Twenty years ago, comedies were more than throwaway diversions deposited on Netflix every two months. More often than not, they were cultural juggernauts, dominating American minds and mouths, spurring countless friends to quote them over AIM. It was in this universe that 2004’s Anchorman flourished.
Fueled by the mostly improvised stylings of star Will Ferrell and his many friends from the L.A. improv scene, Anchorman earned big laughs while skewering misogyny and American materialism. Naturally, its tale of anchorman Ron Burgundy (Ferrell) facing unexpected competition in the form of Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) was a perfect vessel for Ferrell’s dopey comedic persona. It also brought fellow “frat pack” comedians Adam McKay and Judd Apatow together: Apatow produced while McKay co-wrote and directed.
More broadly, Anchorman also influenced the comedy genre for years to come. So, nearly 20 years after its July 2004 premiere, we explore 6 movies that took direct inspiration from Anchorman.
‘Step Brothers’ (2008)
Anchorman helped launch director Adam McKay’s post-Saturday Night Live career and led to multiple collabs with Ferrell. One product of that ongoing professional relationship, Step Brothers, starred Ferrell opposite John C. Reilly as an emotionally stunted man living with his parents. The movie’s self-involved, short-sighted, and immature male protagonists closely resembled the dopey newsmen of Anchorman. In movies like this and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, director McKay was able to explore themes of modern masculinity and arrested development.
‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’ (2005)
In addition to serving as Steve Carrell’s feature film debut, Anchorman also earned producer Judd Apatow more influence in Hollywood. This led him to direct and co-produce The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which starred Carrell and turned him into a household name. Its improvisational cast of horny and occasionally sexist characters recalled Anchorman; but most of all, it drew out its sweet undertones, imbuing it with Apatownian flair.
‘Knocked Up’ (2008)
With its long scenes of characters riffing and its satisfying central arc, Knocked Up was pure Apatow. Still, its DNA was pure Anchorman. Despite having Apatow as a director, Knocked Up built upon Anchorman’s depictions of narrow-minded men facing crises of masculinity. It also featured a lot of comedians from the L.A. improv scene and gave them room to toss fresh jokes around. That said, what set this movie apart was its ability to make you go “aww” at the end.
‘I Love You, Man’ (2009)
As comedy historian Saul Austerlitz wrote in his 2023 book Kind of a Big Deal, bromance movies like I Love You, Man in the aughts and 2010s “were about the reluctant fading of the eternal sunset of adolescence and the buried emotions of men who just missed their friends.” In other words, it was about – say it with me now – emotionally stunted men acting like buffoons. Though not associated with the “frat pack,” as it was written and directed by John Hamburg, I Love You, Man still reveled in having its immature men (Paul Rudd and Jason Segel) make us laugh.
‘They Came Together’ (2014)
This cult parody isn’t exactly a diamond in the rough or a beloved forgotten masterpiece. In fact, it’s only worth watching if you deeply love rom-coms and want to see a feature-length parody of them. But it’s that parody element that was inspired by Anchorman. This Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd vehicle refuses to take its characters or premise seriously. Like with Anchorman, the result is hit or miss, but when it hits, it’s excellent.
‘Don’t Look Up’ (2021)
When it comes to Adam McKay’s “serious movie” phase, Don’t Look Up is probably the dullest of the bunch. Still, it has some memorable scenes thanks to its top-notch cast; and more notably, it takes direct inspiration from McKay’s very first directorial outing, Anchorman. Its scenes of bumbling, vapid news anchors may be played for dark satire instead of easy laughs, but they still make the same point: The media industry isn’t always interested in telling important stories. Sometimes, they just want to make out, party, and post TikToks, even as the world burns down. Imagine if Ron Burgundy had TikTok, though: He would have nailed all the dances! Then he would have been immediately blocked for sexually assaulting a starfish.
