100 best comedy movies: the list

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

Dir Adam McKay (Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steve Carrell)

‘Apparently, my son was on something called "acid", and was shooting a bow and arrow into a crowd.’

It is said of some films – ‘Blade Runner’, ‘Days of Heaven’ and the like – that if you were to freeze any frame, you’d have an image striking enough that you’d happily mount it on your wall. While the same might not be said of ‘Anchorman’s beige 'n' brown ’70s demi-monde, pluck any line from its elegantly woven latticework of memorably salty dialogue and you will have a pearl-handled zinger that would be the high-point of any other comedy film. Stick that on your wall, Ridley!

Will Ferrell steps up from the shrill, big-boned manchild of ‘Zoolander’ and ‘Elf’ to musky, manly movie star with his bravura performance in a film that recalls a simpler, polyester time. A time when a man was not judged by the contents of his character but on the raw, unchecked ferocity of his cologne, the lustre of his moustache and the quantity of leather-bound books that lined the rich mahogany shelves of his apartment.

But although everyone is ultimately in the shadow of the glistening chestnut bombast of Ron’s towering hair, ‘Anchorman’ is very much an ensemble effort, and everyone brings their A-game to the bullpen. Champ Kind, Brian Fantana, Brick Tamland: names to be conjured with, for sure, but special mention has to go to the primly monickered Veronica Corningstone – the station’s gutsy, careerist, foul-mouthed, much-maligned female foil who, thanks to a game reading from Christina Applegate, keeps much of the macho bullshit in check without ever resorting to stereotypical ‘ballbusting, spoilsport’ shrewishness. ALD