Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie (Video 2004)

Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie: Directed by Adam McKay. With Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell. While Ron Burgundy’s rivalry with Veronica Corningstone persists, a group of unprofessional thieves endeavor to make the truth known.

“Could u0026quot;Anchormanu0026quot; have been funnier had it been allowed to stretch itself out beyond the two-hour limits of a commercially-minded comedy? Hereu0026#39;s a chance for us u0026quot;Anchormanu0026quot; lovers to find out.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn u0026quot;Wake-Up Ron Burgundyu0026quot;, we see San Diegou0026#39;s Channel 4 news team in action once again. Ron (Will Ferrell) struggles with love and jealousy as co-anchor Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) achieves her dream of big-time success. Meanwhile, their little world is threatened by the emergence of the incompetent but very radical terror cell who calls themselves u0026quot;The Alarm Clocku0026quot;. When Veronica is captured by this gang, itu0026#39;s up to Ron and his buddies to save the day.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNo use getting too excited about that long-discussed u0026quot;Anchormanu0026quot; sequel: This is strictly outtakes from the first movie, with some clever editing disguising the fact that Ron and Veronica are meeting here once again for the first time. Better you think of this as an alternate-reality u0026quot;Anchormanu0026quot; than a real sequel.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNarrator Bill Kurtis puts it in perspective in his opening narration. What we are about to see, he explains, is u0026quot;the chaff from the wheat, the skim from the milk, the pudding from the all-you-can-eat lobster buffet, and the surgeon guy from Prince and the Revolution.u0026quot;u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhat u0026quot;Wake-Upu0026quot; really is is a chance to see Ferrell and his co-writer/director Adam McKay working even more of their creepy-funny comedy vibe. Scenes in u0026quot;Anchormanu0026quot; could stretch on a bit, but made their point. Here, they stretch on beyond that point, then stretch further.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eRon needs a moment to compose himself on-air while reading a tender story about a Japanese devil owl, then another, and then another. u0026quot;A lot of emotion here,u0026quot; he says, tearing up.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eA creepy mentor figure, Jess Moondragon (Chad Everett) pops up to offer no meaningful advice for Ron, but plenty of lustful rumination on what heu0026#39;d like to do to Mother Nature – u0026quot;things you can only do in Bangkok.u0026quot;u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSuch scenes work as goofier riffs on ideas from the first film, but with a rub. Watching Ron and Veronicau0026#39;s awkward first date a second time isnu0026#39;t so killer with a long sequence showcasing Ronu0026#39;s driving skills replacing his mastery of the jazz flute.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBecause itu0026#39;s all outtakes, however skillfully put together, thereu0026#39;s story gaps galore and rehashed gags from the first movie with slightly different blocking. The Alarm Clock angle works in bits, but is too thin to serve as a framing device. The character build-up that made u0026quot;Anchormanu0026quot; so immersive is shortchanged here. Most of that made the first film.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFans of Champ Kind (Dave Koechner) will enjoy the wild man acting even wilder here; one moment heu0026#39;s a raving homosexual, five minutes later heu0026#39;s a raging cannibal. Brick Tamland (Steve Carell) lunches on used coffee filters. In addition to Everett (his send-up of the serenely sleazy Moondragon aided by a strong late-career resemblance to Clint Eastwood), thereu0026#39;s a brief killer cameo from Stephen Root as a fill-in anchor.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLike I said, itu0026#39;s all sweet stuff if youu0026#39;re an u0026quot;Anchormanu0026quot; lover. But itu0026#39;s definitely not the sleeper classic u0026quot;Anchormanu0026quot; has become. Itu0026#39;s definitely more self-indulgent in its humor and fitful in its direction. u0026quot;Wake-Upu0026quot; shows that in addition to being frightfully clever, the people behind u0026quot;Anchormanu0026quot; had a lot of sense in where to trim.”