It had to be, didn't it? There will be some who like to claim that Anchorman is overrated, in order to try and go against the vast amount of love for it, but there hasn't been a funnier, weirder, more quotable film in the 21st century than Ferrell and Adam McKay's 2004 masterpiece. In fairness, on first viewing it doesn't come across as an instant classic, but like many great comedies, it just gets better and better every time you watch it. Set in 1970's San Diego, the film revolves around newsreader and local celebrity Ron Burgundy, who is, to put it bluntly, a buffoon. He and his colleagues/cronies Brian Fantana (Rudd), Brick Tamland (Carell) and Champ Kind (David Koechner) rule the roost at the fictional KVWN Channel 4 News, behaving in a sexist, egotistical manner at all times. Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) is hired, much to the dismay of Burgundy and his posse, and they suddenly have to deal with a female colleague working alongside them day in, day out. There's obviously more to the plot than that, including Burgundy and Corningstone's sexual relationship, but that's the main jist of things. The humour is obscure but hilarious, and Ferrell's performance is an absolute tour de force. Burgundy has become one of the all-time great comedy characters, and the way Ferrell delivers his lines is a joy to watch. Rudd, Carell and Koechner are also brilliant, particularly Carell's zany weatherman Tamland, and there are great cameos throughout, especially from Vince Vaughn and Fred Willard. No movie in the 21st century has more one-liners - "Milk was a bad choice", "Great Odin's raven" and "I'm in a glass case of emotion", to name but a few - and Anchorman will continue to be spoken about as the greatest comedy film of its generation in 10, 20 and even 50 years time. Quite rightly so. We'd love to hear your top 10. Let us know in the comments section.
