Anchorman The Legend Of Ron Burgundy/Anchorman Wake Up Ron Burgundy (2004) (Side By Side)

The Will Ferrell comedy ANCHORMAN is packaged with a second adventure for the macho San Diego newsman, WAKE UP RON BURGUNDY.

It's the early 1970s and the local anchorman is not only a source of news but a revered local hero. In San Diego, Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), a mustachioed bachelor with a taste for scotch, unparalleled passion for the jazz flute, and a near-telepathic connection with his spirited mutt, Baxter, is that man. Rounding out Ron's testosterone-heavy news team are his close friends--cologne-obsessed man-on-the-street Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), sports reporter Champ Kind (Dave Koechner), and mentally challenged weatherman Brick Tamland (Steve Carrell). Their male camaraderie is challenged, though, when producer Ed Harken (Fred Willard), pressured by changing times, brings the first female reporter, ambitious Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), to the team. Ron finds his chauvinistic ideals compromised further when he starts falling in love with her. Fueled by Ferrell's singularly loopy persona, ANCHORMAN joins the long list of comedies which have successfully poked fun at the styles and mores of the '70s. Here, with Ferrell's script and Adam McKay's direction, the character of Ron Burgundy becomes a full-bodied comic creation whose possibilities for laughs aren't nearly exhausted by the end credits. The result is an often hilarious celebration of moustaches, wide neckties, alcohol abuse, and good, old-fashioned sexism.

A "sequel" to the absurdist comedy ANCHORMAN, WAKE UP RON BURGUNDY was compiled from footage and scenes cut from the first film for length. Obviously retaining the same cast and crew from ANCHORMAN, WAKE UP RON BURGUNDY features the news crew led by Burgundy (Will Ferrell) and Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) investigating an extremist organization known as The Alarm Clock. With the same tone and style as the initial film, WAKE UP RON BURGUNDY is a treat for fans of that film, and its existence displays how much time and effort went into making the silly comic gem.