Christina Applegate: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

1. Veronica Corningstone - Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy (2004)

In the 11 years since its release, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy has established itself as a touchstone of modern comedy. Its irreverent, under-handed intelligence wrapped up as idiocy ingratiated Will Ferrell into the big leagues and launched the rest of the feature's supporting cast (Paul Rudd, Steve Carell) to stratospheric heights. Applegate didn't get quite the same bump, but that doesn't mean she isn't as funny. Applegate plays incoming journalist Veronica Corningstone, a modern woman looking to make a dent in the anachronistic environment of 70s media. She commences a relationship with Channel 4's king of reportage Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), only to later replace him as the star. Que acts of ridiculous retribution. Applegate's the straight-guy here, and is responsible for a lot of the film's smarter commentary (pivoting around gender in the workplace), so she doesn't get as many showy lines or moments of bizarre bravado to exploit. Instead she has to anchor the merry-go-round, as Ferrell, Rudd and Carell wizz past her. Applegate's reactions are what render the movie's best moments so memorable, in a turn that's unselfish yet central to the enterprise's success. Without her, it would just be a group of schlubs acting out in increasingly weird ways. Come to think of it, she's pretty much the MVP.