Review: Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

Release date: December 18, 2013

Running time: 119 minutes

Starring: Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Steve Carrell, James Marsden
Who to see it with: An absolute, die hard Anchorman fan.

David:

I was out of my mind excited for Anchorman 2 when it was announced. I absolutely loved the first film and couldn't wait to see the next chapter in Ron Burgundy's saga. However, as I thought more about it, I wasn't sure I wanted an additional movie. The first film was such an enjoyable, over the top, machismo movie that it's tough to recreate that feeling. The news team, dealing with sharing the spotlight with a female co-anchor, was the perfect storm of a situation. And unfortunately, the second movie tries its hardest but doesn't quite capture the magic of that original situation. The story is serviceable enough, having Ron again hit rock bottom and be forced to slowly climb back up the news ladder. It provides an avenue to get the team back together and into some funny conundrums, but it also isn't nearly as enjoyable as the first movie's story and does jump around a decent amount.

My original thought with an Anchorman sequel was that if you got the cast back together, the movie would be funny because of the strength of that group. And, although there are definitely plenty of humorous moments, the magic from the first film isn't there. Maybe it's because it's already been done before, maybe it was the characters reprising their previous roles and not having it be fresh, but for whatever reason, although the movie had its moments, the overall humor of the film didn't seem as laugh-out-loud funny as the first one. The writing is clever enough, with a balance of improvisation and written parts, but some of the improvised parts are forced and unnatural. The characters are fine, with all your favorites back and a few new introductions, but I didn't like some of the new characters. Overall, Anchorman 2 is a movie that didn't need to be made. Although it is a funny sequel, it doesn't quite recapture the magic that the first one had. Just like the second glass of delicious, rich scotch, it might get you drunk but won't have that same, smooth, delicious flavor that made the first one so enjoyable. 

Rent it.

PS - There is a stinger after the credits end but, surprisingly, no outtakes during the credits.