It would be easy to praise Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues as more of the same. (Or, if you’re one of those people for whom the improv-fueled humor misses more than it hits, to dismiss it for the same reason.) Certainly, the long-awaited followup to 2004’s Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy doesn’t deviate from the overall template that has made its precursor one of the most quoted and referenced comedies of the last few decades. And it’s true that among Anchorman fans, the mere existence of Adam McKay’s new film is sales pitch enough. If you liked the first, you’ll like—and probably love—the second.
Yet the reasons one can be so reductive are actually pretty impressive in their own right. Unlike so many Hangovers these days, Anchorman 2 succeeds because it’s not a repetition of what worked in the first film, but, rather, a continuation. (As McKay himself says in a recent interview with Paste, this was purposeful.) As a result, with the exception of a rousing, cameo-crammed news team melee toward the end and a hint of jazz flute, Anchorman 2 is refreshingly light on winks, nudges and other forms of gratuitous fan service to the first film. McKay and co-writer Will Ferrell avoided erring to the other extreme, as well. To their credit, the duo seems to have realized you don’t have to reinvent the wheel—you just need to keep it rolling.
Anchorman 2 opens not long after the first film ended, with the magnificently mustachioed Ron Burgundy (Ferrell) at the top of his game—this time alongside co-anchor, wife and baby mama, Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate). Alas, things take a sudden turn for the worse, and Burgundy soon finds himself getting the old gang—Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), Champ Kind (David Koechner) and Brick Tamland (Steve Carell)—back together. The four travel to New York City to be part of a fledgling 24-hour news network. Farcical hilarity ensues.