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'Anchorman 2' is full of too-obvious humor

( PG-13 ) ( Monitor Movie Guide )

'Anchorman 2' stars Will Ferrell, who reprises his role as newscaster Ron Burgundy.

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Gemma LaMana/Paramount Pictures/AP
'Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues' stars Will Ferrell (l.) and Christina Applegate (r.).
  • By Peter Rainer Film critic

Too much of a good thing isn’t always a good thing, especially if you don’t think the good thing was so good in the first place. I was not one of those people who fell into fits watching Will Ferrell in “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.” I love Ferrell’s walleyed cluelessness, at least in judicious doses, but that’s just what’s wrong with “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.” The doses are too big. I realize that asking for restraint in a movie like this is kind of clueless, too, but great gobs of this movie about the famously obtuse newscaster are scattershot and dim and obvious.

The most inventive aspect of the film, aside from a lovely, daffy romantic duet between hypernerds played by Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig, are the promotional tie-ins with which we’ve been inundated -- Ron hawking Dodge Durango trucks, accepting journalism school awards, etc. He won’t be accepting any Oscars. Grade: C (Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, drug use, language and comic violence.)

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