Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...

Congratulations to Will Ferrell and his wife for having a baby about twelve days ago, and more congrats to Will and Adam McKay because it sounds like their baby, ANCHORMAN, is killing every time they test screen it right now. Here’s our latest look at the movie:

Hey, Harry. You may call me Bungion Boy. You’ve heard from me a few times but I’ve never been printed (until now?). Tonight I had the extreme pleasure of seeing a little film called "Anchorman" at the AMC 42nd Street theatre in New York. I’ve really grown fond of Will’s antics over the last few years. He certainly pushed "Old School" from a pleasant movie to a very funny one, held his own in "Elf," and has had some very funny cameos in many films of recent memory, the most recent being "Starsky and Hutch." It would seem that we have much to look forward to, especially with his role of Ignatius in David Gordon Green’s upcoming "Confederacy of Dunces" which I pray will get off the ground as soon as possible. But this film will truly be a test of can he carry an adult comedy on his shoulders, and I’m proud to say that he will pass with flying colors.

The plot (spoilers): well, there isn’t much of a plot. Will is Ron Burgundy, lead anchor of Action News, along with the team of the suave Paul Rudd (back to hilarious antics more like "Wet Hot", less like "Friends"), the idiot man-child Steve Carell (who almost walks away with the entire movie. Every line he says got a huge laugh), and the closeted cowboy David Koechner, (who is the weakest of the group but still manages to get in a few laughs). Enter Christina Applegate as Veronica Corningstone, the up and coming reporter who dreams of becoming an anchor. Applegate wasn’t given much to work with in the role, but the few gags that she is given are handled very nicely and she ends up being a good foil for Ferrell, although it’s not Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. Applegate is repulsed by Ron at first, but it’s not long before he seduces her and then enter a world of happy, animated sex: ("Look! The most beautiful rainbow in the world!"–"Do me on it!"). After Ron misses a broadcast (in a tragically funny sequence) and Veronica fills in for him and a war breaks out between the two of them, with wonderful quips that could only take place in a magical time before sexual harassment. Those were the days. Of course things get out of hand and things take place and the film ends with a climactic rescue scene at the San Diego Zoo. All of this rather implausible, but it doesn’t really matter.

Ordinarily, a film with virtually no plot would not work so well. What it lacks in story it makes up for in hilarious characters and wall to wall laughs. I would rank this above the recent Todd Phillips movies, which may have had more structure, but fewer laughs. Will carries the film very nicely, but I’m not sure if the character of Ron Burgundy could have been strong enough to hold up the film if it weren’t for the rest of the ensemble cast of hilarious characters. Like I said, Carell and Rudd knock it out of the park. Vince Vaughn has some few but funny scenes as Ron’s rival. The brilliant Fred Willard and underrated Chris Parnell have small roles. Even the dog is great. The dog, Harry. And then there is a galaxy of cameos from the likes of Jack Black, and (in one of the funniest scenes) Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller, and Tim Robbins(!) play rival local new anchors who meet to fight in a News Team Gang War. It must be seen to be believed. Again, none of this makes sense, but it’s so very funny.

Anyways, this summer looks to be a mixed bag. There will be the joys of "Shrek 2", "Spider Man 2', ‘Harry Potter 3', but also iffy films like "I, Robot", and "Van Helsing", both of which I become more wary of by the minute. It will be so refreshing to have a really funny comedy like Anchorman to be around in the summer, which might for once allow a comedy to be a top earner of the summer. It’s all up to you now. Help Will become the star he is destined to become!

I hope this movie is as great as that trailer. Will’s poised to finally be a huge star, and I can only imagine what he’ll do with that sort of freedom.

"Moriarty" out.