Set during the 2020 pandemic, a tech billionaire invites his closest friends to his island for a getaway weekend to solve his own murder mystery with the renowned detective Benoit Blanc being a surprise guest where he realizes something is wrong. It is a film that explore the world of the rich in which five people who are either famous or are influential go to this Greek island to meet their friend to celebrate the launch of a new formula yet things don’t go well where everyone has a motive. Rian Johnson’s screenplay has an offbeat structure though much of its narrative is straightforward as it involves these five people who are all close friends with this tech billionaire in Miles Bron (Edward Norton) as they’ve all become successful because of him. Among those he invites are his head scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.), the governor of Connecticut in Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), controversial fashion designer Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), and men’s right influencer Duke Cody (Dave Bautista) while Jay brings her longtime assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick) and Cody brings his girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline).
Another invitation was sent to Bron’s former business partner in Alpha co-founder Cassandra “Andi” Brand (Janelle Monae) who reluctantly goes while an additional invitation was sent to Blanc where Bron has no clue who sent that invitation. The weekend getaway isn’t just a reunion between old friends who all met at a bar they used to hang out but also to announce the launch of a new alternative fuel that Bron wants to present to the world much to the concerns of both Toussaint and Debella believing that this fuel is dangerous. Johnson’s script doesn’t just play into this event where Bron is expected to be murdered only for the night to not go as planned. It’s also in the characters as Debella’s governor campaign was funded by Bron as she reluctantly allows him to create a factory for his new fuel while Toussaint is also someone who raises concerns about the fuel yet is forced to cover up for him to save his reputation. Jay is a politically-incorrect former model-turned-designer who is in trouble as she is being blackmailed to make a statement to save Bron while Cody is dealing with declining interest as he wants to be part of Bron’s new media outlet.
Then there’s Andi as she was the one introduced Bron to everyone and was the smartest person around until Bron became powerful and she was forced out of the company they created with Cody, Debella, Jay, and Toussaint testifying on his behalf to get Andi out. The script also play into this island that these people are in, that also has another guest in a slacker named Derol (Noah Segan) who just lazes around and doesn’t do anything, as it’s run by this alternative fuel that Bron believes will create good yet when a key character dies. Everything becomes questionable but also raises a lot of questions about why Bron wanted to be the victim in a play-murder mystery where nearly everyone on this island has a motive in wanting to kill him. Yet, it is Blanc that is trying to figure things out but there is questions into how he got an invitation that is revealed in the second half as it plays into more intrigue while raising the stakes into the suspense and drama itself.
Johnson’s direction is definitely stylish not just for its playful sense of intrigue but also setting it almost entirely in this Greek island as it is shot on location in the island of Septses in Greece with some interior scenes set in New York City shot on location in Belgrade. Yet, the film opens with Cody, Debella, Jay, and Toussaint each receiving a big box as they call each other that is revealed to be a mysterious series of mini-games that ultimately unveils this invitation. It then cuts to a scene of Andi in a garage with the box herself as she just smashes it with a hammer while Blanc’s first scene is him in a bathtub playing a game with some celebrities on his laptop is the moment he gets the mysterious invite. While a lot of Johnson’s compositions are straightforward with its approach to wide and medium shots to establish the locations but also in scenes that are showed from one perspective and then be shown in another perspective from another character that wasn’t shown onscreen.
Johnson also maintains attention to detail when it comes to close-ups or shots that was shown previously in a scene be shown again where it is all about the small details. Notably in some of the dialogue with Blanc being someone who is a lot smarter than people realize yet has his limits in serving justice since he’s out of his jurisdiction to do something because he’s in another country. Bron’s house itself is a character in the film where the centerpiece of it is the model of a large glass onion on top of the house while the dining room features the actual painting of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Mona Lisa that Bron had purchased from the Lourve. The house does play into this metaphor of the glass onion where there are many layers but the center of it is where the truth is held as it leads to this climax. Even as the many characters in the film are all guilty of something with some coming clean yet others are unwilling to come clean in order to save themselves as it play into people of wealth as they’re more concerned with maintaining their reputations and power instead of doing the right thing. Overall, Johnson crafts a rapturous and evocative film about a detective who is invited to an island for a murder mystery game only for things to go wrong with everyone being a suspect.
Cinematographer Steve Yedlin does amazing work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of colorful and natural lighting for many of the daytime exterior scenes along with some stylish lighting for the interior/exterior scenes at night. Editor Bob Ducsay does brilliant work with the editing with its emphasis on rhythmic cutting to play into the suspense as well as a few montages for some of the film’s humorous moments. Production designer Rick Heinrichs, with set decorator Elli Griff and supervising art director Andrew Bennett, does excellent work with the look of Bron’s lavish home including his glass onion office room with all of its gadgets and other aspects of the home itself. Costume designer Jenny Eagan does fantastic work with the costumes from the stylish look of Byrd and Andi as well as the more casual look of the other characters.
Hair/makeup designer Jeremy Woodhead does terrific work with the look of the characters in a flashback scene of how they met in the late 90s/early 2000s and they would look in the present. Special effects supervisor Paul Stephenson, along with visual effects supervisors Fabricio de Vasconcellos Baessa Antonio, Geoffrey Basquin, Sameer Malik, David Sadler-Coppard, Boyd Shermis, and Erik Winquist, does nice work with some of the visual effects relating to this hydrogen-based fuel substance as well as some elements of set dressing for some of the scenes in Greece. Sound designer Josh Gold and co-supervising sound editor Matthew Wood do superb work with the sound in the way a strange hourly dong sound appears as well as other elements of sound of how things sound from afar in a particular scene and how it would sound up close.
The film’s music by Nathan Johnson is incredible for its luscious music score that is filled with Eastern European-inspired orchestral arrangements with its strings, harpsichords, and bombastic percussions as it adds to the suspense and drama as it is a highlight of the film while music supervisor Julie Glaze Houlihan creates a soundtrack that features a couple of songs by David Bowie plus the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nat King Cole, Toots and the Maytals, and in the film’s closing credits is the where the film’s title comes from in a song by the Beatles.
The casting by Bret Howe and Mary Vernieu is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Dallas Roberts as Debella’s husband, Jackie Hoffman as Cody’s mother, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the voice of Miles’ clock in the hourly dong, and Noah Segan as a slacker living in Miles’ home who doesn’t really do anything other than be a comic relief. Madelyn Cline is fantastic as Cody’s girlfriend Whiskey who seduces Miles for her own reasons while dealing with the chaos that is happening as she ponders about her time with Cody. Jessica Henwick is terrific as Jay’s assistant Peg who often has to clean her boss’s messes while also wondering the decisions that Jay often makes as she is sort of a conscious in the film. Dave Bautista is excellent as Duke Cody as a video-game Twitch streamer/men’s rights activist who is dealing with declining interest as he hopes to be part of Bron’s new media outlet but also carries some guilt as it relates to Andi. Kate Hudson is brilliant as Birdie Jay as a former-model-turned fashion designer who often says stupid and politically-incorrect things unaware of their meanings as she is dealing with her own scandals where she is being blackmailed by Bron knowing it will ruin her.
Kathryn Hahn is amazing as Governor Claire Debella of Connecticut who worries about Bron’s new idea knowing it will cause trouble but is forced to give in so that she can save her political career. Leslie Odom Jr. is superb as Lionel Toussaint as Bron’s head scientist who is aware of the dangers of this new creation that Bron is trying to push yet has to sit back and be quiet due to the fact that he also has a reputation to protect. Edward Norton is incredible as Miles Bron as a billionaire/tech mogul who has invited his friends to his island as he hopes to offer them a glimpse into the future into a new hydrogen-based alternative fuel believing it will help the world unaware of its dangers while is also arrogant in his beliefs and ideals that makes him a major target towards his old friends.
Janelle Monae is phenomenal as Cassandra “Andi” Brand as Bron’s former business partner who gets a reputation as she is often seen from afar and is quiet until when she decides to speak while Monae brings a lot of layers into her performance that is full of humor but also some depth into a woman who felt cheated as well as wanting some idea of justice. Finally, there’s Daniel Craig in a sensational performance as Benoit Blanc as the renowned detective who gets a mysterious invitation to Bron’s island while trying to uncover everything that is going on as he also has a lot of questions about everyone around him where Craig brings some humor as well as a lot of wit into his character that makes Craig a joy to watch while the scenes he has with Monae are also a joy in the way they help each other.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a spectacular film from Rian Johnson that is headed by great performances from Daniel Craig and Janelle Monae. Along with its ensemble cast, gorgeous locations, its approach to suspense and drama, and an exhilaratingly rich music score by Nathan Johnson. It is a film that isn’t just full of excitement and thrills but also a film that explores a group of people on an island dealing with a murder mystery and much more with a detective trying to solve it and uncover some dark truths. In the end, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a tremendous film from Rian Johnson.
Rian Johnson Films: Brick - The Brothers Bloom - Looper - Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi - Knives Out - (Knives Out 3)
© thevoid99 2023
(Winner of the Un Certain Regard Prize for Best Director to Matt Ross at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival)
Written and directed by Matt Ross, Captain Fantastic is the story of a family whose patriarch is forced to return to society with his six children as they’ve been living in the forest as they deal with other family members and the modern world. It’s a film that explores a man trying to deal with returning to the world as well as loss and what people want for his children. Starring Viggo Mortensen, Frank Langella, George Mackay, Missi Pyle, Kathryn Hahn, and Steve Zahn. Captain Fantastic is a riveting and witty film from Matt Ross.
The film revolves around a man who lives in the forests in the Pacific Northwest in Washington with his six children as he receives the news that his wife had died and her father is barring him from the funeral that is held in New Mexico only for the man and his children deciding to go in defiance against their grandfather. It’s a film with a simple premise that play into a man who lives in an unconventional world in the forests where he and his children hunt for food and do all sorts of activities including mountain climbing and read various philosophical things about the world. Matt Ross’ screenplay follows the lifestyle that Ben Cash (Viggo Mortensen) has created with his wife Leslie (Trin Miller) who have six children that live with them as they all share views about their disdain for capitalism and the conformities of society. Yet, Leslie would briefly leave to go to the hospital for treatment for her illness until Ben’s sister Harper (Kathryn Hahn) gives him the news that Leslie died.
The first half of the film largely is set on the road where Ben is taking his kids on their bus as they drive from Washington to New Mexico to go to Leslie’s funeral despite the threat that her father Jack Bertrang (Frank Langella) about having Ben arrested if he shows up. On the road, Ben’s children deal with the world they’re encountering as they have very little clue about the outside world other than the ideas of capitalism and such as well as celebrate Noam Chomsky’s birthday months earlier as they see him as a great philosopher. Yet, there are also these elements of curiosity in the film as it relates to the eldest son Bodevan (George Mackay) who encounters the opposite sex as he is trying to figure out how to woo them while concealing the fact that he’s been accepted to various top universities in America. There’s also tension within the family as the middle son Rellian (Nicholas Hamilton) believes that his mother really died because of his father. The film’s second half is set in New Mexico as it doesn’t just play into family tension but also why Jack has a grudge towards Ben as he is also concerned for the well-being of his grandchildren.
Ross’ direction does have element of style yet much of his approach to the compositions are straightforward to play into the world of a family who don’t live in conventional society. Shot largely in the state of Washington with additional shooting in Portland, Oregon, the film does play into this world where the forest is a place where Ben feels right at home with his children as they spend much of the day learning about philosophies and ideas as well as train to survive for any kind of situation. The first thing that is shown in the film is Bodevan in camouflage as he kills a deer as it is a moment establishes what Ben and his family does to get meat as well as the fact that they have their own garden and the only time Ben and Bodevan leave the forest is to certain things in a nearby town as their source of transportation is in a bus called Steve. Once the film goes on the road, Ross would use wide shots for the many locations they venture into while using close-ups and medium shots to play into the way they interact with other people and things including a stop at Harper’s home with her husband Dave (Steve Zahn) and their two sons.
Ross’ direction also include some humor where Ben asks his nephews about the Bill of Rights as his youngest daughter Zaja (Shree Crooks) brings her own interpretation of the document as it shocks her aunt. The funeral scene is comical but also unsettling for the fact that Ben and his kids are seen wearing strange clothes in comparison to what everyone else in the church is wearing as it play into two different worlds and ideals clashing together. Yet, there is something about the world that Jack offers to his grandchildren that is still compelling as he’s willing to give them a sense of security as well as a chance to discover the real world. Still, much of the film’s motivations is driven by loss as well as the air of uncertainty as it play into what Ben has to do for his children and the possibilities they can bring to the world. Overall, Ross crafts a mesmerizing and witty film about a family who enter the world of society to attend the funeral of their mother.
Cinematographer Stephane Fontaine does brilliant work with the film’s colorful cinematography with the natural look of the scenes of the forests as well as the usage of low-key lighting for some of the scenes at night including at the homes of Harper and Jack. Editor Joseph Krings does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with a few rhythmic cuts to play into the comedy and drama. Production designer Russell Barnes, with set decorators Tania Kupczak and Susan Magestro plus art director Erick Donaldson, does fantastic work with the look of the bus known as Steve as well as the forest home that Ben and his family live as well as the more lavish home that Jack has.
Costume designer Courtney Hoffman does amazing work with the costumes from the ragged hippie clothes the kids and Ben wear as well as the wild clothes they would wear to their mother’s funeral. Sound designer Frank Gaeta does superb work with the film’s sound as it play into the atmosphere of the locations as well as the way nature sounds in its natural environment. The film’s music by Alex Sommers is wonderful for its mixture of folk and ambient music textures with some original music played on location while music supervisor Chris Douridas provides a nice mix of genres ranging from classical pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach and Glen Gould as well as music from Alex & Jonsi, Sigur Ros, Bikini Kill, and covers of songs by Guns N’ Roses and Bob Dylan.
The casting by Jeanne McCarthy is incredible as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Erin Moriarty as a teenage girl that Bodeven meets and falls for at a trailer park camp, Missi Pyle as the girl’s mother, Elijah Stevenson and Teddy Van Ee in their respective roles as Harper and Dave’s sons Justin and Jackson, Trin Miller as Ben’s wife Leslie, and Ann Dowd in a terrific small role as Leslie’s mother who would give Ben a letter she received from Leslie as she wants to get to know her grandchildren. Frank Langella is excellent as Leslie’s father Jack Bertrang as a man who has a grudge towards Ben for taking his daughter away from the world and blames him for her death as he wants to give his grandchildren a chance in live where Langella does show a sensitive and loving side when his character is around the grandchildren.
Steve Zahn and Kathryn Hahn are fantastic in their respective roles as Dave and Harper with the latter being Ben’s sister who are both concerned about their nieces and nephews and their interaction with the real world as well was what will happen to them when they’re adults. Shree Crooks and Charlie Shotwell are brilliant in their respective roles as the youngest children in Zaja and Nai with the former knowing a lot about body parts and government amendments while the latter is known for not wearing clothes when it’s time to eat dinner. Samantha Isler and Annalise Baso are amazing in their respective roles as the eldest sisters Kielyr and Vespyr as two teenage girls who are both dealing with growing pains with the former becoming interested in literature and the latter interested in adventure.
Nicholas Hamilton and George McKay are incredible in their respective roles as the middle child Rellian and the eldest child in Bodevan with the former becoming concerned and angry about some truths about what happened to his mother while the latter is trying to conceal secrets about being accepted to prestigious universities just as he’s becoming fascinated by girls. Finally, there’s Viggo Mortensen in a phenomenal performance as Ben Cash as a man of great intelligence who decides to shelter his children away from conventional society in the hope they can think for themselves as he also deals with the death of his wife as he’s also forced to realize his own faults in his methods as it all relates to loss and his unwillingness to deal with reality as it’s one of Mortensen’s finest performances.
Captain Fantastic is a tremendous film from Matt Ross that features an incredible performance from Viggo Mortensen. Along with its ensemble cast, engaging premise, and offbeat tone, it’s a film that explores a man trying to hold his family together to mourn the loss of their mother as they also encounter a world that is foreign to them. In the end, Captain Fantastic is a spectacular film from Matt Ross.
Related: 28 Hotel Rooms
© thevoid99 2018
Directed by Adam McKay and screenplay by McKay and Will Ferrell from a story McKay, Ferrell, and John C. Reilly, Step Brothers is the story of two forty-year old men who reluctantly become step brothers after their parents marry as they start off as enemies only to become friends in their love of chaos and leading a slacker lifestyle. The film is an off-the-wall comedy with elements of anarchy in which two men refuse to grow up as they try to do their own thing while endure some strange situations. Starring Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Richard Jenkins, Mary Steenburgen, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn, Andrea Savage, and Rob Riggle. Step Brothers is a hilarious and confrontational film from Adam McKay.
A man and woman meet and fall in love at a convention where they both get married much to the dismay of their sons who are in their 40s as they’re forced to share a room together as they dislike each other believing they’re a detriment to their slacker lifestyle. That is pretty much the film in a nutshell as it revolve two guys who don’t want to grow up and refuse to get jobs as they start off as enemies only to realize how much they have in common as they create a lot of chaos much to the dismay of their parents. The film’s screenplay does follow a simple formula of these two men hating and then embracing each other while plotting to create their own business in order to get their parents off their back.
Yet, Brennan Huff (Will Ferrell) and Dale Doback (John C. Reilly) both share an equal sense of disdain towards Brennan’s younger brother Derek (Adam Scott) who often gloats his success as a helicopter licensing agent as well as do whatever it takes to humiliate Brennan. Though the script does follow a simple plot formula, there is a looseness to it in terms of its approach to dialogue and improvisation as well as the fact that it’s a story that doesn’t need a lot of plot schematics. It’s all about the idea of absolute and total chaos which does give the story something that can be described as an anarchist film of sorts.
Adam McKay’s direction may have simple ideas to compositions and creating moments that are light-hearted and funny yet it’s his approach to improvisation and total mayhem is what is key to the film. There is something confrontational about everything that is going on though it doesn’t start out like that first when Brennan’s mother Nancy (Mary Steenburgen) is at a convention watching Dale’s dad Robert (Richard Jenkins) give a speech as he look at her and all of a sudden the two fall in love and have sex though nothing gratuitous is shown. It’s when Brennan and Dale finally meet face-to-face is where the film starts to take shape immediately and building up slowly for this sense of unexpected and total sense of anarchy. Even as McKay knows where to shoot a scene to play into these moments of chaos such as Brennan and Dale’s first fight over the fact that Brennan touched Dale’s drum set and rubbed his testicles on them or the moment the two are sleepwalking and causing trouble. Then there’s these moments that push the envelope of good and bad taste such as a scene of Brennan and Dale being assaulted by middle school kids in which the former is forced to do something extremely awful.
The direction also showcase moments that are quite crazy which relate to a subplot in which Dale is having a reluctant affair with Derek’s wife Alice (Kathryn Hahn) who hates being married to Derek. There are also these moments that aren’t afraid to offend as it relate to Brennan and Dale trying to ruin Derek’s sale as McKay’s direction is very offbeat in those moments. The film’s climax at this event known as the Catalina Wine Mixer is definitely a culmination of everything Brennan and Dale have endured in their attempt to be free but also deal with expectations of conformity. What happens is this strange mixture of anarchy and beauty which is kind of indescribable but an absolute joy to watch and what better place to do than at the fucking Catalina Wine Mixer. Overall, McKay creates an outrageous and off-the-wall film about two immature men who become stepbrothers.
Cinematographer Oliver Wood does excellent work with the film’s cinematography from the colorful and sunny look of the locations in the day to the usage of lights for some of the interiors set at night. Editor Brent White does nice work with the editing as it has elements of style in the slow-motion cuts as well as some of the montages and other moments to play into the humor. Production designer Clayton Hartley, with set decorator Casey Hallenbeck and art director Virginia L. Randolph, does fantastic work with the look of the house the brothers live in as well as their bedroom and the look of the Cataline Wine Mixer. Costume designer Susan Matheson does terrific work with the costumes as much of its casual including the tuxedos the stepbrothers wear for their job interviews.
Visual effects supervisor Rocco Passionino does some good work with some of the minimal visual effects as it is mostly set-dressing including some funny scenes involving the stepbrothers dealing with some awful kids. Sound editor George H. Anderson does superb work with the sound in the way some of the chaotic moments in the film are presented via sound as well as some of the moments during the Catalina Wine Mixer. The film’s music by Jon Brion is brilliant for its mixture of jazz and kitsch to play into the funny moments of the film while music supervisor Hal Willner creates a fun soundtrack that feature music from Hall & Oates, LCD Soundsystem, Vampire Weekend, Vanilla Ice, Q-Tip, Dizzee Rascal, Dilated Peoples, KO & the Knockouts, Brenda Lee, the Mighty Bosstones, and the Kinks.
The casting by Allison Jones is great as it feature some small roles and appearances from Seth Rogen as a sporting goods manager, Matt Walsh as a heckler at the Catalina Wine Mixer, Horatio Sanz as a Billy Joel tribute band singer at the Catalina Wine Mixer, Gillian Vigman as a woman interviewing the stepbrothers for a job, Phil LaMarr as a man trying to buy the family home, Lurie Poston and Elizabeth Yozamp as Derek and Alice’s smug and spoiled asshole kids, Logan Manus as a co-worker of Derek, and Rob Riggle as another co-worker of Derek in Randy who wants to punch Brennan because of his ugly face. Andrea Savage is wonderful as Brennan’s therapist Denise who tries to help him only to deal with the fact that Brennan is in love with her. Kathryn Hahn is fantastic as Derek’s wife Alice who falls for Dale as she provides some of the funniest moments in the film about wanting to fuck Dale so hard in her hatred of Derek.
Adam Scott is excellent as Derek Huff as Brennan’s younger brother who is a total fucking asshole that thinks he’s better than everyone while rubbing his own success and ambitions on his brother as well as trying to make Dale’s father Robert as his best friend. Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins are amazing in their respective roles as Nancy Doback and Robert Huff with Steenburgen as the more sensible of the two parents trying to understand them but also put her foot down with Jenkins as the more strict of the two as he tries to get them to conform but also reveal his own faults on the idea of growing up. Finally, there’s the duo of Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in phenomenal performances in their respective roles as Brennan Doback and Dale Huff as the two just go all-out in terms of being outrageous and off-the-wall with Ferrell as the more childish of the two due to his trauma and Reilly as being more of the funny guy as they’re just a joy to watch.
Step Brothers is a fucking wild and tremendous film from Adam McKay that features hilarious performances from Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. Along with a great supporting cast, a premise that goes way beyond its simple idea, and scenes that play from the profound to the absolute profane. It’s a film that doesn’t try to do anything to go for laughs but rather be insane and confrontational enough to see some of the humor of it in the most inventive way. In the end, Step Brothers is a magnificent film from Adam McKay.
Adam McKay Films: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy - Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby - The Other Guys - Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues - The Big Short - (Backseat) - The Auteurs #63: Adam McKay
© thevoid99 2017
Directed by Adam McKay and written by McKay and Will Ferrell, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is the story of a 1970s San Diego news anchor who deals with his new female counterpart. The film explores the world of a man who has a hard time dealing with changing times while is keen on doing things his way as the titular character is played by Will Ferrell. Also starring Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Steve Carell, and Fred Willard. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is a classy and hilarious film from Adam McKay.
The film is the simple story of an anchorman in Ron Burgundy who always report the news in San Diego with his buddies in field reporter Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), sports reporter Champ Kind (David Koechner), and the dim-witted weather reporter Brick Tamland (Steve Carell). They’re the number one news team in San Diego until Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) comes in as a news reporter and later becoming the co-anchor much to Burgundy’s dismay as he’s also in love with her. It’s a film that plays into a man who has his ways with the ladies and manages to do whatever he wants while is good at telling the news. Yet, he is unable to deal with the fact that a woman could do what he does only better as he later goes to war with her. Even as it would eventually put him into trouble while is forced to come to terms with the fact that times are changing.
The screenplay that Will Ferrell and Adam McKay creates is very loose though it does utilize a traditional three-act structure where the first act is about Burgundy’s success and his good times with his friends while meeting Veronica who becomes his lover though she wants to make it in the world of news. The film’s second act isn’t just about Veronica finally getting what she wants but also Burgundy trying to come to terms with it. It’s third act isn’t just the escalation of the conflict but its aftermath where Burgundy tries to find redemption. Throughout all of these major plot-points and storylines, Ferrell and McKay bring in a lot of clever dialogue into the mix filled with some funny one-liners while adding some complexities to the many characters in the film like Burgundy, Fantana, Corningstone, Kind, and to a lesser extent, Brick.
McKay’s direction is pretty simple as far as the compositions are concerned in the way he creates 1970s San Diego. Yet, he does manage to create moments that are always fun to watch ranging from an animated sequence where Ron and Veronica are riding on unicorns on a rainbow to their first date at a jazz club where Ron plays the flute. McKay does slow things down in order to focus on the story though he would find ways to use the comedy to advance the story or create something that is off-the-wall such as the anchorman brawl involving rival anchormen and their news team. Add a dog named Baxter, bears, and all sorts of strange things. What McKay creates is a very solid and enjoyable comedy that continuously brings in the laughs and more.
Cinematographer Thomas E. Ackerman does excellent work with the film’s colorful and vibrant cinematography from the way San Diego looks in its exteriors to some of the lighting in the nighttime interior scenes. Editor Brent White does fantastic work with the editing with its use of rhythmic cuts to play into much of the film’s humor and dialogue delivery. Production designer Clayton Hartley, with set decorator Jan Pascale and art directors Gregg Davidson and Virginia L. Randolph, does amazing work with the look of the news station and places that Burgundy and his pals hang out and work at.
Costume designer Debra McGuire does great work with the costumes from the suit that Burgundy and his team wear to the clothes that Veronica wears. Hair stylist Joy Zapata and makeup artist Denise Dellaville do fabulous work with the look of the hair and mustaches the men wear to make them look classy. Sound designer Mark A. Mangini and co-sound editor Scott Millan do terrific work with the film‘s sound to play into the atmosphere of the news offices and the parties that Burgundy holds in his home. The film’s music by Alex Wurman is superb where it‘s mostly low-key with its blaring horn-based orchestra as well as the music for the news while music supervisor Todd Homme creates a delightful soundtrack that includes pieces by Neil Diamond, Blues Image, Kansas, Hall & Oates, Isley Brothers, Bill Withers, and an original flute piece by Ferrell who, along with Rudd, Koechner, and Carell do an amazing cover of Afternoon Delight.
The casting by Juel Bestrop and Jeanne McCarthy is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it includes some notable cameo appearances from Danny Trejo as a bartender, Jack Black as a biker whom Burgundy angers, Fred Armisen as the jazz-club owner Tino, Seth Rogen as a cameraman, Missi Pyle as a zookeeper, and Kathryn Hahn as one of the news station workers Helen who would give Veronica a secret to usurp Burgundy. Other notable cameo appearances include Vince Vaughn, Luke Wilson, Tim Robbins, and Ben Stiller as rival news anchors who want to defeat Ron Burgundy. Chris Parnell is terrific as Ed’s assistant Garth Holliday who sees Ron as his hero while Fred Willard is excellent as the news director Ed Harken who tries to make sure everything goes smoothly while dealing with his son’s antics. The dog Peanut is great as Baxter as this dog that can talk to the bears and is Ron Burgundy’s best friend.
David Koechner is superb as the chauvinistic Champ Kind who likes to say “whammy” while hinting that he might be a closeted homosexual. Steve Carell is hilarious as the dim-witted Brick Tamland who says all sorts of funny things not knowing what he’s talking about due to the fact that he has a very low IQ. Paul Rudd is fantastic as Brian Fantana as a ladies’ man who is often full of himself as well as wanting to use the forbidden cologne known as Sex Panther. Christina Applegate is amazing as Veronica Corningstone as a woman who wants to become an anchor and doesn’t want to be stopped by anyone including Burgundy. Finally, there’s Will Ferrell in a remarkable performance as the titular role as this sexist and fun-loving guy who cannot adjust to the changing times as he is conflicted for his love and hate for Veronica.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is a marvelous film from Adam McKay that features a brilliant leading performance from Will Ferrell. The film is truly one of the finest comedies to come out in the 2000s as it is filled with lots of laughs and hijinks that will keep entertaining its audience. In the end, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is a phenomenal film from Adam McKay.
Adam McKay Films: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby - Step Brothers - The Other Guys - Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues - The Big Short - (Backseat) - The Auteurs #63: Adam McKay
© thevoid99 2013
