The first "Anchorman" movie is one of the most quotable comedy movies of all-time. When I sat down in the theater for the long-awaited sequel, I expected more humor along the same lines (if not quite as fresh). That is exactly what I received...and in the case of comedy films that is a win for all parties involved.
For a basic plot summary, "Anchorman 2" tells the story once again of Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), a man born to look good and read the news. When wife Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) essentially takes his job, however, Ron must decide what the next direction is that his life should take. With input from the old news team of Brick Tamland (Steve Carrell), Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), and Champ Kind (David Koechner), Ron decides to pursue an opportunity to land on a 24-hour news station.
This sequel primarily works because of Ferrell's impeccably honed Burgundy character. When some of the jokes inevitably fall flat, sometimes just Ferrell's reactions alone can carry a scene. Without his strong presence, this franchise (and especially this installment) would be utterly lost. Does the movie contain an ensemble cast? To be sure. All the auxiliary parts work well together...but they also have some jokes that fall completely flat or are just plain stupid. Only the "Burgundy scenes" are the ones that are consistently hilarious.
Basically, "Anchorman 2" is a four-star movie (though not five) because it continues the solid humor of the original. It contains more than its share of fresh jokes, but others are just a bit stale because they have essentially been done before. That's not fault of its own, of course, but the characters were just so fresh in the original that now they don't "pop" quite as much here. Essentially, this is probably about the best sequel that could have been expected for this franchise.
