Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

Set in Manhattan, circa 1980, this sequel to the popular 2004 original finds Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) and his co-anchor wife, Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), being summoned by the head news honcho (Harrison Ford) only to learn that Veronica has been promoted and Ron is being fired. Furious, Ron deserts Veronica and their son, Walter (Judah Nelson). But after an enterprising producer (Dylan Baker) offers him a gig on Global News Network (GNN)—the first 24-hour cable news channel—Ron not only has the chance to reunite his old team but also to try to win back Veronica, who has taken up with a psychotherapist (Greg Kinnear). The secret of Ron's success this time ‘round is simple: “Why tell people what they need to hear? Why not tell them what they want to hear?” As long as ratings rise, that works for GNN's Aussie owner (Josh Lawson) and general manager (Meagan Good), while also humiliating Ron's vain rival (James Marsden). Director Adam McKay's character-driven comedy also adds improvisational quirkiness in the figures of investigative reporter Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), sportscaster Champ Kind (David Koechner), and wacky weatherman Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), who falls for an equally daft secretary (Kristen Wiig). All builds to a crescendo when competing news teams confront one another, aided and abetted by a star-studded cluster of cameos. Sure to be popular, this is a strong optional purchase. [Note: Blu-ray extras include the theatrical, unrated, and “Super Sized R-Rated” versions of the film, audio commentary (by director Adam McKay, producer Judd Apatow, and costars Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, and David Koechner), extended/alternate scenes (91 min.), a behind-the-scenes featurette (47 min.), a cast table read (22 min.), a “News Room” featurette (19 min.), gag reels (15 min.), deleted scenes (10 min.), pre-visualization segments (9 min.), auditions (7 min.), a “Benefit for 826LA” song with Jack Black (4 min.), outtake segments “Line-O-Rama” (8 min.), “News-O-Rama” (3 min.), “Kench-O-Rama,” (2 min.), “Welcome to the Dolphin Show” (2 min.) and “Catfight” (2 min.), trailers, and bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a whopping extras package for an uneven comedy.] (S. Granger)