Im glad you managed to put this so well into words, Anchorman 2 is by no means a bad film, I really enjoyed it, but it felt more like an SNL special rather than an actual movie

The extended cut of Anchorman 2 is so much better than the original cut. The jokes have time to build and land

The bus crash was probably the most hilarious scene of the movie

Thor love and thunder shares the same fate imo. It's by no means unwatchable but it leaned to heavy on improv and a movie that should have had emotional weight was mostly a goofy slapstick. I actually appreciate the effort Christian Bale put into his role but he almost seemed out of place with Thor and Zeus etc.

For years I've wondered why I can keep going back to the first film but not the sequel. This video really highlights why that is. The second film does feel like an exhausting watch because it's all humour and no substance. I was invested in the characters during the first film but I didn't care in the sequel. Instead of wondering what would happen next, I was guessing what the next improvised joke would be

I genuinely enjoyed both films so much 😂

While it's an alright comedy, many of the character traits, particularly Brick and his stupidity, are exaggerated, and Brian and Champ are pushed into the background more.

The more I listened to this, the more I kept thinking back to Airplane II, and how same-y it felt- same jokes, same scenarios, it just felt like a less funny carbon copy of Airplane!, which was such a great and truly hilarious movie.

When I watched Monty Python and The Holy Grail, I assumed they did a lot of improvisation. Bu there was none, and that's why it's so funny. The jokes are tight and polished and they all serve the overall story and structure. Anchorman 2 and Ghsotbusters (2016) are proof that unlimited riffing and improvisation kill comey, even with a talented cast.

60% of the time, improvisation works all of the time.

The Austin Powers trilogy is a good example of maintaining the balance between storytelling and craziness. A controlled absurdity of sorts.

You have a knack for summing up how we all feel about these cherished artworks in such an eloquent & in depth way. Very glad I came across this channel

I would LOVE a 4 hour version!!!

I mean it did. The scene where he was blind and was visited by his son was comedy gold.

who says it did not live up to the original? it is as hillarious or even more!

You hit the nail on the head. Good comedy was born from that platform. It’s written as a drama with the comedy added. Good sitcoms from the 70’s & 80’s were written this way. Which is why they had great payoffs for their stories. Great video as always.

Anchorman 2 has the best battle scene in movie history

Friendly reminder that they made a literal second movie (long before Anchorman 2) largely out of B-roll from the first movie, and bundled it as a DVD extra with basically zero fanfare. And that was better than Anchorman 2 imo

I believe if it had come out within a couple years of the first movie, it could’ve gotten close to capturing the same magic but comedy had changed in that decade since and to me as a huge fan of the original it either tried to replicate the jokes of the first movie (but bigger) like the anchor fight which gets worse the longer it draws out cameos like the second did or it tries to do original jokes while really cutting out central characters from the first movie like Veronica (which I know that had more to do with her having personal issues at the time dealing with her health), at least there’s always the first movie to watch and remember the good times

personally I think Anchorman 2 is a great sequel, usually sequels that come out like a decade after e original are clearly nostalgic money grabbed but this film deffo has a place in the good sequel category

This is a really well researched and insightful breakdown. Good stuff.

You cant recreate lightning in a bottle unless you force it. And what's less funny than forcing comedy?

"BRICK KILLED A GUY" "I DID I THREW A TRIDENT RIGHT INTO HIS HEART"

Great comment about earning it. It's sort of like Michael Frayn's play Noises Off. Frayn's comedy feels earned in that play, because the premise of the play is something relatable to the audience: A production where everything that can go wrong goes wrong. The comedy is so outrageous, it works. Frayn then tried to use the same type of comedy in Alarms and Excursions, which is essentially a bunch of one-act plays (I performed in that show seven years ago). While the comedy is just as zany as with Noises Off, the comedy doesn't feel earned, as the stories feel somewhat unrelatable to the audience. It feels more Frayn focuses on just silly physical comedy first, and then the stories second. Your analysis here is spot-on.

I was an extra on this movie in the piano recital scene and some others. I can say that filming this was hysterical, with them trying out a ton of jokes over and over. Adam McKay was probably funnier than anyone on set with his ideas, calling them out on a loudspeaker for the cast to say. BUT I agree with this assessment 100%, it was probably more fun to film than to watch!

Even though I prefer Anchorman 1, I thought Anchorman 2 was still a solid, entertaining laugh, especially the end fight scene ("Let's not downplay the fact that's the ghost of Stonewall Jackson!") 😆

WOW, that explanation about having to earn your comedy each time...This is exactly how I felt about Thor: Love and Thunder, without being able to articulate it.

Loved the David Wain cameo in that Anchorman outtake at the zoo.

See, even when you just explained the plot of Anchorman 2, I burst out laughing. It's sort of so dumb and incoherent that I actually laugh more at the sequel than the first one. Even though I know the first one is a better made film.

Anchorman was a top 5 all-time comedy. It was perfection personified. A sequel never should have been done. The ONLY way it would have ever worked is if you filmed them both back to back and had Part I and Part II. By the time they all got the band back together they were all older their lives had changed the chemistry had changed and the jokes just didnt hit for some reason. I had a real hard time finishing the second one and yet the first one will have rewatch value for the rest of my life. I fear Happy Gilmore 2 will share the same fate.

"EVERY MORNING I GET HERE HALF AN HOUR EARLY AND SEXUALLY ASSAULT A STARFISH"

Come on... Sixty percent of the time this movie works every time.

The first film viewing wonder of what it was maintains its gold and comedy moments... then the re rinse is tryin hard to hold the old nostalgia, but doesn't hit the same...

Many of the things you mentioned apply to Love & Thunder- too much of a good thing indeed.

Fair points. But for me most of the jokes in Anchorman 2 landed, so I liked it better than the first one.

2:24 That's one of my favorite jokes ever.

excellent video

Can I say I didn't even know there was an Anchorman 2 until I saw this video essay

Comedy films like Anchorman are a dying breed.

By Odin's Beard! You hit the nail on the head. What a great story.

I saw this movie for the first time yesterday, what a coincidence that this video came out when it did

when he assaulted the kids at the dolphin show was pure will Ferrell comedy to me 😂

“The ghost of stonewall jackson?!??” And it’s John c Reilly? 😂😂 that one single part had me crying laughing in my seat idk why

I love it as a perfect 50/50 transition between Talladega Nights and Step Brothers dumb fun Adam McKay to The Big Short and Vice more serious McKay and you can see him playing with both throughout.

My dad is the one who gets chased out of the Whammy Chicken

Great video.

Very well informed video! I personally think Anchorman 2 was just a little bit better than the first, but that's just me. Great video though!

Anchorman 2 was pretty fucking good though. Nothing beats the original, but it was a solid follow up

My friend and I were just talking about how we think this hurt the 2016 Ghostbusters, too. Timely coincidence.

I disagree with the general opinion on Anchorman 2 as a movie, but I agree with the points you make about why it doesn’t live up to its predecessor. I thought the movie was a fitting follow up, personally, but you’re right about the issues it has. I feel the same about Dumb and Dumber To: I liked it well enough and don’t believe it deserves the amount of hate it gets; I thought it was a fitting follow up for the characters, but it does rely a bit heavily on calling back to improvised moments from the first movie and trying to one up themselves instead of writing new jokes.

I love both the films but if you are going to watch the 2nd one, you should watch the extended cut.

I remembered constantly looking at my watch when I saw this in theaters. Yes it was funny, but damn, by the end the jokes were getting tiring.

I really liked Anchorman 2 and totally disagree about the plot getting lost within it. I’ve actually watched it all the way through more times than I have the first one. Maybe it’s just because I’m personally really into that amplified absurdist humor.

I didn't even know that they made a sequel

I felt like I was alone in this, most people seemed to love it x

I love this kind of content

There are very few sequels that live up to the original but I do enjoy this film especially the outtakes 🤣

Can you talk about Francis of malcom in the middle?

Anchorman 2 is so underrated. I watched that a few days ago and I was busting at the sides laughing. It is definitely too long and some jokes go on too hard and or don’t make sense but I’d say a good solid 95% is pretty good in my opinion.

Anchorman 2 is amazing. Ron goes to live in a lighthouse… because he’s blind! Finds a baby shark and raises it to adulthood. Eventually regaining his sight and having to battle said shark in an epic finale. What part of this movie wasn’t original?

Does Tyler still work here?

I loved how yo just casually through in "If your watching 4 hours of Lord of the rings, that's fine".......... My thoughts exactly sir. Anyway its time for my second breakfast.

Pitch: release a DVD that plays random takes throughout the movie. Every time you watch, it's always a different experience.

So it's an snl wehicle?

"But some things arent just meant to go to 11" - Nigel from Spinal Tap will disagree lol

Didn't know anchorman 2 ever came out

Reminds me of Iron Man1/2. They had improve on the first one and it worked. IM2, not so much.

I love both films equally

Comedy is not much different from drama in that structure is needed to tell a story. For all of the chaos we think take place in a Mel Brooks movie like “Blazing Saddles” or “Young Frankenstein,” those are tightly scripted films, telling that jokes but using the jokes to advance the story or the characters.

Rush Hour 2 is the only comedy sequel that was better than the previous.

It's worth noting they did actually release the two cuts, with the 700+ alternate jokes as a home release. The story which was worth probably noting with this topic goes they did test screenings of versions of the films with different jokes, recorded the audio of the reaction. The better reactions to jokes went into the A cut, the theatrical one, and the ones that didn't get the biggest laughs went into that B cut - which was the alternative version.

Another good example of an amazingly good comedy with a sour sequel committed to rehashing jokes is Horrible Bosses

Couldnt agree more. 1st was decent and the 2nd was way too bloated.

Harrison Ford turns into a were-HYENA, for the record.

(Off the top of my head) Outside of Top Gun, what sequel (a decade later) is better than the original/just as good? The time frame alone was a red flag. Just look at Entourage, a show I loved but didn't even bother with the movie

I loved anchorman 2

Does this narrator sounds like Seth green nerdstolgic

Do a video on why Holmes & Watson didn’t work

I love Anchorman 2 especially the song about Doby the shark and the part where the RV veers off the road

And what’s interesting, and perhaps the channel can do into depth, is that this is Will Terrell’s last project with Adam Mccay and anchorman 2 can fall into the declining career as of now for both men. Since 2010, none of their projects ever really came close to following that the other guys, semi pro, and Bobby tallahega, did. Their comedy movies generally got worse- with a lot of improv, corny jokes, and uninteresting stories in comparison to their best works. I actually felt that will Terrell’s comedy went more into SNl territory as the years went on and as other comedians came on to create funny movies. Adam McKay from his own words in an interview wanted to do his own works that didn’t involve comedy as much like..*laugh* Vice. And then Came Sherlock Holmes…there is no question that this prob will Terrell’s and John reily’s worst movie together; and Adam admitted that while his and will’s company made the film he was brought in to be an emergency editors because the movie was awful. So it was Adam’s desire to be more than comedy director (and dialing) combined with Will’s reluctance to evolve his comedy that caused mediocre films like anchorman 2 and end to their partnership .

That's my problem with Don't look up (another McKay movie), the jokes don't land for me, so much went on the more parodyc side instead on the timing and letting the talent of the actors shine.

Please..! The sequel is better than the 1st...

Didn't find Anchorman funny, but thought part 2 was hilarious!

The improve in this film is what works, the forced humour in scenes is what is scripted, set up for the film makers and out of the actors control, like a lot of what happens in the fight scene.

I didn’t know anyone thought this. Everyone I’ve ever talked to prefers Anchorman 2. Anchorman is a fairly run of mil shallow quality. Anchorman 2 is a satire of the fall of American news media.

Am i the only person who likes the 2nd one?

Anchorman 2 is the film of all time

Nah Anchorman 2 was still a great sequel despite not being as good as the first

I get what you’re saying but Anchorman 2 is the funniest movie I’ve ever seen in my life

Shout out to Christina Applegate

Anchorman sequel was good but i don't why Veronica got so small role and replaced by Linda.

Agreed. I barely cracked much of a smile watching this movie. I found it actually quite unpleasant and uncomfortable. Whereas I was cacking myself first time I watched the original. But it seems to apparently be something all people fail at. We see time after Time artists or comedians make an amazing product, or a movie or TV show episode or character. And because it’s their original creation, it ends up being quite unique and originally creative. Then when they announce plans of a sequel or a continuation, audiences are always hoping their original spark of skill and flair and successful humour will continue and progress further. But what we always just end up with is a product reflecting no new creativity. Instead their creativity has become stunted and stifled. They sit in the daunting shadow cast by their original, choosing instead create a sequel work that’s just a clone to its original. Filled with lazy fan, service and mirrored repeat of identical scenes and dialogues. And while a little bit can be fun, it seems to be an increasing trend of writers and directors doing the fan service to such an extreme. Sucking all the potential humour that could’ve been taken from those scenes originally.

Anchorman 2 is a mess. It's far too long, at least half the jokes don't land and it feels insanely repetitive and scattershot. That being said, it also has some of the downright funniest moments of any 2010s comedy. There's enough belly laughs and absurdity to make it worth a look, but it's really more of a curiosity than a worthy sequel to Anchorman, which is one of the funniest movies of all time.

Tbh I really liked the second one as well

Sequels are often not that necessary. But an underwhelming sequel is better than a legit bad sequel.

What is everybody talking about Anchorman 2 is just as good but in a different sort of way

While yes the original is better I have no problem with the second one. We’re almost at the time for a 3rd one right?

anchorman is classic I'm dying of laughter every time peak nonsense comedy

Release the McKay cut.

#2 is great. "first" bias I suspect. Or dairy.