Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie

Could "Anchorman" have been funnier had it been allowed to stretch itself out beyond the two-hour limits of a commercially-minded comedy? Here's a chance for us "Anchorman" lovers to find out.

In "Wake-Up Ron Burgundy", we see San Diego's Channel 4 news team in action once again. Ron (Will Ferrell) struggles with love and jealousy as co-anchor Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) achieves her dream of big-time success. Meanwhile, their little world is threatened by the emergence of the incompetent but very radical terror cell who calls themselves "The Alarm Clock". When Veronica is captured by this gang, it's up to Ron and his buddies to save the day.

No use getting too excited about that long-discussed "Anchorman" sequel: This is strictly outtakes from the first movie, with some clever editing disguising the fact that Ron and Veronica are meeting here once again for the first time. Better you think of this as an alternate-reality "Anchorman" than a real sequel.

Narrator Bill Kurtis puts it in perspective in his opening narration. What we are about to see, he explains, is "the chaff from the wheat, the skim from the milk, the pudding from the all-you-can-eat lobster buffet, and the surgeon guy from Prince and the Revolution."

What "Wake-Up" really is is a chance to see Ferrell and his co-writer/director Adam McKay working even more of their creepy-funny comedy vibe. Scenes in "Anchorman" could stretch on a bit, but made their point. Here, they stretch on beyond that point, then stretch further.

Ron needs a moment to compose himself on-air while reading a tender story about a Japanese devil owl, then another, and then another. "A lot of emotion here," he says, tearing up.

A creepy mentor figure, Jess Moondragon (Chad Everett) pops up to offer no meaningful advice for Ron, but plenty of lustful rumination on what he'd like to do to Mother Nature - "things you can only do in Bangkok."

Such scenes work as goofier riffs on ideas from the first film, but with a rub. Watching Ron and Veronica's awkward first date a second time isn't so killer with a long sequence showcasing Ron's driving skills replacing his mastery of the jazz flute.

Because it's all outtakes, however skillfully put together, there's story gaps galore and rehashed gags from the first movie with slightly different blocking. The Alarm Clock angle works in bits, but is too thin to serve as a framing device. The character build-up that made "Anchorman" so immersive is shortchanged here. Most of that made the first film.

Fans of Champ Kind (Dave Koechner) will enjoy the wild man acting even wilder here; one moment he's a raving homosexual, five minutes later he's a raging cannibal. Brick Tamland (Steve Carell) lunches on used coffee filters. In addition to Everett (his send-up of the serenely sleazy Moondragon aided by a strong late-career resemblance to Clint Eastwood), there's a brief killer cameo from Stephen Root as a fill-in anchor.

Like I said, it's all sweet stuff if you're an "Anchorman" lover. But it's definitely not the sleeper classic "Anchorman" has become. It's definitely more self-indulgent in its humor and fitful in its direction. "Wake-Up" shows that in addition to being frightfully clever, the people behind "Anchorman" had a lot of sense in where to trim.

fans of Ron, brace yourselves, because he's back. While the movie lacks direction (since it was put together on such short notice) the channel4 news crew is as funny as ever, and we can ask ourselves why some of these outtakes didn't make the first cut. For example the scene where the crew is stuck on the mountain and almost resorts to cannibalism is hilarious, and Brick remains the same street smart guy in a world he never made. Although we miss guest star appearances from "frat pack" members, Ron Burgundy is as proud, macho and funny as ever. At some points though, the cuts seem really fake: they show scenes from the first movie with added narration to cover the new subplot, which, by the way is awesome because it gives up the "rip the lid" sequence, which is probably the funniest in the movie.

This film is a must see for anyone who wet his pants watching "Anchorman".

Wow, I didn't even know that "Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie" existed before now in 2021 as I happened to stumble upon it by sheer random chance. And of course I had to sit down and watch what writers Will Ferrell and Adam McKay did with this 2004 comedy.

It was actually rather interesting and fun, not to mention a bit impressive, that they could muster to put a movie together out of the dropped subplots and alternate takes from the 2004 movie. So that was actually some achievement. But it is also why you will not sit with a feel of there being a properly coherent - or well thought through - plot line or red thread here, as it was bit and pieces thrown together.

But it actually worked well enough, and it was fun to revisit the news team once again.

"Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie" is something you should watch if you properly enjoyed the movies.

My rating of "Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie" lands on a five out of ten stars.

i loved 'Anchorman' and it took me a long time to find 'Wake up' after i found out there was such a movie. i enjoyed it, although it is really worse than Anchorman, but you should always keep in mind that (the official story) this is a 'movie' compiled of scenes unrealized from the original movie as well as alternative subplots. having this in mind just take it lightly and enjoy it, as there are some genuinely hilarious scenes that will wet your pants with laughter. still 'wake up, Ron burgundy' isn't in a form to be considered a movie on its own, as it only works as a supplement to 'anchorman:the story of Ron burgundy' - just a way of the team to have some more fun filming some crazy ideas, and for the viewers to enjoy The News team some more

i enjoyed it :)

peace

Wake up, Ron Burgundy is allegedly made of deleted scenes from Anchorman, but while it's obvious how some scenes fit into the movie such as Ron's dangerous driving here leading to the parking scene in Anchorman, there's no way most of this would have ever fit. I assume a lot of last-minute re-shoots were involved.

Some elements work. The Alarm Clock gang is hilarious. They are a group with political goals, but seem unclear on what they are and lack any sort of grand plan. The bit with Amy Poehler as a bank teller who refuses to give them any money because they are so inept as bank robbers is one of the best in the movie. Justin Long as Ed's sullen teenage son, Chris, and Chad Everett as Jess Moondragon, Ron's mentor who won't shut up about how inappropriately he loves nature, also have some very memorable bits. Note that none of these (fairly significant) characters are in Anchorman.

Unfortunately, the movie is just a series of bits. It doesn't really come together. To some degree, this is to be expected in a movie assembled from deleted scenes, but it's more than that. The jokes get too much narrative priority, often leading to things that just don't fit in the context of the movie. Veronica Corningstone's personality is all over the place and Champ King's moment in the car goes on way too long, even though it starts well, for instance. This really hurts suspension of disbelief as it never really establishes any rules to play by.

This is a serious problem, but I'm giving the movie a 6 anyway, mainly because it made me laugh so hard I nearly vomited on several occasions, like when Brick explained what he was eating or any of Paul's attempts to explain the manifesto. In short, this is a great way to present deleted scenes. It isn't a great movie.