Almost a decade ago, a young Rev. Adam McKinney sat down in a packed theater and had a groundbreaking exposure to absurdist, largely improvised comedy. Seeing Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy in a theater that radiated with warm laughter was a revelation. "Is this the funniest movie ever made?" hyperbolically thought a young, dumb me.
The short answer is no. While Anchorman is a perfectly fine comedy, it shrinks upon subsequent viewings, separated from a hysterical audience. In the following years, I and many others would grow weary of Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's brand of comedy, which essentially just boils down to a couple of people standing around and saying weird stuff to each other. It's the type of improvisational comedy that's tailor-made for blooper reels during the credits.
And yet, why does the trailer for Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues bring me such unbridled joy? I don't miss any of these characters or actors-in fact, part of the reason why it took so long for the sequel to come out was that the four main players had shot to A-list status in Hollywood, which would necessitate exorbitant paychecks to reunite them all. Having these actors constantly around makes them a little harder to miss.
I'm still a little jaded when it comes to the stand-around-and-say-goofy-stuff style of comedy, with which this trailer is positively jam-packed. Ferrell still ejaculates nonsense like "biscuits and gravy!" - and there's generally a lot of screaming.
But still, there's something charming about this blatantly stupid little film rising to such prominence and requiring such non-stop fanfare upon its return. In a time when comedies are largely disappointments, Anchorman still feels like a bunch of weirdos getting away with something. It's easy to imagine them giggling to themselves at the mere thought that this silly dalliance would actually find its way to theaters, let alone become a smash hit.
It's a sly bit of anarchy in the middle of a giant machine, which is rare enough in this day and age.
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