What's it like? Firstly, let's get the obvious and important question out of the way. No, this is not as funny as the original. That might be on account of how long Anchorman has had to lodge itself in our affections, its freewheeling style, throw enough gags and something will stick approach eventually wearing down all but the most determined nay-sayer. It feels at times like a deliberate and calculated attempt to repeat a happy accident, the winning improv of the original becoming more inconsistent and bloated this time around. Two hours is really too long for a simple comedy film, but the pretty consistent laughs and decent level of invention at least keeps it from feeling like it has overstayed its welcome.
With this many gags being thrown at us, some inevitably fall flat, but there is a great deal to enjoy here, even if almost all of the strongest material has been spoiled by the super-saturation of the marketing campaign. For every mis-firing line, you know that something laugh out loud funny is only a moment away, with Brick and Ron continuing to provide the steadiest stream of consistent amusement.
Interestingly, Anchorman 2 also ventures into territory that the first film didn't remotely consider, namely some unexpected commentary on journalistic integrity, the importance of family and the impending death of traditional news reporting in the face of the trivial and irrelevant. Tonally, it grates a little alongside the more outlandish comedy moments (Ron's attempts to ingratiate himself to the family of his African-American boss is especially wince-inducing) and perhaps the rehashing of some of the best moments from the first film (instead of selecting a cologne we see Brian's condom collection, we get more jazz flute and there is another cameo-laden inter-news-team rumble near the end) could have benefited from a little more inventiveness, but on the whole this will make you laugh. A lot.
Should I see it? That depends. If you didn't get the first film, this will not do anything for you. It is rated 15 for some strong language and sexual content, so younger children should be kept away. For the most part the humour doesn't rely on lewdness, but there are some more adult references that might turn off some. The balance is perhaps much the same as with the first film, the comedy alternating between raunchiness and silliness. This will work for fans, but otherwise might feel like listening in on a load of private jokes.
