Anchorman 2

Bullseyes:  ① (out of 5)

Will Ferrell owes me an apology. And a refund.  What with all the hype and the comedy talent infused into Anchorman 2, you might assume that this sequel had to be good right?  Hmm…

I was perplexed by the cinemaclock (www.cinemaclock.com) reviews, which I checked before heading out.  Folks gave the flick either a 1 or a 10, and very little in between.

No help there then.

I loved the original Anchorman. It is goofy, off the wall and stupid. I was hoping for more of the same here.  But, alas, Will Ferrell and the gang have single-handedly undone all of the goodwill they created by making one stinker of a sequel.

First off the plot is lame and takes an age to get going.  Back story and set up is fine if you keep it brisk, but this movie is anything is brisk.  Anchorman 2 features a lot of those long drawn out, awkward scenes which worked so well in the first movie and Talladega Nights.  But the reason the grace before meals scene (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuAUI_0knfk ) and ‘Afternoon Delight’ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAhCpAS2AwA ) worked so well is because they were, well - funny.  But when a scene isn’t funny the only thing worse than leaving it in is drawing it out.  I found myself cringing or yawning throughout most of this movie. 

The last 20 minutes were especially pointless.

He’s gone blind! 

He’s taming a shark! 

Why…?! 

Who cares!  It’s not like you had anything better do to with your 20 minutes right?

Will, that will be 8 dollars and 1 hour and 59 minutes please.  Thank you.