AllMovie

Fans of Will Ferrell argue that his relentless commitment to his characters is what makes him a special comedic talent. The downside of this intense commitment is that his characters often lack a connection to reality. His characters in Old School and Elf live in a world of their own and the comedy comes from those characters' inability to acknowledge life as average people live it. Anchorman continues this structure and gives Ferrell plenty of opportunities to engage in the kind of bizarre behavior and surreal non sequiturs on which he has built his following. The film is full of supporting characters who are basically pale versions of Ferrell's benignly egomaniacal Ron Burgundy. There is just one style of comedy on display throughout the film, and it is a type of comedy that does not allow the film to have any resonance outside of the world it creates. Ferrell does not commit to the character so much as he commits to a comic construct that he knows is funny. Instead of becoming the character, his intensity is a novel way of allowing himself to comment on the character. Therefore it becomes impossible for anything close to a three-dimensional person to develop. While Anchorman certainly offers ingenious moments of surreal comedy (especially whenever Steve Carell opens his mouth), the lack of any reality keeps the film from offering anything other than fleeting laughs.