Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
There's a point in Anchorman that is so absurd that Will Ferrell and his 'Frat Pack' should have just chucked what little story the film did have out the window, and just embraced its own increasing ludicrousness. Gone for broke. Instead it reverts back to some kind of quasi-serious third act where the main character is down and out and has to get back his job, the girl etc. Why the hell do these kinds of films feel the need to try to get a bit serious on our asses towards the end? It happened in Old School too, and ruined a potentially good comedy.
Pity, because a large percentage of the rest of the film is actually quite funny. Obviously largely improvisational, some of the gags Ferrell's Burgundy and his equally sexist TV news crew come up with flies at you straight out of left-field – like the news team's hilariously yet surprisingly good rendition of 'Afternoon Delight'. While some of the supporting cast can't quite keep up with Ferrell (points to Christina Applegate for trying), Paul Rudd matches him and is especially good as the mucho macho reporter Brian Fantana, and should be an inclusion on future 'Frat Pack' (man I feel weird calling them that) outings.
Anchorman is better than Dodgeball, but that wasn't hard. It's not as good as Night at the Roxbury, which is content to be completely farcical the whole way through. It's probably about the same as Old School , but a little more abstract in its comedy. Funny in patches, hilarious occasionally, but a letdown nevertheless.