The goofy disclaimer at the start of "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy," about the film's supposed truthfulness, is by itself more clever and considerably funnier than almost anything in a comedy in quite some time.

And yes, that is a comment on how pathetic movie comedy-writing has gotten, as well as how funny this broad spoof is when it hits its targets — television news and outdated 1970s attitudes.

Still, it's a hit-and-miss affair. In fact, there are more misfires and dead spots than we'd prefer, but they're outweighed by many more moments that are riotously laugh-out-loud funny.

Like most comedies today, however, the film is also crude and cruel in places, along the lines of a Farrelly brothers film. But like the Farrelly brothers, these filmmakers mean no real malicious intent, and they exhibit genuine affection for their characters.

As the title promises, "Anchorman" revolves around Ron Burgundy (played by co-screenwriter Will Ferrell), a local Emmy-winning anchor for the top nightly newscast in San Diego. He's also a man's man and a ladies man.

However, for some reason, he finds himself tongue-tied when it comes to wooing Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), the beautiful new reporter hired to increase the station's "diversity" by news producer Ed Harken (Fred Willard).

When the two do finally manage to fall in love, there's one serious complication — her aspirations to become the first female anchorperson in the country. That not only puts the brakes on their burgeoning relationship, it also leads Ron and his news team cronies (Paul Rudd, Steve Carell and David Koechner) to do everything in their power to stop her from ruining their exclusive on-air "boys club."

Surprisingly, the film manages to score points regarding the rampant sexism in the '70s television-news industry, but the concentration here is on silliness. And even throwaway bits, such as the recurring gag of news team "rumbles," are funny.

Performancewise, Ferrell is goofy as usual. But he also manages to make this character likable, and he has considerable chemistry with Applegate, who holds her own.

The supporting cast is populated with scene-stealers, especially Carell and Willard. And not to give too much away, but there are cameos by Tim Robbins, Vince Vaughn, Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller and Jack Black. (And those who stick around through the closing credits will be rewarded with an outtake reel, which is also worth watching.)

"Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" is rated PG-13 for crude humor involving sexual and other bodily functions (including vulgar sexual slang and sight gags), violence (brawling and slapstick), occasional use of strong profanity (including one usage of the "R-rated" curse word), a brief sex scene (mostly implied; played for laughs), and some brief gore. Running time: 91 minutes.

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E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com