Ron also spends a great deal of time trying to reconnect with his now estranged wife Veronica (Christina Applegate) and son Walter (Judah Nelson), who prove an increasingly annoying thorn in his side as he attempts to climb the career ladder. (“Are you sure he’s not a midget with a learning disability?” he asks Veronica of Burgundy Jr.)
While the sequel frequently drifts off into Anchorman’s idiosyncratic tangents, it’s once again this conflict between Ron’s hubris and his heart that provide its throughline. Ron’s grown a little in the nine years between movies, but not much. Social progress still alarms him, as evidenced by his initial reaction (“black!”) to new African American boss Linda Jackson (a terrific Meagan Good). He is as egomaniacal in his pursuit to reach the top as always, and again America’s adoration of his treacly sign-outs and nonsensical ramblings casts an only slightly exaggerated eye on how we consume media.
Will Ferrell, who also co-wrote the screenplay with director Adam McKay, has never been more at home wearing the tasche and tie. He revels in all the Burgundyisms that we know and love: the creative exclamations, gravitas-dripping voice, and tendency to point out the obvious in bizarre situations.But importantly that sweetness he originally imbued the character with is still there, which makes some of the film’s more uncomfortable scenes – and there are a few - easier to swallow. While Ron’s attempt to assimilate black culture during dinner with Linda’s family felt like a cringe-worthy misstep – particularly because it felt like an unnecessary scene to begin with - for the most part we are able to forgive his archaic attitudes because they come from a place of wide-eyed naivety. Ron Burgundy is a man-child, but unlike the man-children of say, Grown Ups 2, his immaturity rarely irritates and never descends into nastiness.
The rest of the old Channel Four News Team do a fine job against Ferrell’s freewheeling main act, although all but Steve Carell’s Brick are underutilized. Paul Rudd’s Brian Fantana gets a couple of good bits but his character is mostly shoehorned into old gags, while David Koechner’s Champ Kind starts off strong but fades quickly into the background.
There’s no big sense of loss, however, as Carell’s Brick has always been the favourite, and this time he gets his own romantic sub-plot involving an equally brilliant Kristen Wiig, whose vacant flightiness is a great match for his unique brand of boyish insanity. Some of the film’s strongest scenes involve these two trying to emotionally – and physically – connect, and I was left longing for a double act spin-off.For the most part, this sense of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” works in the sequel’s favour, but McKay hasn’t shed all the original’s less desirable indulgences. Once again there's a sense that cast and crew entertained one too many Saturday Night Live-inspired whims in Anchorman 2, and its largely improvised screenplay has an excess of tangential plotlines. Those that work, work brilliantly in the surreal context of the film, while those that fall short lend to a feeling of excess length, and its midsection in particular feels overstuffed.
Part of this is unfortunately to do with the relationship between Ron and his son Walter, which is perfectly sweet but the screenplay never commits enough to it to make you care. I couldn’t help but feel that the screentime would have been better spent on Applegate, whose considerable comedic talents are mostly wasted here.
Elsewhere, old jokes don’t always make a welcome return; while the reappearance of the jazz flute and Fantana’s mystical cupboard might warm you with familiarity, the gags just aren’t as funny as Ferrell and McKay’s fresher material.
Yet there’s so much good in Anchorman 2 you’ll forgive its missteps. Like the original, so much of the comedy’s appeal lies with its creator’s keen sense of the surreal. Whether it’s a musical ode to a shark, an extremely violent Winnebego accident involving a deep fryer, or any number of ridiculous celebrity cameos, the film will leave you reeling with its abundance of creative insanity. Most importantly, it’s likely you’ll be dining out on quotes for days after you leave the theater.