more than Im in a glass case of emotion. I love Will Ferrel and he is a comedic genious, but I have truly never seen something so pointless as this movie. I was there with four other people and we were all about to leave. I laughed 5 times, thats it. Old School was a great show. It had a point and you were actually rooting for something to happen. You wanted Ferrell and his crazy friends to keep the fraternity. In this movie I wanted nothing more but to go eat some Chicken Crispers at Chilis. I dont reccommend going to see it, and that little punchline about the Bush House… fuck that… Bush is great.
Hey man, this movie fucking sucked. Dont see this peice of shit. Latta bitches…
…shout out to all my niggas…
Dude. You have emotional issues. Old School was one of the most creative movies of all time. It was almost a perfect comedy and I have it on DVD and watch it all the time. It has some of the funniest scenes I’ve ever seen. I haven’t seen starsky and hutch, but I’ve wanted to.
I’m sorry this wasn’t my favorite movie. Why the hell can’t I have my own opinion without some moron attacking me? Will Ferrell is a genius, and I just happen to feel this wasn’t his BEST work. It WAS funny, and I loved the writing of the lines, but as an overall movie experience, it just wasn’t my favorite. Don’t get so god damn fucking offended that you want to kill people. You have your opinions; I have mine. That’s the whole point of a movie rating blog. Why are you so fucking insecure that you attack other people? I wasn’t asking for an emotional movie with depth. I couldn’t have cared less for a movie like that. I’m a man who enjoys comedy and I just wished that this movie had gone further. There were so many funny scenarios in the trailer that never made it into the film. Why can’t you just read my comments, (which you don’t even have to do), and say, “Thanks for your opinion” and move on. With stupid comments like yours, why should any one want to comment on a movie ever again?
Siskel’s been dead for years. If you’re gonna insult someone you should at least insult the correct person.
Why on Earth is anyone commenting on a plot when it comes to a Will Ferrell movie? Hey geek, go rent Titanic you panzy and bring your purse full of kleenex. Ferrell stands for completely senseless and outrageous humor. He is all alone in the area of comedy he is in as the very best. When’s the last time you heard someone use lines on a female like he did by the pool “I wanna be on you”.
The cameos just add to the viewing experience by the way. It’s not an attempt to save the movie you chump. So was dumb and dumber too “dumb” for you? If you didn’t like starsky & hutch and you didn’t like old school then please save your $8 and stay home download porn or something. Quit hating on one of todays comical genius’. kiss my sweet ass siskel and shebert you sweaty log of crap covered in burnt hair.
I actually found this site looking to remember some of the classic one-liners from this movie and to see that some complete chauncey pillow biting bee-otch has bad reviews of a hysterical movie intended to please only the fans of will ferrel and his crew makes me sick. you most definitely are fans of queer eye for the straight guy. dildos. go put a rag on a stick and clean out your fat sweaty ass crack morons.
*bad
I LIKED THE MOVIE FOR WHAT IT WAS WORTH! Part of the reason I think my movie viewing experience was bed is because of the annoying people who sat around me. I wouldn’t mind seeing it again. And Manny, I’m only in high school. Don’t let yourself get so offended.
GREAT MOVIE!! Could not stop laughing. People should not expect to go to this movie for a plot that will leave them on the edge of their seat…If you want that go see Spiderman 2. This movie is meant to have laughs that only Will Ferrell in his ridiculous humor can bring. I highly recommend this movie to those who can understand stupid humor. Great laughs!
and yes, I realize I just wrote “you go pay”
I think this movie had a pretty broad range of comedy – for those who said that it was purely infantile toilet humor, I couldn’t disagree with you more… lines such as “Blackbeard’s delight” and “I’m in a glass case of emotion” must have gone completely over your head, because they were nothing short of brilliant.
And to the pretentious asshole who thinks he can put down people just because they do not spell correctly: I suggest you go pay more attention to graduating whatever community college you are currently attending, and leave movie critiques to the big boys and girls
This movie is even funnier the second time. You miss so much because of the laughing the first time. If you like funny and enjoy life, this movie is awesome.
Why is anyone talking about a plot. If you are stupid enough to believe this movie needed a plot, or was going to have one, you should be sent to an institution. This movie was non-stop laughs. Ferrell is the funniest man alive. And for a comedian he is very versitile. This character was way different than Frank Riccard. Both were hilarious. When Jack Black kicked the dog I fell off my chair. I had to wait until the end to catch my breath. I feel sorry for people who didn’t like it. It must suck to go through life without laughing.
This movie was hillarious! I was in tears when Will Ferrell had that major erection. And my favorite line… “I’m in a glass case of emotion!”
We loved this movie! We loved the randomness. The retarted guy was hilariuos. Recommend this movie to everyone who like Will Ferrel. Definilty a good movie.
Like I stated in my first comment, the movie does have many hilarious one liners. That’s about all. This is a step down from standard Ferrell humor. It may have been good for SNL, but as a movie, it kinda sucked. The only reason there were so many cameos is because the movie itself is not funny. They though, “well, we don’t have a funny movie, so we’ll bring in a bunch of funny people.” It was just moderately funny. Jack Black was the best. Look at the reviews from Rotten Tomatoes. The link is at the top of this page. 70% of the reviews are negative.
Some summed this movie up right. This, is Will Ferrel straight up. If you don’t fancy random one liners that make entirely no sense but are fucking hilarious stay home and wait for the next crappy American Pie to come out. Don’t get upset because the plot sucked, if you were following the plot in the first place you were there for the wrong reasons. And how about the cameo apperances!!
‘Hey guys, I’m riding a furry tractor!’
Funny funny movie. Just got back from it. I need to change my shorts.
I don’t know what you guys are talking about, it being a waste of money?!? Yeah, the plot sucked. But come on…there were so many one liners in there that were classic! ‘He punted baxtor! I’m caught in a glass case of emotion!’ Basically, if you don’t like Will Ferrel humor, then it was your own damn fault for going to the movie. It was simply a great movie to get some good laughs out of. If you don’t have a sense of humor, don’t see it!
Just returned from seeing Anchorman. Colby you’re a moron. This movie will go down as a sham towards the viewing public. If you haven’t seen it, save your money and your time. The laughs are few and far between and the movie lacks any cohesiveness, just a compilation of poorly written skits that wouldn’t make it off the SNL editing floor. The viewing public deserves better.
And uh… You got it wrong. It’s “Go Fuck Yourself, San Diego”.
I’m by no means trying to bash Will, I just don’t think this was his best movie. Seeing Jack Black kick a dog off a bridge was great though.
this movie was absolutely hillarious….will ferrell is the fuckin man and if you don’t think so….then don’t go to his movie…he did the same kind of comedy he always does, except it was even funnier this time…and when jack black kicked baxter off the bridge, this movie became a classic….so go fuck yourself rich, find something better to do with your time besides bash will ferrell just because he’s better than you….dumbass bitch
Personally, I thought it was a great movie. However, several parts from the preview were missing. I noticed that the part where the guy talks about the divorce and he says fantastic interrupting the guy is gone, and the part where ferrel takes a bullet for his coworker is missing. what happened?
Well, having seen Anchorman, I must say that it was completely what I expected. After being bombarded for months with stupid advertising for this film (that annoying trailer that starts playing loudly and horribly in my AIM window) I’d already seen a good portion of the movie. Scotchy scotch scotch? What about it. It’s an alcoholic beverage… so what? I have absolutely LOVED Will Ferrell in the past and think he is a genius of randomness, something I do myself and personally admire. This movie goes too far. It just becomes dull. There were some wonderfully funny random lines, such as when he tells Christina Applegate that she is a dirty pirate hooker slut. It was just so random and funny. Other than those moments, this movie is HORRIBLE. It felt like the movie went by in 20 minutes and I’d gotten nothing from it. Completely predictable, this was a waste of my money. Elf and Oldschool were much better and show a higher quality of writing. I should have known how bad the movie was going to be by the clientele of people sitting around me. When the large family wasn’t screaming in Spanish in their cell phones behind me, they were repeating every line four times and laughing at it. So darn annoying. The lady to my right was shrieking at the completely not funny times and everyone was looking around at each other in confusion at her oddity. Then, when the “urban-cowboy” character turns out to be gay, this teenager in front of me stands up and yells “Faggot” and points at the screen. While some people are not fond of gay people, there’s no reason to be so crude and vulgar. Bah. I seriously hope Ferrell is not in a rut. I mean, the person above me obviously liked the movie, and they can’t even spell WilL Ferrell, even when it is written on the movie poster on the top of the page. At least the movie bashed the Bush Administration. That made me happy. Airplane is a classic; this is not.
Anchorman was totally a Wil Ferrell movie. I love Wil Ferrell, so I loved the movie. But its just one of those movies with that stupid humor that everyone loves to laugh at. Its so stupid, its genius! There are lots of great quotes, (“You pooped in the refrigerator? You ate a wheel of cheese? Im not mad, Im impressed.”) and it will be a classic that my kids will watch someday, the same way I watch ‘Airplane’ today.