The Big Picture – “Anchorman” and “Zodiac” | Mission Accomplished
Date: August 19, 2025
Host: Brian Raftery (for The Ringer / Mission Accomplished series)
Guests/Voices: Adam McKay, Brad Fisher, Will Ferrell (voice clips, in-character as Ron Burgundy and others), and others.
Overview
This episode of The Big Picture’s “Mission Accomplished” series explores how two very different films—Anchorman (2004) and Zodiac (2007)—reflect the societal anxieties and nostalgia of early 2000s America. Host Brian Raftery examines how both movies, set in 1970s California newsrooms, serve as commentaries on the George W. Bush era's media, political climate, and the myth of “the good old days.” Through interviews with filmmakers Adam McKay and Brad Fisher, archival clips, and analysis, the episode connects these films’ settings and messages to the cultural undercurrents and uncertainties of their time.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. The 2000s: A Retreat into Nostalgia
[00:02–03:12]
- Following the uncertainty and bleakness post-9/11 and amid the George W. Bush presidency, Americans turned to nostalgia for comfort.
- Hollywood revived past decades via biopics, remakes, and reboots (e.g., “Ray,” “Walk the Line,” “Starsky and Hutch”).
- Both Anchorman and Zodiac, though set in the 1970s, use their settings to comment on the instability and anxieties of the 2000s.
Memorable Quote:
“Nostalgia is one of our oldest industries. I mean, it’s literally nothing new.”
—Brian Raftery [00:20]
2. Media & Misinformation: The Bush Years
[03:17–15:32]
- Raftery links the explosive nostalgia to the failures and limitations of media in the early 2000s, especially regarding the Iraq War.
- Adam McKay, director of Anchorman, discusses his own long-standing disillusionment with the trajectory of American culture since the Reagan era.
- Media consolidation, government pressure, and self-censorship led to the silencing of dissent (e.g., Bill Maher’s firing, Donahue’s show canceled for anti-war stances).
- The media, once trusted, became part of the machinery manufacturing consent for war and suppressing uncomfortable truths.
Notable Quotes:
“Comedy is always about the subconscious. Same with horror movies.”
—Adam McKay [04:22]
“I was legitimately...actively upset every day. That was during the Bush years and the invasion of Iraq. It was the first time I genuinely was afraid for the United States.”
—Adam McKay [08:21]
“They need to watch what they say, watch what they do… there never is [a time for remarks like that].”
—Ari Fleischer (White House Press Secretary), quoted by Raftery [11:01]
3. Anchorman: Satire as Political Outrage
[15:12–20:50]
- Anchorman emerges as a sharp satire not just of 1970s sexism and cluelessness, but also as a reflection of Bush-era “mediocre white male” leadership and media.
- McKay and Ferrell consciously made Ron Burgundy a stand-in for the powerful-yet-inept men controlling media and politics.
- The only competent character, Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), faces belittling sexism, underlining that the so-called “good old days” were not good for everyone.
- The “Mediocre White Men Trilogy” (Anchorman, Talladega Nights, Step Brothers) channels McKay and Ferrell’s outrage at Bush-era politics.
Notable Quotes:
“The joke with Anchorman was that it is Veronica Corningstone’s story.”
—Adam McKay [19:01]
“There were a lot of, like, mediocre white guys steering us into these disasters, and that mediocrity wasn’t…”
—Adam McKay [18:06]
4. DVD Boom and Comedy’s Rise
[20:50–22:43]
- The rise of DVDs made comedies commercially viable; Anchorman and similar films thrived as both box office and home video successes.
- Comedies became an escape for a public desperate for humor amid national crises.
Memorable Quotes:
“DVDs helped ensure that moviemaking remained a thriving industry… for movie studios, that DVD revenue was like found money.”
—Brian Raftery [21:42]
5. The Inner Rage of Comedy
[23:13–24:32]
- The popularity of Anchorman wasn't just due to its jokes—its simmering anger matched public frustration.
- The film’s ending even lampoons Bush-era politics, with Brick Tamlin becoming a top advisor to the Bush White House.
Notable Quotes:
“What really gave the film its kick...even now, decades later, is the movie’s inner rage.”
—Brian Raftery [23:13]
“Live in a glass case of emotion.”
—Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy [23:41]
6. Zodiac: Information, Obsession, and a Darker Past
[28:06–47:14]
- Shift to Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007), a film about obsession, information overload, and the myth of the benevolent past.
- Producer Brad Fisher and writer James Vanderbilt struggled to get the story—based on real-life cartoonist Robert Graysmith’s pursuit of the Zodiac killer—off the ground due to its unresolved ending.
- Fincher, who grew up during the Zodiac’s reign of terror, saw the story as “a newspaper story… the closest bedfellow is All the President’s Men,” more about obsession and information than traditional detective work.
- The “rabbit hole” of Graysmith’s investigation mirrors the explosion of online information, conspiracy, and endless debate in the 2000s (rise of YouTube, Loose Change 9/11 documentary, 9/11 truthers, etc.).
Notable Quotes:
“It’s really more about the journey and the nature of obsession and how we can kind of be sucked down the rabbit hole and...can’t remember which way was up.”
—Brad Fisher [34:18]
“Just because you can’t prove it doesn’t mean it’s not true.”
—Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy/film clip [42:04]
7. Obsession, Uncertainty, and the Endless Search
[47:14–49:35]
- Zodiac’s uncertainty and lack of closure resonated in an era of online conspiracy, government mistrust, and endless information without resolution.
- Despite initial box office disappointment (losing to “Wild Hogs”), Zodiac became a cult favorite on cable, alongside Anchorman.
- Both films, despite wildly different tones, ultimately echo the reality that “the kinder, gentler America…never really existed.”
Memorable Quotes:
“You can absorb endless information without ever finding the truth. And that America is a place where things always escalate quickly.”
—Brian Raftery [49:35]
Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments
- “The present had become a bummer. And so movie makers and moviegoers began racing back to the past.” — Brian Raftery [00:20]
- “And I’m Ron Burgundy. Go fuck yourself, San Diego.” — Will Ferrell (as Ron Burgundy) [02:58]
- “Comedy is always about the subconscious. Same with horror movies.” — Adam McKay [04:22]
- “Watch what you say, watch what you do. And this is not a time for remarks like that. There never is.” — Ari Fleischer, cited by Brian Raftery [11:01]
- “I have many leather bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany.” — Will Ferrell (as Ron Burgundy) [15:22]
- “Discovered by The Germans in 1904, they named it San Diego, which of course in German means a whale’s vagina.” — Will Ferrell (as Ron Burgundy) [17:29]
- “The joke with Anchorman was that it is Veronica Corningstone’s story.” — Adam McKay [19:01]
- “This reads like two guys that are really angry at the Bush administration. And Ferrell and I both were like, yeah, that’s accurate.” — Adam McKay, quoting Judd Apatow [20:26]
- “Live in a glass case of emotion.” — Will Ferrell (as Ron Burgundy) [23:41]
- “He dresses well. He’s got a good head on his shoulders. I like him. I think you like him.” — Will Ferrell (as Ron Burgundy on George W. Bush) [25:08]
- “I don’t see it as a detective story. I see it as a newspaper story… the closest bedfellow is All the President’s Men.” — Brad Fisher, quoting David Fincher [33:22]
- “I need to look him in the eye and I need to know that it’s him.” — Jake Gyllenhaal (in Zodiac) [39:14]
- “Just because you can't prove it doesn't mean it's not true.” — [42:04] (Referenced both in Zodiac and thematically in the podcast)
- “Let us never tolerate outrageous conspiracy theories concerning the attacks of September 11th.” — George W. Bush [45:42]
- “Nothing makes sense anymore. Did it ever?” — Zodiac clip [47:14]
- “The movies are reminders that the people in charge are just as clueless as the rest of us. That you can absorb endless information without ever finding the truth. And that America is a place where things always escalate quickly.” — Brian Raftery [49:35]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 00:02–03:17: Introduction—context of 2000s-era nostalgia and popular films
- 03:17–08:10: How Anchorman and Zodiac reflect Bush-era instability
- 06:17–15:32: Adam McKay on the culture of disillusionment and media failures
- 15:12–20:50: Making of Anchorman, its themes, and satirical intent
- 20:50–22:43: DVD boom and comedy’s cultural dominance
- 23:13–24:32: The inner rage and catharsis of Anchorman
- 28:06–34:18: Making of Zodiac, true crime, and obsession
- 34:18–37:22: “Rabbit holes” of information: Graysmith’s research and the dawn of YouTube
- 43:05–47:14: 9/11 conspiracy, the Internet, and parallels to Zodiac
- 49:35–End: Conclusions—Anchorman and Zodiac as cultural mirror and caution
Conclusion
The episode compellingly maps how Anchorman and Zodiac, though wildly different in tone, were responses to the disillusionment, paranoia, and longing for a “simpler past” that characterized the George W. Bush years. Both films subvert nostalgia—Anchorman by lampooning the myth of the lovable, authoritative anchorman, and Zodiac by exposing the endless, fruitless search for answers in a world of ever-mounting information and doubt. Raftery’s analysis, balanced with filmmaker insights and cultural context, illuminates how these classics speak as much to their own era as to the times in which they were set.