Plot

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.