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Sweet baby Jesus, we thank you for blessing Will Ferrell and Adam McKay with the talent to create a NASCAR comedy as hilarious asTalladega Nights. The so-called "Ballad of Ricky Bobby" is hardly flawless in fact it's not always firing on all cylinders but with comedy star Ferrell and director McKay still hot from the success of their previous comedy hitAnchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, most of this 108-minute spoof of oval-track racing is so knee-slappin' funny that you can't help but surrender to the stupidity.
Obviously, Ferrell's the shining star, and his portrayal of lead-footed pit-crew-member-turned-#1 NASCAR champion Ricky "I Wanna Go Fast" Bobby (how can you not love that name?) is spot-on perfect, righteously spoofing the entirety of NASCAR culture without insulting its oft-ridiculed roots in redneck bootlegging of a bygone era. You could even argue that Talladega Nights is truer to NASCAR than Tom Cruise'sDays of Thunder, and it's certainly more entertaining, especially when you add John C. Reilly as Ricky's life-long pal, teammate, and eventual rival Cal Naughton, Jr. (together they're nicknamed "Shake 'n Bake"), and Sacha Baron Cohen (fromDa Ali G ShowandBorat) as gay French "Formula Un" driver-turned NASCAR rival Jean Girrard, to a stellar cast including Molly Shannon, Greg Germann, Amy Adams and Michael Clarke Duncan.
Sure, it's mostly a showcase for Ferrell's loud, over-the-top antics and nonsensical non sequiturs (like cameo appearances by Elvis Costello and Mos Def), but with Ferrell behind the wheel,Talladega Nightsrolls into victory lane with fuel to spare, and there's one final bit of comedy (with a tip of the hat to William Faulkner) for those who sit through the credits. --Jeff Shannon
Stills fromTalladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby(click for larger image)
Bad, bad, bad I watched this movie on a plane from California to Hawaii and it was embarassingly awful. The only amusing portions of the movie are shown in the trailor - so watch the trailor, but avoid giving more money to Hollywood for junk like this. I hate to stereotype, but I have to believe that if you found this movie hillarious, you probably are a few mcnuggets from a happy meal.
Strap Yourself In for the Indy 500 of Hysterical Laughter Okay, this review is almost complete by saying that Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen are the stars.
Beyond that, the roles that these two guys play in this film are different than everything you've already seen them in, but at the same time are exactly perfect for their comedic strengths.
This is a movie for anyone who loves to laugh."If you ain't first, you're last." As spunky Susan (Amy Adams) says, Ricky Bobby (Will Ferell) is not a thinker. Ricky Bobby is a driver. One day, during a race, Bobby replaces famed NASCAR racer Terry Cheveaux (Adam McKay) and finishes the race at 3rd. Regardless of that, he caught the eye of Carly (Leslie Bibb), a smokin'-hot woman who flashes him. Both got married, and live in a beautiful home with two kids (Houston Tumlin and Grayson Russell). Around this time, Bobby and childhood friend Cal (John C. Reilly) have perfected a technique called "Shake and Bake," where the former shakes and the latter bakes. This helps Bobby win races. That may come to an end, when he meets competition in the form of flamboyant formula-one racer Jean Girrard (Sasha Baron Cohen).
Back in 2004, Will Ferrell and director Adam McKay made a 90-minute SNL sketch, not on the sketch variety show, but on the silver screen. "Anchorman" was a hit with critics, but released at a bad time ("Spider-Man 2," anyone?). Well, the duo is back, moving from the news desk to the famous Talladega Superspeedway. This is "Talladega Nights."
McKay and Ferrell (once again producing) have added some new twists to this comedy. Including keeping actors from hogging the camera for too long, "Talladega Nights" features plenty of NASCAR idiosyncrasies (including product placement from EA Sports to Power Ade), lots of redneck lampooning, and the idea of gay French men being part of a hard-boiled sport like this (once again, the artist formerly known as "Ali G" rocks the boat, this time with a hilarious French accent).
Adam McKay also has a knack for directing good action scenes. But hey, you get famed cinematographer Oliver Wood ("The Bourne Identity" and "Face/Off"), anything's possible. Sure, some scenes look like they've been created with computers, but unlike "Dukes of Hazzard" and "Taxi," they don't wear out their welcome. And there's a rockin' good soundtrack featuring tunes from Audioslave, AC/DC, Saliva, and many more.
Of course, the movie still has a lot of actors ad-libbing their way through scenes. This is Will Ferrell's comedy, and unlike in "Bewitched," McKay knows what works and what doesn't work. It's hit-and-miss, but Ferrell isn't as annoying. He even has good talent working with him, including some SNL alums (David Koechner, Rob Riggle, and Molly Shannon), award winners (Amy Adams and Michael Clarke Duncan), and Gary Cole and Jane Lynch as Ricky Bobby's parents. There are a good couple cameos from the real-life NASCAR drivers and announcers... but why waste Mos Def and Elvis Costello? I think they would've benefited from McKay's comedic direction. Oh well...
I must say that after a couple of downers in 2005, it's great to see Will Ferrell back with his SNL writer-cum-director. And the actresses (including Leslie Bibb) are a joy even if they're not in the movie long enough (Molly Shannon, what the hell?). If you enjoyed "Anchorman," by all means check out "Talladega Nights."
