Ballast of “Anchorman” is not who you’d think

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
DreamWorks SKG presents an Adam McKay film, starring Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate. Written by McKay and Ferrell. 91m. Rated PG-13 for sexual humor, language and comic violence.

3 stars

While taking pot-shots at lawyers has become passé, we’ll always have our news anchors.

In a cinematic tradition steeped on the shoulders of fellows like Tom Grunick, “Anchorman” is out to lampoon the most unseemly of all reprobates - the clueless but suave news host.

In Will Ferrell’s mind, it seems, the mid-1970s were a time before serious ethics entered the newsroom. The “Saturday Night Light” graduate has no beef with Edward R. Morrow or Walter Cronkite - whose professionalism was never called into question. Instead, he seems to have preyed upon what films have turned newsmakers into: the Grunicks of “Broadcast News” who can force themselves to cry if it can guarantee a boost in the ratings.

So it’s no surprise that the most popular news station in San Diego is anchored by a Babbitt like Ron Burgundy (Ferrell). The movie tells us Burgundy is liked because viewers confuse his chauvinism with being debonair.

He’s backed by a maladroit group of beer-guzzling teammates: sportsman Champ Kind (David Koechner), weatherman Brick Tamland (Steven Carell) and “your man on the street,” Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd). The trio act as a chorus to Burgundy’s wild-child ways, usually egging each other on to perform the most insensitive of gestures toward their female companions.

The standout of the group is Steven Carrell, a longtime correspondent for “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” who dabbled in heavy irony and dark comedy. In “Anchorman,” he’s cast as a borderline mentally retarded weather guy in a reoccurring series of jokes that emit many guilty laughs. Carrell sells his character as being as dumb as he sounds and in the process, steals every scene that he’s in - including the ones that more prominently feature the better known Ferrell. I think it’s a credit to Ferrell’s apparent lack of ego that Carrell is given an opportunity to shine; presented with a very similar role in “Bruce Almighty,” Carrell often found himself obscured by the much more “in your face” antics of Jim Carrey.

After building a testosterone nest for years, the foursome feels threatened with their station cites “diversity” for the addition of Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), a leggy “go-getter” with the acumen to assume the role of full-time staffer.
The comedians garner the biggest mileage out of the humor of emasculation, especially in a bizarre exchange that had me laughing long after the reel change. In the scene, the foursome is trying to convince station head Ed Harken (Fred Willard) that the hiring of Corningstone is bad for the number one rated station.

“I heard their periods attract bears,” says Brick Tamland.

“See, your putting the whole station at risk!” adds Brian Fantana.

Exchanges like the jabberwocky above are the rewards of this more hits than misses comedy. Ferrell’s notorious ability to improvise is another source to plunder. Much as he did during his tenure at “Saturday Night Live,” Ferrell is able to rip out the most charming (and historical) amphigory such as “Great Odin’s raven!” or “Holy hammer of Thor!”

The movie slips most when Ferrell falls into a trap that befalls most SNL alumni: He invites his friends in for brief and often painfully unfunny cameos. The “Old School” triumvirate of Ferrell, Vince Vaughn and Luke Wilson reunite for scene involving four competing news stations in a “West Side Story”-esque rumble. Ben Stiller - whose worked extensively with Vaughn, Wilson and Owen Wilson - and Tim Robbins also have “blink and you’ll miss them” showings. Chris Parnell, a SNL cast member during the Ferrell years, has a more prominent - but also ultimately pointless - role as a news producer.

While the former cast members of the NBC’s longest running sketch comedy show have left a bloody trail of cinematic misfires, Ferrell is quickly establishing himself as someone who can rise like a phoenix from the ashes of Molly Shannon, Rob Schneider and David Spade movies. While I’d still deem Ferrell a “hit or miss” talent, “Anchorman” will be a crowd pleaser for the rest of this summer.