Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy UHD Review

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is a superb comedic accomplishment, with an assembly of solid comedic talent that made a mark on cinema like comedies rarely do. On the excellent podcast Films to be Buried With, hosted by Ted Lasso’s Brett Goldstein, Anchorman came up as a film that made the guest laugh the most. What followed was a discussion on the lack of comedies with broad characters and absurdist scenes these days. We see them few and far between, but it’s a delight when they come along and commit to the comedy as they do with Anchorman. Comedy is subjective, and reaction to Anchorman often falls in the love-it-or hate-it camp. I think the film’s a brilliantly realized tale of an absurdly ignorant anchorman struggling with love, change, and his vulnerabilities. It ranks high with off-beat gems like The Jerk, Blazing Saddles, and Woody Allen’s Sleeper. The laughs are everywhere.

The Production: 4.5/5

“I’m gonna punch you in the ovary; that’s what I’m gonna do. A straight shot. Right to the babymaker.”

When a female reporter, Veronica (Christina Applegate), is assigned to work for San Diego’s number one news team with a collection of misogynistic, out-of-touch, tone-deaf men, led by lead anchor Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), things spiral out of control.

Comedies come in all shapes and sizes. Slapstick, high-brow, low-brow, witty, sarcastic, simple, obscure, self-referential, family-friendly…the variations seem endless. There has been every kind of comedy you could think of, and – as with every genre – there are more misses than hits. But Anchorman is a classic. It’s a beautiful oddball. It found moderate success, financially speaking, and managed to please or perplex audiences in equal measure, but it has since become popular. It’s a marvelous and quirky gem that is deserving of high praise.

Will Ferrell, a clever comedian, has shown his dedication and inventiveness in his role as Ron Burgundy in Anchorman. While he may not have starred in many clever films in his career, when he finds a character that works, he is entirely invested in bringing them to life. His performance in Anchorman, the progenitor of the Ricky Bobby tale, is a testament to his dedication and originality. It’s a much better film than Talladega Nights, and from his entire library of films, from A Night at the Roxbury to his role in the runaway success Barbie, it’s the best display of a character he brings to the world of comedy.

Here’s why this film is so special.

First, Anchorman has a fun premise. Set in the 1970s, it exists in the chauvinistic world of anchormen and is filled with hero worship and absurd rivalries between local stations. To men like Ron Burgundy, who knew nothing of political correctness, women had only one purpose: to look good. Ron’s comfortable existence at the top of the manly food chain and his unfettered sexist attitude hit a brick wall when he is unwillingly teamed with the talented and beautiful Veronica Corningstone, played by Christina Applegate, in what is among her best onscreen performances.

Secondly, the cast of characters assembled for the film features the lightning-hot talents of Paul Rudd, David Koechner, the late Fred Willard, Vince Vaughn, and the unstoppable Steve Carell. Each character is unique, different in comedic style, and has endless opportunities to be funny. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the actors were given just the basic frame of the scene and then spent their time improvising the most humorous ways to make that scene happen. The level of absurdity and comedy in some scenes reaches such a saturation point that I can only marvel at the unrelenting hilariousness of the actors. Many comedic actors pop up everywhere, like Jack Black, Seth Rogen, Chris Parnell, Fred Armisen, Paul F. Tompkins, and even director Judd Apatow.

Thirdly, the film is for a grown-up audience, especially its extended version. For years, comedy films had been sliding into an abyss of universally appealing, family-oriented affairs, leaving any hopes for edgier or more adult-satisfying work languishing on the sidelines. I don’t know if Anchorman helped cinematic comedy turn the corner to bring us films like This Is The End, The Heat, Bridesmaids, and others, but it serves, at the very least, as a solid rung on that ladder.

Lastly, Will Ferrell pulls off comedy gold with his ludicrous, lovable, laugh-out-loud, funny Ron Burgundy. He creates a man so overwhelmingly sexist that it reaches beyond parody and into the realm of slapstick, but not with any of the traditional trappings of slapstick’s style of comedy. Anyone who enjoys his Ricky Bobby character, complete with assured self-confidence, carefree abandon for logic and social norms, and an utterly oblivious view of his world, should easily enjoy the machine that is the chauvinistic Ron Burgundy. The film has an outstanding comedy script, bevies of adlibs, and improvised laugh-inducing scenes. The quality of talent appearing in cameos, such as Tim Robbins and Luke Wilson, also elevates this film beyond merely an average comedy.

Adam McKay’s directorial debut is confident, irreverent, hilarious, and sometimes genuinely bizarre, and the result is quite possibly the best comedy from the McKay/Apatow legion of releases.

Video: 5/5

3D Rating: NA

Anchorman was always good-looking on Blu-ray, so the choice to release this on 4K is not as urgent, but seeing the results, I am glad Paramount made a choice. Framed at 1.85:1, the presentation is filled with good detail, lovely film grain, and an abundance of delightful colors. The now 20-year-old film offers fabrics that are bright and richly detailed; the 70s aesthetic, oranges, reds, and whites are excellent. Even the occasional aerial stock footage (establishing shots of San Diego) is better here. Skin tones and presentation are superb, with skin pores (particularly those of Will Ferrell in the many close-ups director Adam McKay gives us) excellent, too. The Dolby Vision grading pulls the colors our more richly.

With three versions of the film, the theatrical edition, the extended edition, and the “chaff from the wheat” edition, better known as Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie, with only the Theatrical edition in 4k, this release is terrific.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy [4K UHD + Bl…

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Audio: 4.5/5

The English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio available here is the same as that previously included with the Blu-ray. It offers precise center channel performance, and all the wickedly funny and original lines, one after the other, are clean and clear. The off-beat antics, including the news team brawl, are managed comfortably in the surrounds and the LFE, while Alex Wurman’s well-placed score is well-handled throughout.

Special Features: 4.5/5

Just the theatrical movie on the 4K while the accompanying Blu-rays carry the previously available special features.

4K Disc

• Theatrical version of the film in 4K

Blu-ray Disc 1

• Theatrical and Extended versions of the film branched.
• Commentary with Will Ferrell and Adam McKay: The commentary is unique and funny, but it is useless in providing valuable information on the process of making the film or the film itself. So, enjoy it as an extension of the Apatow/McKay/Ferrell brand of commentary and nothing else.
• ‘Afternoon Delight’ Music Video (3:49): Ron Burgundy and gang serenade the world with an odd musical ode to daytime lovemaking.
• Deleted Scenes & Extended Scenes (37:53): 36 high-quality deleted scenes, many of which had me laughing as much as the scenes in the film’s final cut (including additional cut scenes not available on the previous DVD or HD-DVD releases).
• Bloopers (7:45): The best part of these hilarious bloopers is seeing Will Ferrell breach the façade of his seemingly impenetrable Ron Burgundy veneer.
• ESPN SportsCenter Audition (1:54): A fake audition tape with the bold and ignorant Ron Burgundy trying out for a presenter on ESPN.

Blu-ray Disc 2

• Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie (HD): The entire ‘lost movie’ presented in high definition for the first time. This is quite the gem and a genuinely intriguing inclusion, featuring a new narrative based on unused scenes or footage (and some footage that was used) from the film.
• Intro-Commentary with Will Ferrell and Aaron Zimmerman (12:00): Funny commentary/intro available over the opening of Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie.
• *Raw Footage “Good Takes”: A wealth of takes, with spontaneous retakes and redelivery of lines, provides a good peak at the creative and comedic skills involved in trying on different versions for size. Buried among the takes are versions used, and as a result, we get to see the diamond in the actual (but funny) rough.
• PSA (3:41): 5 absurd Public Service Announcements from Ron Burgundy
• Awards Speech (3:12): Ron Burgundy gives award speeches at the Emmys.
• *“Afternoon Delight” Recording Session (2:58): Funny behind the scenes at the recording session with the actors cutting up and bantering.
• *AMC Loews Happy Birthday (3:15): Filmed to help Loew’s theaters celebrate 100 years (AMC theaters acquired Loew’s).
• *Interviews (10:14): Another funny skit of Ron Burgundy in an awkward interview with Rebecca Romijn shown at the 2004 MTV Video Awards, and interviews with Jim Caviezel and Burt Reynolds (Previously available with just the Rebecca Romijn interview).
• Cinemax: The Making of Anchorman (9:28): A more traditional behind-the-scenes look with interviews with the stars, producer Judd Apatow, and writer/director Adam McKay. The real gem here is the rehearsal and audition tape footage.
• Reel Comedy: Anchorman (8:29): This special feature comes from the Comedy Central ‘Reel Comedy’ program—a relatively standard marketing tie-in and less than impressive.
• A Conversation with Ron Burgundy (10:40): Will Ferrell, in character, talking to Bill Curtis on stage in front of an audience. One of the things that Will Ferrell does better than most is always staying in character, thinking, and being funny as the person he is playing. I caught him on Conan O’Brian on the PR tour for the film and was impressed with his ability to ‘be’ the outrageous character.
• *Cast Auditions: Auditions from the cast members, including some great footage of actors reading for alternate parts from which they were cast and alternate actors (like Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph reading for the Veronica role).
• *Table Read (18:37): From June 2^nd, 2003, an amusing cast table read of several scenes.
• Commercial Break (2:03): A series of home movie snippets behind the scenes as the movie was produced. It’s a little disjointed and doesn’t add up to much.
• Rehearsals (9:09): Footage from rehearsals as the actors feel out scenes.
• Playback Video (5:10): Throwaway, cutaway ‘on the spot’ news reports.
• Commercial Break (2:04): A short collection of behind-the-scenes snippets
• *Trailers (HD)

Overall: 4.5/5

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is a superb comedic accomplishment, with an assembly of solid comedic talent that made a mark on cinema like comedies rarely do. On the excellent podcast Films to be Buried With, hosted by Ted Lasso’s Brett Goldstein, Anchorman came up as a film that made the guest laugh the most. What followed was a discussion on the lack of comedies with broad characters and absurdist scenes these days. We see them few and far between, but it’s a delight when they come along and commit to the comedy as they do with Anchorman. Comedy is subjective, and reaction to Anchorman often falls in the love-it-or hate-it camp. I think the film’s a brilliantly realized tale of an absurdly ignorant anchorman struggling with love, change, and his vulnerabilities. It ranks high with off-beat gems like The Jerk, Blazing Saddles, and Woody Allen’s Sleeper. The laughs are everywhere.

Neil Middlemiss

Neil has been a member of the Home Theater Forum reviewing staff since 2007, approaching a thousand reviews and interviews with actors, directors, writers, stunt performers, producers and more in that time. A senior communications manager and podcast host with a Fortune 500 company by day, Neil lives in the Charlotte, NC area with his wife and son, serves on the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Charlotte Board of Directors, and has a passion for film scores, with a collection in the thousands.