It solidifies Ferrell's place alongside Jim Carrey, Jack Black and, when called on, Johnny Depp, as our best comic actors.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:186
Fresh:120
Rotten:66
Average Rating:6.2/10
Consensus: It's a one-joke premise, but the movie is amiably dumb, and there are scenes of inspired goofiness.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for sexual humor, language and comic violence
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Jul 9, 2004 Wide
Box Office: $84,136,909
Synopsis: Will Ferrell ("Elf," "Old School") stars as Ron Burgundy, the top-rated anchorman in San Diego in the ‘70s. When feminism marches into the newsroom in the form of ambitious newswoman Veronica... Will Ferrell ("Elf," "Old School") stars as Ron Burgundy, the top-rated anchorman in San Diego in the ‘70s. When feminism marches into the newsroom in the form of ambitious newswoman Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate - "View From the Top," TV’s "Married With Children"), Ron is willing to play along at first—as long as Veronica stays in her place, covering cat fashion shows, cooking, and other "female" interests. But when Veronica refuses to settle for being eye candy and steps behind the news desk, it’s more than a battle between two perfectly coiffed anchor-persons…it’s war. Will Ferrell co-wrote the screenplay for "Anchorman" with Adam McKay, a former "Saturday Night Live" head writer and founder of the Upright Citizen’s Brigade comedy troupe. McKay is also making his directorial debut on "Anchorman." Judd Apatow ("The Cable Guy," TV’s "Freaks and Geeks") is producing the film, with Shauna Robertson ("Meet The Parents," "Elf"), David O. Russell ("Three Kings," "Flirting With Disaster") and David Householter ("The Core") co-producing. "Anchorman" also stars David Koechner ("A Guy Thing"), Steve Carell ("Bruce Almighty") and Paul Rudd ("The Shape of Things," "The Cider House Rules") as members of Ron’s news team, and Fred Willard ("American Wedding," "A Mighty Wind") and Chris Parnell (TV’s "Saturday Night Live") as news producers. Kevin Corrigan (TV’s "Grounded For Life," "Slums of Beverly Hills"), renowned rap musician Chuck D (of Public Enemy), Tara Subkoff ("The Cell," "American Pie") and Maya Rudolph (TV’s "Saturday Night Live") appear as members of the radical underground group The Alarm Clock, which becomes the big news story of the day. [More]
Starring: Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, David Koechner
Starring: Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Fred Willard, Chris Parnell, Steve Carell
Director: Adam McKay
Director: Adam McKay
Screenwriter: Adam McKay, Will Ferrell
Producer: Judd Apatow
Composer: Alex Wurman
Studio: DreamWorks Distribution LLC
Get This Movie
Reviews for Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
it seems like Ferrell can take just about any idea, however threadbare, and make it funny.
Even though it feels the need to lapse into juvenile clowning around every once in awhile, Anchorman is still gonna make you laugh--hard.
...Burgundy barely qualifies as a character. Better to think of him as a living one-liner, albeit a very funny one.
so many ways to go with something witty, sharp, or just plain fun . . .the filmmakers instead went with pointless, dull, obvious, and sophomoric
It's the kind of movie that makes you laugh despite yourself, its inconsistent dummheit redeemed by a try-anything approach that somewhat transcends the usual aura of a TV sketch stretched to feature length.
Good dumb fun can be lowbrow without being lazy, but bite-sized episodes of creative lunacy are not enough to qualify Anchorman as the kind of dumb worth paying to see.
The results may not be coherent, or even consistent, but they are often hilarious.
"Anchorman" is so deft and suave at selling us on its preposterousness that we give in, and laugh at the sheer gall of it all.
the movie succeeds because there are so many goofy little moments that rise up out of nowhere and catch you off guard.
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.
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.
Whether he's fighting Kodiak bears or throwing burritos at bikers, Ron Burgundy is the perfect outlet for Will's unique brand of sincere witticism.
Anchorman is equally hilarious, appalling and intelligent, but couldn't the movie have a little more of the intelligent and hilarious?
Most of the comic sequences and satirical barbs in this comedy seem to have been recycled from the long ago past.
A marginal entertainment with some greatly funny scenes definitely worth seeing, but is the rest of the movie worth wading through to get to them? Probably not.
Will Ferrell’s commitment to sophomoric comedy is encroaching on religious zeal: “Anchorman” is Ferrell at his best.
A coarse, one-joke affair; Ron Burgundy might not have actually been an SNL skit, but 'Anchorman' sure feels like a movie based on one.
Latest News for Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
June 02, 2009:
Will Ferrell Talks Land of the Lost
Ahead of the release of the comedy-adventure Land of the Lost -- a big-screen adaptation of Sid and Marty Kroft's psychedelic TV series from the '70s -- Rotten Tomatoes got the... More...
May 27, 2009:
Will Ferrell Talks Anchorman Sequel ![]()
Hope you've been staying classy, San Diego -- Will Ferrell says discussions for an "Anchorman" sequel are taking place. More...
July 25, 2008:
Weekly Ketchup: Anchorman 2, Dracula: Year Zero, Twilight Zone and Much More
In this week's Weekly Ketchup we've got the latest on plenty of remakes and sequels coming your way. Plus, check back Monday for an extra special edition of the Ketchup, in... More...
June 06, 2008:
Steve Carell Would Totally Make Anchorman 2 ![]()
Steve Carell has told MTV that he has "some inklings" about what Adam McKay has in mind for Anchorman 2, and he's "absolutely" interested in coming back for the sequel. More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 67% 67% | Public Enemies |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 95% 95% | The Cove |
| 85% 85% | World's Greatest Dad |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy at Rotten Tomatoes
- Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy at IGN
- Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

Techland lists the best Sci-Fi films of this decade.

Moviefone takes a look back at the biggest stinkers of the past 10 years.

The Me and Orson Welles star answers reader questions on TIME.com.

Hollywood.com's C. Robert Cargill offers his thoughts on what the best decade for film was.

In the AV Club's "Scenic Routes," Mike D'Angelo reminisces about the Tim Burton film.
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic



