The Real Reason Anchorman 2 Couldn’t Live Up To The Original

[@-Ryodan]

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

[@SergioLeonardoCornejo]

Well. We saw what really bad films are. So the bar isn't high.

[@therealCrazyJake]

That’s fair. But at least it feels like a good SNL sketch.

[@Danielsaaaaaan]

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

[@moonmullen9992]

Maybe that's what I saw... cause idk why anyone wouldn't like this movie (2)

[@seanrawlinson]

The fan edit "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (Value-Sized Version)" is much better than the official cuts.

[@idanlewenhoff2295]

damn that sound awesome

[@Vivi_9]

I saw this in cinema and thought it sucked so bad I wouldn't bother trying again, even if there is a better version of it available. Doesn't even come close to the first movie.

[@jburnett180]

100% agree.

[@generichuman2044]

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

[@bigmanliam]

agreed

[@Locadel2003]

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

[@no-im3em]

irr dude errer

[@frankyaeger675]

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.

[@ejoshcoron]

Good comparison

[@marcoscarrasco92]

I believe Taika Waititi said the studio let him do whatever he wanted after the success of the previous film. That just shows that sometimes studio interference is not a bad thing.

[@Gelenvader3]

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

[@davidmckesey7119]

I don't want to drink horse piss!!

[@jbo4547]

No it did not

[@o_the_penitent_one]

You're just responding to the title. Watch the video first bro.

[@DaiizR]

I genuinely enjoyed both films so much 😂

[@OrdinaryRobin]

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.

[@ScofieldStudios]

Me too. But Anchorman 2 is arguably better than Airplane 2.

[@seen921]

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.

[@therealCrazyJake]

Even the spin-off sitcoms were better in the ‘70s; I’m pretty sure Mork and Mindy’s scripts were written straight with the writers just writing “Robin does something funny” in their to let Williams improvise on set. Given how much audio couldn’t be used in Aladdin, I can only imagine the amount of unseen hilarity occurred on the Mork and Mindy set. XD

[@friendlybane]

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.

[@ba6561]

I JUST FEEL LIKE SHE LOVES ME STILL BRUH

[@ScofieldStudios]

Yeah, Monty Python and The Holy Grail is the best comedy film to this day, and it didn't rely on any improvisation. At the end of the day, a few films got lucky by using some improvisation and it caused more and more movies to rely on that instead of making well-thought-out jokes.

[@speakatron5634]

Christopher Guest

[@regiirecords8829]

🎯

[@Wave_MOMT]

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

[@DimTragic]

I would LOVE a 4 hour version!!!

[@trinaq]

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.

[@Vivi_9]

@@stevenbrooks8983 you misunderstood the very obvious point they were making just so you could be rude, the last sentence of your comment applies far more to you than OP.

[@tomoakley760]

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

[@kevin10001]

Technically that wasn’t a sequel it was an alternate cut of the first movie with b-roll good morning Vietnam could have done the same thing cause of how much robin Williams dj footage they had

[@OddGamerCA]

Anchorman 2 has the best battle scene in movie history

[@bradrein207]

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

[@RWDtech]

I've been saying this for years, and will keep saying it until proven otherwise: the Austin Powers films are the only films in history that got better with each sequel, consecutively. Every other series either has worse or similar value to the original.

[@Vivi_9]

@@RWDtech eh I don't know if most people would agree that Goldmember was the best of the 3

[@bigmanliam]

@@RWDtech nah i thought it got worse everytime but i thought they were all funny tbh

[@DEUSEX95]

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

[@alfredowaltergutierrezmald834]

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

[@SourRobo8364]

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

[@RequiemRhythmXIII]

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

[@RWDtech]

I remember standing up at the end in the theater and saying out loud: "Welp, thats what happens when you wait 10 years to make a sequel!" Such a disappointing movie, especially considering that the original is one of my top 5 favorites of all time.

[@Vivi_9]

@@RWDtech you said the word "welp" out loud?

[@kukalama]

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!

[@meaty0025]

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.

[@MrPie]

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.

[@FlareTheMythical]

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

[@matthewjohnson9199]

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!") 😆

[@jaydenbuchanan8083]

Don't forget the might Min-a-tour

[@BennSimonn]

@@jaydenbuchanan8083 That's not history, it's mythology

[@bannnnner]

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

[@ethanstages3844]

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!

[@barry4649]

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

[@AnonymoussuomynonA]

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

[@bronsonbamnallen1633]

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.

[@arabelalebata1517]

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

[@sammartina8574]

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

[@satyadevbadireddi382]

Comedy films like Anchorman are a dying breed.

[@DJeMo]

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...

[@FlareTheMythical]

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

[@therosebuddiesuk]

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.

[@alexduran2476]

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

[@Tyguy719]

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

[@TheCowardRobertFord]

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

[@FatNorthernBigot]

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

[@hollyswoods]

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

[@jeshkam]

Chicken of the cave?

[@GarfieldAtLasganaParty]

I love anchorman the whole trilogy, it’s so beautiful

[@jzy3224]

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

[@gamer38998]

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?

[@CaptainFirefred]

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

[@oscars1831]

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

[@fauxbravo]

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

[@LinkMEP]

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.

[@BrianIngham]

Lol what?

[@LinkMEP]

@@BrianIngham just reporting what I’ve seen in my life experience. Everyone I’ve ever talked to about the movies thought 2 was better. The club I was in in college (when this movie came out) had a huge poster of this movie up that took up almost an entire wall of the club room.

[@lordofthereels6790]

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.

[@waltersykes9684]

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

[@manolocorp]

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

[@eb7806]

I didn't even know that they made a sequel

[@elh3492]

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

[@Brendy733]

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.

[@bobbyboi1743]

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

[@ronaldomalcom4768]

I would be open to an anchorman 3.

[@CW19941]

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

[@noelv1976]

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.

[@xauxan]

Didn't know anchorman 2 ever came out

[@PervoTheClown]

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

[@bonechawneomusic]

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

[@therealCrazyJake]

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.

[@BrendanPappas]

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.

[@alejandroservin131]

Can you talk about Francis of malcom in the middle?

[@XLH2000]

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

[@snail_mutant]

excellent video

[@pageperpage]

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

[@ChrisMeadows1992]

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.

[@AJslayer86]

Does Tyler still work here?

[@ZLEAP]

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

[@ZLEAP]

Side note: make an option to play the theatrical cut but bury it in the bonus features.

[@oneballwizard406]

I love both films equally

[@erikbihari3625]

So it's an snl wehicle?

[@CANProductionZz]

It’s funnier than the original

[@HarvestStore]

Great video.

[@lilacselkie]

Tbh I really liked the second one as well

[@christianzafiroglu6705]

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.

[@brickhouse2265]

I love this kind of content

[@FupaDoncic]

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

[@equivalentexchangeisalie5726]

Scary Movie 2 as well. Even though it's a parody film.

[@FupaDoncic]

@@equivalentexchangeisalie5726 that’s counts it’s a cult classic

[@jacksonkempen236]

I strongly disagree with that statement. Rush Hour 2 felt like a cash grab with no soul.

[@FupaDoncic]

@@jacksonkempen236 3 was definitely a cash grab. 2 was produced much nicer and had great overseas talent.

[@kennythetanktankersley]

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

[@SergioLeonardoCornejo]

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

[@jerrellmao5637]

I loved anchorman 2

[@fluffyking94]

Anchorman 2 feels like it was made just to film the TV channel fight scene

[@elliot303]

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.

[@ltcalvery]

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

[@jakeknapp6833]

Does this narrator sounds like Seth green nerdstolgic

[@actionstudios9502]

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

[@cardsfan2161]

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

[@esshor.]

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.

[@Alex-hm7nt]

(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

[@Hockeyhobo89]

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?

[@Belangerz]

Anchorman 2 is the film of all time

[@Studeb]

The first movie had so much extra material they cut the extra into another movie. It's not very good. Shame on the critics for not getting how brilliant the first movie was btw, seems like they gave the sequel a higher score than it deserved to redeem themselves, when they started realizing.

[@slightly_toooo_goofy]

Shout out to Christina Applegate

[@felman87]

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

[@DawsonBlasciak122]

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

[@katarinakrnjevic8183]

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

[@benwasserman8223]

It wasn’t as strong as Anchorman, but the joke that Ron Burgundy unwittingly invented Fox New-inspired media strategies makes total sense for his character. Plus you can’t beat oversaturated news team fights.

[@davidmckesey7119]

The fight was just horrible

[@atuvera9021]

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.

[@bradhorowitz2765]

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 .

[@kevin10001]

That’s will ferrell’s biggest problem he found a style of humor that worked for him for a few movies but instead of evolving his comedy like u said he kept doing to diminished returns over the years until we got the train wreck of Holmes and Watson that doesn’t really have a coherent plot and feels like will ferrell and john c reilly are making a mockery of the Sherlock Holmes stories

[@TreyIM22]

I was never a fan of even the first one, but this breakdown is somewhat on par with what happened between Ragnarok and Love and Thunder without the outright trying to repeat moments. The comedy just got very "dumb-goofy" in LaT because I think Taika was trying too hard to outdo Ragnarok, which received a ton of love even tho he completely took Thor in a different direction, in that manner, and the story also took a hit but the latter may be because the original cut was about 4hrs, if not more, and Taika sounded a smidge nervous during an interview about 2-3 months prior to the release saying something to the effect the movie wasn't ready or something. Anyway, good breakdown of Anchorman 2. Both films were forgettable for me but I like hearing opinions on things of all types....mostly, as long as it's grounded in facts.