You can see this film as a celebration of sillieness, or more accurately, of stupidity. Stupidity can be funny. Many people in the theatre laughed uproariously thru most of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. But aside from a few chuckles and the subtle satire of 24 hour news channels, especially CNN, this reviewer did not find it entertaining.

Will Ferrell is back as Ron Burgundy from the 2004 film, the dumbest TV announcer ever. Hard to believe, but that movie has a cult following. He is invited to get his old gang together, played by Paul Rudd, David Koechner and Steve Carell, whose character makes the rest of the cast seem positively Einsteinian. They get the middle of the night slot on the world’s first all news station in 1980 and become a ratings sensation with jingoistic rantings about how wonderful the USA is and endless car chases. Subplots involving Ferrell’s ex-wife (Christina Applegate) and son and Carell’s attraction to a similarly mindless character played by Kristen Wiig, help fill out this two-hour disappointment.

There are cameos galore: from Harrison Ford to Tina Fey and Will Smith and Liam Neeson, even some pokes at Canada with Jim Carrey and Marion Cotillard. It is almost as if Ferrell and the cast are seeing how stupid and silly they can be and still get people to pay money to watch them being stupid. One assumes they are all laughing all the way to the bank.

Rating: one deer out of five

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Alf Cryderman is a Red Deer freelance writer and old movie buff.