With the re-release of “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” in a new “Super-Sized R-Rated Version” complete with “763 new jokes,” we at Critic Speak thought it would be appropriate to interview one of the film’s cast members and have them convince us why we should spend our hard-earned money to go see a film we have already seen. Here with his case for the new cut of “Anchorman 2” is the Ghost of Stonewall Jackson.
Critic Speak: Thanks for crossing the planes of the afterlife to talk to us about the new cut of “Anchorman 2,” Ghost of Stonewall Jackson.
Ghost of Stonewall Jackson: Many thanks for having me. Now, you shall receive the opportunity to ask of me no more than five questions about the new cut of the film, after which, I shall consume your soul.
CS: Is that weird Drake cameo still in the beginning of the film?
GSJ: Well, yes, but of all the possible differences between the two cuts, this is most the pressing issue that you need resolved? It seems like an odd place to begin your inquiry.
CS: Are there really 763 new jokes in the film? Are there any jokes that are repeated?
GSJ: As a ghost, the concept of numerical values eludes me. However, the new cut replaces nearly every punch-line in the original film. In fact, the only bits of dialogue that seem to have been carried over from the first “Anchorman 2” are those necessary for maintaining narrative integrity.
CS: One of the many infamous scenes from the first “Anchorman” film is the sequence in which the news team sings “Afternoon Delight.” Is there any similar musical number in this new cut?
GSJ: Why yes, there is not one but two musical numbers, intertwined into an opus of harmony and hilarity.
CS: The new cut of the film is rated R. How hard of an R is the film?
GSJ: Not a hard R at all. With the exception of a small amount of expletives, there is nothing in this new cut that would appear out of place in the PG-13 cut of the film. In actuality, all this new cut really adds to the film is a sense of space: The riffs get an opportunity to breathe and flourish into even more bizarre and strange territories, not unlike a long-form improvisation comedy revue.
CS: Oh, so there is long-form comedy in the afterlife?
GSJ: Why of course there is, simple fellow! How do you expect us poor immortal souls to get on for the whole of eternity without a chance to sit back and have a good chuckle? Now, as that was your fifth question, I shall now consume your precious soul. There will be a mint julep waiting for you on the other side, my boy.
After the Ghost of Stonewall Jackson consumed the soul of our reporter, he bid a farewell and hoped that all of you who found joy and laughs in the first cut of “Anchorman 2” go see the new cut and laugh some more.