Its Trevor’s Top 25 Films of the last 25 Years, with #19, ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY, a 2004 film directed by Adam McKay. A top-rated 1970s San Diego anchorman faces a challenge when a newswoman becomes his co-anchor.

Such a legendary funny film, with entire sequences that I have memorized and phrases that have entered into popular culture. I even dressed as Ron Burgundy for a Chicago Halloween with a jazz flute secreted up my sleeve. But its more than just a series of extended skits, the Ron/Veronica relationship does provide a thematic throughline with actual emotional stakes. And the broad humor does actually allow a pretty honest depiction of the absurdities of 70s newsroom sexism. Similar to horror, comedy can be used as societal metaphor, a testimony to the brilliance of ANCHORMAN.

Best Scene. I’d have to go with the one-two punch of Paul Rudd’s and Will Farrell’s attempts to woo Veronice Corningstone. Every line, every reaction is pitch-perfect, with a madcap lunatic energy. Also the cameo-crazy battle royale! And I also love the scenes when Veronican and Ron get mean.

Best Performance. Will Ferrel’s performances get out of hand when he is given a paper-thin character and asked to make up a personality. With Ron Burgundy, he stays tightly in this boorish, silly, insecure character and is just so much funnier for it. Burgundy is a tightrope; needing to be a sexist blowhard and also innocently charming. Steve Carrell is also hilarious and gets exactly the right amount of screen time.

Comedy is infamously subjective, but for my money, ANCHORMAN is the peak of absurdist comedy in the new century.