Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is a 2004 American satirical comedy film directed by Adam McKay in his directorial debut, produced by Judd Apatow, starring Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate and written by McKay and Ferrell. The first installment in the Anchorman series, the film is a tongue-in-cheek take on the culture of the 1970s, particularly the new Action News format. It portrays a San Diego television station where news anchor Ron Burgundy (Ferrell) clashes with his new co-anchor Veronica Corningstone (Applegate). The film was released by DreamWorks Pictures on July 9, 2004 and made $28.4 million in its opening weekend, and $90.6 million worldwide against a $26 million budget in its theatrical run. It was met with lukewarm reviews from critics upon release but has undergone a gradual critical reassessment since then as one of the greatest comedy films ever made. It was ranked at number 100 on Bravo's 100 funniest movies, number 6 on Time Out's top 100 comedy films of all time, number 113 on Empire's 500 Greatest Movies of All Time, and number 49 on Rolling Stone's 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century. Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie, a companion film assembled from outtakes and abandoned subplots, was released straight-to-DVD on December 28, 2004. A sequel, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, was released on December 18, 2013, with Paramount Pictures replacing DreamWorks Pictures as the distributor.
Plot In 1975, Ron Burgundy is an anchorman for a San Diego TV station, KVWN Channel 4, working alongside friends on the news team: lead field reporter Brian Fantana, sportscaster Champ Kind, and meteorologist Brick Tamland. Station director Ed Harken informs the team that they have retained their long-held status as the highest-rated news program in San Diego, prompting them to throw a wild party, where Ron unsuccessfully attempts to pick up a beautiful blonde woman named Veronica Corningstone. Ed later informs the team that they have been forced to hire Veronica. After a series of unsuccessful attempts by the team to seduce her, she finally agrees to a "professional tour" of the city with Ron, culminating in a sexual relationship. Despite agreeing to keep the relationship discreet, Ron announces it on air. After a dispute with a motorcyclist ends in Ron's beloved dog Baxter being punted off the San Diego–Coronado Bridge, Ron is late to work. Veronica fills in for him on air, drawing higher ratings than Ron usually does, and the couple breaks up when he bemoans her success. Veronica is promoted to co-anchor, to the team's disgust. The co-anchors become fierce rivals off-air while maintaining a phony facade of cordiality on-air. Depressed, the team (barring Veronica) decides to buy new suits, but Brick, leading the way, gets them lost in a shady part of town. Confronted by the main competitor, Wes Mantooth and his news team, Ron challenges them to a fight. When several other news teams converge on-site (including the Channel Two News team, the Public News Team, and the Spanish-language News team), a full-on melee ensues, only broken up by police sirens that cause them to flee. Realizing that having a female co-anchor is damaging their reputation, Ron gets into another heated argument with Veronica, and they end up in a physical fight after she insults his hair. After one of Veronica's co-workers informs her that Ron will read whatever is written on the teleprompter, she sneaks into the station and alters the text in revenge. The next day, he (unaware of what he is saying) concludes the broadcast with "Go fuck yourself, San Diego!" instead of his signature closing line, "You stay classy, San Diego!", triggering an angry mob outside the studio and forcing Ed to fire him. Realizing she went too far, Veronica confesses to him that she was responsible, making him angry. Unemployed, friendless, and heavily antagonized by the public, Ron grows depressed while Veronica enjoys her newfound fame, with Brian, Champ, and Brick begrudgingly working with her. Ed has warned against them talking to Ron, under threat that they'd be fired as well. Three months later, when a panda is about to give birth, every news team in San Diego rushes to the zoo to cover the story. In an attempt to sabotage her, a rival news anchor pushes Veronica into a Kodiak bear enclosure. When Ed is unable to locate her, he recruits and rehires Ron. Once at the zoo, Ron, with his morale restored, jumps into the bear pen to save Veronica as the public watches. The rest of the news team then jumps in to save them. Just as a bear is about to attack, Ron's dog Baxter, who miraculously survived his fall, intervenes and encourages the bear to spare them. As the group climbs out of the pit, Wes appears and holds the ladder over the bear pit, threatening to drop Ron back in, saying that deep down, he has always hated him, but then admits he does respect him before pulling him to safety. After Ron and Veronica reconcile, it is shown that, in the years to come, Brian becomes the host of a Fox reality show named Intercourse Island, Brick is married with 11 children and is a top political adviser to George W. Bush, Champ is a commentator for the NFL before getting fired after being accused by Terry Bradshaw of sexual harassment, and Ron and Veronica are co-anchors for the CNN-esque World News Center.
Cast
Casting Will Ferrell and Adam McKay wanted Ed Harris to play Ed Harken, which was eventually given to Fred Willard. Dan Aykroyd was considered for the role of Garth Holiday. Alec Baldwin was considered for the role of Frank Vitchard. James Spader was considered for the role of Brick Tamland. Bob Odenkirk, Ben Stiller and Ron Livingston were all considered for the role of Brian Fantana. John C. Reilly was originally considered for the role of Champ Kind. Amy Adams, Leslie Mann, and Maggie Gyllenhaal auditioned for the role of Veronica Corningstone.
Production
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