Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Anchorman 2 Reviewed

My Confession: I don't recall much of the first Anchorman film. I remember Sex Panther and Scotch and a battle with a trident and that's about all of it, so comparing the sequel to the original is not happening here.
My Second Confession: At Sunday's Anchorman 2 premiere, I was given free popcorn, a Diet Coke and a bottle of water. It was not a bribe, but it is possible these plush items have compromised my opinion. Full disclosure.

Anchorman 2 begins with Ron and Veronica taking New York news by storm. They've got a seemingly happy life with a wide eyed son and a bright future before them until Veronica gets her dream job and Ron gets the axe...and then belligerent...and then estranged from his wife. He creeps back to San Diego and hits rock bottom, but finds timely salvation in the form of the first 24 hour news network.  Ron takes off across the country to re-assemble the greatest news team ever. As expected..wackiness ensues in flavors including "oh so wrong"and "side-splittingly ridiculous"! Now the team rallies against a common enemy (James Marsden's "Jack Lime") and while devising a way to defeat their foes in glorious news battle, wind up changing the face of Television forever. EPIC!

The film expertly pokes fun at the decline of "quality television programming" with the obvious emphasis on the rapid deterioration of news in America. Does the film seek to make a statement? Teach a lesson? Maybe in the tiniest way possible, overshadowed by that Ron Burgundy pizzazz! The often insane but common place trappings of modern news channels are presented with the addition of mutton chops and fantastic mustaches, which enhance your enjoyment enough on their own, but factor in the hysterical take on each news element by masters of straight faced absurdity Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Will Ferrell and the deconstruction of all that modern technology at work with the show stopping Steve Carell, and you've got a movie so uproariously funny you'll be straining to hear the lines following each joke as the audience loses their minds with laughter.

There's touching human drama (maybe overly touchy..like a creepy uncle), the horror of death and overwhelming joy of rebirth...all in a 2 minute time span, wonders of the deep sea, an army of cameos, overcoming crippling adversity, inter-racial love and love among idiots. IT'S ALL THERE. As stated in my opening confessions, I don't recall much about the original Anchorman beyond it not leaving much of an impression on me. Anchorman 2 had me nearly in tears at times, laughing so hard my head hurt by the time the credits rolled. This movie is INSANE in the best ways possible. See it with friends and be prepared to hear your favorite lines repeated for months to come!

NOTE: There IS an after credits bit. It's a tiny little thing but if you're a mega fan, keep your seat!

Play Scotchy Scotch Toss!
Check out the Anchorman Battle Ready Figures!
Stay Classy With The Talking Ron Burgundy Action Figure!

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