# Tell me Anchorman is not as dumb as Dodgeball. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 10, 2004, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-anchorman-is-not-as-dumb-as-dodgeball/254456 "2004-07-10T18:19:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![xvxdarkknightxvx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/34f0e0/32.png) [@xvxdarkknightxvx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xvxdarkknightxvx)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-anchorman-is-not-as-dumb-as-dodgeball/254456/1 "2004-07-10T18:19:55Z")
I didn’t want to go into the other **Anchorman** thread because I was warded off by the _SPOILER_ tag. Could someone who’s seen it convince me that it’s closer to **Zoolander** / **Old School** on the scale of funny than hanging out with the misfit **Dodgeball** on the lower end of the scale? Any hope at all? If you think this movie was as funny as **Dodgeball** , and you thought **Dodgeball** was very funny, then **Anchorman** probably isn’t for me. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-anchorman-is-not-as-dumb-as-dodgeball/254456/2 "2004-07-10T19:02:26Z")
Well, I haven’t seen Anchorman, and I liked Dodgeball. So all I have to offer is that all the reviews I’ve seen so far, surprisingly, have been positive. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-anchorman-is-not-as-dumb-as-dodgeball/254456/3 "2004-07-10T19:08:13Z")
I haven’t seen _Anchorman_ yet (I plan to do so tomorrow), but I have seen the promotional DVD that was sent to radio stations. I actually felt like I lost IQ points after watching it. It does look like mindless entertainment, and after my review is written and posted, I will post a link. (You may read reviews of _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_ and _The Day After Tomorrow_ [here](http://www.theglobalcafe.org/film/index.html).) Robin ---
**Author:** ![Raymond\_Luxury\_Yacht](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raymond_luxury_yacht/32/4099_2.png) [@Raymond\_Luxury\_Yacht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raymond_Luxury_Yacht)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-anchorman-is-not-as-dumb-as-dodgeball/254456/4 "2004-07-10T19:35:57Z")
In my own opinion, Anchorman is to Dodgeball as The Beatles are to New Kids on the Block. Run, don’t walk, to see this movie. ---
**Author:** ![xvxdarkknightxvx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/34f0e0/32.png) [@xvxdarkknightxvx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xvxdarkknightxvx)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-anchorman-is-not-as-dumb-as-dodgeball/254456/5 "2004-07-10T19:46:47Z")
**jehovah** scores one for simplicity and for not liking **Dodgeball**. 🙂 Sidetrack: I never read the reviews for Dodgeball. Was it generally liked or disliked by reviewers? ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-anchorman-is-not-as-dumb-as-dodgeball/254456/6 "2004-07-10T19:58:22Z")
Man, I’m glad you started this thread, **darkknight**. The exact same thought went through my head. The previews don’t look that promising–the “I love scotch” bit isn’t very funny to me. I did see a clip on The Graham Norton Effect where they all start singing “Afternoon Delight.” That seems like it might have been humorous. ---
**Author:** ![pesch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pesch/32/4925_2.png) [@pesch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pesch)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-anchorman-is-not-as-dumb-as-dodgeball/254456/7 "2004-07-10T21:42:57Z")
[Slate reviewed it.](http://slate.msn.com/id/2103602/) Here’s their conclusion: > [@](#): > > Ferrell has that self-intoxicated jiggle of the head down pat, but he isn’t one of those natural clowns with rubbery features and an infinitely moldable body. His timing isn’t the sharpest; he’s not a virtuoso. But he gets huge laughs, because he’s not afraid to take a joke to the next level, the way the Marx Brothers always did. No, Anchorman doesn’t have that kind of linguistic sophistication—although it’s often wonderfully deft, as when Burgundy greets his date, Veronica, with the line, “It truly is beauty and the beast—and a handsome beast at that.” The movie has a free-associational quality, and something else: an atmosphere of fooling around and taking chances. This grab-bag approach has an amazing cumulative power, so that the frequent clunkers don’t matter: You’re finally just relaxed and happy, grooving on the cast and waiting to get smacked with the next outlandish gag. > > It should be said that Anchorman is a shockingly ugly movie, and that the lighting does no favors for Christina Applegate, whose face is weirdly tight in some shots. Its preoccupations are smutty and infantile, its targets obvious. Yet it strides above its crudeness like a colossus. It’s smart people telling dumb jokes with a brilliant sense of irony. Anchorman gives you permission to laugh like an idiot. So it sounds like “Dodgeball” but really really well done. ---
**Author:** ![xvxdarkknightxvx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/34f0e0/32.png) [@xvxdarkknightxvx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xvxdarkknightxvx)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-anchorman-is-not-as-dumb-as-dodgeball/254456/8 "2004-07-10T21:45:40Z")
Thanks, **pesch**. I guess I won’t be seeing it. ---
**Author:** ![Dignan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dignan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dignan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-anchorman-is-not-as-dumb-as-dodgeball/254456/9 "2004-07-11T18:40:26Z")
The reviews I’ve read looked pretty good, as long as you realize you’re not seeing _Citizen Kane_. The only two reviews that I’ve read are A.O. Scott and the one in [The Onion](http://www.theonion.com). After really looking forward to this movie, about a week ago I started to get _really_ worried that it would suck, and thought about not seeing it. However, the reviews reassured me, so I’ll go see it. ---
**Author:** ![mike1dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@mike1dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mike1dog)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-anchorman-is-not-as-dumb-as-dodgeball/254456/10 "2004-07-11T18:46:50Z")
I’ve seen both, and found Anchorman not terribly funny(except for Steve Correll), yet I liked Dodgeball. I’ve never seen Old School and I despised Zoolander. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-anchorman-is-not-as-dumb-as-dodgeball/254456/11 "2004-07-11T19:10:50Z")
I saw it yesterday. I went in there know I would like it because I’ve been a fan of Ferrell for years, but I was pleasently shocked by the performances by the other cast. Steve Carrell is wonderful in this role. You can see the talent he has. And the cameos by Jack Black and Ben Stiller are great. It is funnier than Dodgeball. There are a lot of “What the hell?” moments, but it is not plain gross out humor. Everyone will find something they like in this film. It is mindless entertainment, but it’s entertainment. You will _not_ find the meaning of life in this film, but you will walk away in a good mood. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-anchorman-is-not-as-dumb-as-dodgeball/254456/12 "2004-07-11T19:12:52Z")
Oh, and just to add, I saw this movie with my mother and she liked it, although there were some parts she didn’t like Like when Luke Wilson got his arms cut off. But luckily, those parts aren’t the focus of the film. ---
**Author:** ![Whiter\_Carpet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Whiter\_Carpet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiter_Carpet)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-anchorman-is-not-as-dumb-as-dodgeball/254456/13 "2004-07-11T20:29:50Z")
Dodgeball was a stupid but fun movie. More for guys who like having a “two star” movie be their favorite of all time over a classic I guess. It did have a lot of more intelligent jokes (I felt) than it gets credit for (maybe because they were so subtle most didn’t notice); for example, the big chest of money the casino guys roll in at the end has a brass plate that says _Deus ex machina_ The biggest problem I had with Anchorman was a third of the previews weren’t even in the damn movie! Some parts were dumb, like Jack Black’s scene, but overall I felt they came to be important to the plot and set up a better joke later. **pesch** ’s post hit the nail on the head for Anchorman. I’ll take the Luke Wilson part (though the second one was “ehh”) and the scene it was in over any scene in _White Chicks_, _Stuck on You_, or their kind. If/when you see Anchorman, check out the clothes the characters in it wear. Then notice the clothes all of the extras have on. ---
**Author:** ![Stringer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Stringer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringer)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-anchorman-is-not-as-dumb-as-dodgeball/254456/14 "2004-07-11T21:59:12Z")
I saw Anchorman last night, and I almost walked out about halfway through. It was one of, if not the, worst movie I’ve seen in the theaters in the past 5 years. It’s pretty sad when the best lines in the movie are a conversation between a dog and bear via subtitles. I saw Dodgeball a couple weeks ago, and it was better than I expected. The first half is terrible, but the second half had a few laughable moments, most notably the cameos. Overall, I’d say Dodgeball is a rentable movie (as a last resort), while Anchorman should be avoided like the plague. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-anchorman-is-not-as-dumb-as-dodgeball/254456/15 "2004-07-11T22:05:55Z")
“I am in a glass case of emotion!” ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-anchorman-is-not-as-dumb-as-dodgeball/254456/16 "2004-07-11T22:27:42Z")
Rotten Tomatoes has it as “fresh” - but barely. It has a freshness rating of 60%. Below 60% and a movie is “rotten.” Looking at the reviews there, there’s plenty of positives and negatives. Might well be a love-it-or-hate-it movie. ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-anchorman-is-not-as-dumb-as-dodgeball/254456/17 "2004-07-11T22:28:58Z")
Looks like this will be one that I’ll request for my university movie channel. I half-heartedly look forward to seeing it then maybe. ---
**Author:** ![teemingONE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@teemingONE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teemingONE)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-anchorman-is-not-as-dumb-as-dodgeball/254456/18 "2004-07-12T04:44:45Z")
> [@](#): > > If/when you see Anchorman, check out the clothes the characters in it wear. Then notice the clothes all of the extras have on. I saw the movie and I wasn’t paying attention to this, what did I miss? ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-anchorman-is-not-as-dumb-as-dodgeball/254456/19 "2004-07-12T15:00:00Z")
If you think Will Ferrell is funny in everything maybe you’ll like this movie. If your like me and think “yeah, he has his funny moments but he also has a lot of unfunny moments that drag” then you’ll be somewhat disappointed in this flick. The first hour crawls by with barely a gufaw and it’s not until the Stiller, Vaughn, Black, Wilson guys show up to give it a few laughs. But by then it’s too late.