They bring you the news so you don't have to get it yourself.
Overview
It's the 1970s and San Diego anchorman Ron Burgundy is the top dog in local TV, but that's all about to change when ambitious reporter Veronica Corningstone arrives as a new employee at his station.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.5/10
IMDb: 7.1/10
Letterboxd: 3.49/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 66%
Metacritic: 63
TMDB: 6.7/10
Director
Adam McKay
Production
DreamWorks Pictures, Apatow Productions
Cast
Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner, Fred Willard, Chris Parnell, Kathryn Hahn, Fred Armisen, Seth Rogen, Paul F. Tompkins, Danny Trejo, Scot Robinson, Ian Roberts, Darcy Donavan, Renee Weldon, Jerry Minor, Holmes Osborne, Charles Walker, Shira Piven
Where to watch
Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, MGM Plus
Curator Review
Verdict
A loud, quotable studio comedy that turns newsroom vanity into full-blown absurdism. It’s more scattershot than elegant, but the character work, deadpan supporting turns, and relentless commitment to stupidity make it a durable cult favorite.
Best for
fans of broad ensemble comedies
viewers who like quotable, meme-ready dialogue
people who enjoy absurd workplace satire
fans of 2000s studio comedies with a retro setting
Skip if
you want tightly plotted jokes over chaos
you dislike crude, juvenile humor
you prefer subtle character comedy
you’re allergic to improvisational, sketch-like pacing
Overview
Anchorman is a comedy built on swagger, stupidity, and total tonal commitment. It sends up 1970s local news culture by making every ego larger than life, then keeps escalating until the whole movie feels like a broadcast gone feral. The joke density is uneven, but the best bits are so indelible they’ve outlived the film’s original context.
Worth noting
What gives it staying power is the ensemble. Will Ferrell’s blustering vanity is the engine, but the movie keeps finding new comic rhythms in Christina Applegate’s straight-faced ambition, Paul Rudd’s smug cool, Steve Carell’s accidental nonsense, and David Koechner’s animal energy. It’s a movie where a throwaway line can become the whole reason people remember it.
Bottom line
If you’re in the mood for a comedy that values momentum, catchphrases, and escalating nonsense over narrative discipline, it still lands. If you want something more precise or emotionally grounded, this is probably too shaggy. But as a cult comedy artifact, it’s hard to argue with the sheer force of its personality.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Wesley R. Ball (4★) · 3394 likes
I love... carpet. I love... desk.
Brick, are you just looking at things in the office and saying that you love them?
I love lamp.
Do you really love the lamp, or are you just saying it because you saw it? I love lamp. I love lamp.
𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 🌷 (3★) · 2471 likes
How does Veronica Corningstone go for Ron Burgundy when Paul Rudd is RIGHT THERE???
Ethan Colburn (4.5★) · 1978 likes
“60% of the time, it works every time” is a great way to describe Adam McKays career.
adambolt (3★) · 1508 likes
international women's day watch
julia (2★) · 1435 likes
steve carell has like 5 lines and is still the funniest part of this