I Watched Anchorman For The First Time, And It's The Wildest Rom-Com I've Ever Seen

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is a rom-com, and you can’t tell me otherwise. I know what you’re probably thinking, ‘But Riley, it’s one of the best movies of the 2000s, it’s a comedy masterpiece, and it has what feels like every major male comedian in it.’ To that, I say, ‘Yeah, that’s true.’ However, when you break down the plot of this flick and the motivations of Ron, it fully centers around his love interest Veronica, and the way their story plays out makes Anchorman an indisputable and great rom-com, in my humble opinion.

Now, the beloved Anchorman is full of lots of classic comedy and jokes for the bros. However, when I watched it with a Peacock subscription, I was hyper-fixated on the love story between Ron and Veronica, and I couldn’t get over their plot, which is an absolutely wild rom-com.

Ron And Veronica’s First Date Is Classic Rom-Com Material

While Ron’s initial ask was to “squire” Veronica about town as professionals, it very much turned into a date.

Ultimately, it evolved into Ron playing the jazz flute for her. And she was clearly woo-ed by it. While the scene was so incredibly silly, it also showed Ferrell’s character outside of work and that he’s not 100% a jerk. As his performance went on, Veronica obviously longed for him and was turned on by his flute performance. Then they went to Pleasuretown…

This scene demonstrates that Veronica isn’t intimidated by Ron, and it in fact shows that they – for lack of a better term – match each other’s freak. While what brings them together is absolutely bananas, and I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt, I also totally bought that Veronica was into him. Their chemistry was palpable and so fun to watch, and as the movie progressed, I cared more about their relationship than just about anything else.

Between the forbidden love trope going on here, as Veronica got confuddled about getting romantic with a coworker, and the hilarious chemistry between Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate, it became clear to me that Anchorman was giving more than just comedy, it was giving romantic comedy.

The Enemies To Lovers Game In The Middle Of Anchorman? Iconic.

Of course, after Ron’s dog got yeet-ed by Jack Black and he missed work, Veronica went on the air for him, and things went downhill big time for them. We got way more than a third-act breakup here; we get a full-blown enemies-to-lovers story in the middle of Anchorman.

Veronica took over as anchor and Ron descended to very, very, very low levels. He was, to put it lightly, distraught as well as hot and bothered.

They were sabotaging each other's left and right. They got into a literal battle at one point. Their shenanigans got out of hand. Prank calls ensued, and teleprompter sabotages were afoot. It was ridiculous, and it was clear that their romantic feelings for each other were impacting their actions at work alongside their drive to be the main anchor on the news.

While this rivalry formed out of Veronica taking Ron’s thunder and gig, I think it was clearly amplified by their romance.

The friction created by the rivalry between Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate’s characters was so much fun to watch, and their bickering was truly hilarious. While funny was the priority here, this was also such an enemies-to-lovers storyline placed in the middle of this movie, and as a rom-com lover, this trope was so obvious and irresistibly entertaining.

Anchorman Literally Ends With Ron And Veronica Getting Back Together

Now, let’s talk about that ending. After Ron and Veronica broke it off, and she was leading the news, they collided again at the zoo when Applegate’s character ended up in the bears’ enclosure. Admittedly, there’s a lot going on in this scene as the news gangs all face off against each other and Ron tries to make his triumphant return to TV. Ultimately, though, his love for Veronica took priority and he wound up jumping into the bears’ enclosure with her.

After the news team and Baxter the dog helped save them, Ron and Veronica shared a kiss once they were finally safe and out of the bears’ home and Ron reported on the pandas. Also, it ended on a love confession, as Veronica said:

The film marks its resolve on Ron and Veronica getting together, and then going on to be co-anchors of the world news. It signifies Ron’s growth and the love these two share. When you end a movie on that note… I think it’s a rom-com.

The Only Reason Ron Evolves In This Movie Is Because Of Veronica

These two share the same dream of being a network anchor, and to achieve that dream – at least for most of the movie – Ron will do whatever he can. However, as he falls for Veronica, he evolves (not much, but he evolves) and it’s clear he cares for her and doesn't want to hurt her.

At the start of the movie, Ron would have never willingly said Veronica was his co-anchor. However, he changed for the better through this experience and fell in love while he was at it.

Think about it. Would Ron have given up that big panda story before everything he went through with Veronica? I think the answer is no. However, after his turbulent love story, he changed and he truly cared for her and couldn’t bear (pun intended) to see her hurt. Talk about evolving for the better! And it all happened because the boy was in love!

Also, while Ferrell’s performance for the most part is over-the-top and slapstick, there’s something genuine about how he plays out Ron’s feelings for Veronica. That adds depth to Anchorman’s story, and I think it’s a reason why this movie is so solid.

Ron and Veronica’s love story – while ridiculous like the whole movie – adds depth and stakes to it, and it is central to the film’s arc. Therefore, I don’t think it’s out of hand to call Anchorman -- which is easily one of Will Ferrell’s best movies and a legendary comedy overall -- the wildest rom-com I’ve ever seen.