ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY, THE RICH MAHOGANY EDITION (Paramount, 2004) D: Adam McKay, w/ Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate. Rating: NNN Blu-ray package: NNNNN Rating: NNN
It’s the previously unseen third movie that makes this edition of Anchorman, released to coincide with the sequel later this month, very well worth checking out.
The theatrical and extended cuts tell the same story: In pre-cable 1970s San Diego, narcissistic ass and top-rated local news anchor Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) and his tight-knit news team can’t hack it when management hires a woman anchor (Christina Applegate). Mutual sabotage and romance ensue.
The extended cut devotes much of its extra footage to comic digressions with Applegate and Ferrell’s little posse: Paul Rudd, Steve Carell and David Koechner. It’s funnier than the theatrical, and provides needed breaks from Ferrell’s overloud braying.
The third item, Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie is stitched together from deleted and alternate scenes and it’s almost a different film. A slightly altered premise turns it into a sequel, with a new plot and climax. It’s easily as funny as the others, and a bit sillier. It’s also an excellent lesson in what can be accomplished in editing.
The theatrical version’s commentary is hilarious. Ferrell and director Adam McKay riff on random topics, bicker and deal with visitors, notably soul singer Lou Rawls, who has nothing to do with the movie and has no idea why he’s there.
EXTRAS Two commentaries, bloopers, music video, auditions, table read, much more. English, French, Spanish audio and subtitles.
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