(12 votes, average: 3.83 out of 5)
Loading …Rent Movie.com movie reviews presents Talladega Nights The Ballad of Ricky Bobby movie review a 2006 film starring Gary Cole, Jane Lynch and directed by Adam McKay NASCAR stock car racing sensation Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) is a national hero because of his “win at all costs” approach. He and his loyal racing partner, childhood friend Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly), are a fearless duo — “Shake” and “Bake” by their fans for their ability to finish so many races in the #1 and #2 positions, with Cal always in second place. When flamboyant French Formula One driver Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen) challenges “Shake” and “Bake” for the supremacy of NASCAR, Ricky Bobby must face his own demons and fight Girard for the right to be known as racing’s top driver. Sweet baby Jesus, we thank you for blessing Will Ferrell and Adam McKay with the talent to create a NASCAR comedy as hilarious as Talladega 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 hit Anchorman: 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’s Days 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 (from Da Ali G Show and Borat) 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 Nights rolls 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
Comment by tvtv3 “tvtv3″
# January 2, 2007,
Will Ferrell co-wrote and stars as NASCAR racer Ricky Bobby in TALLADEGA NIGHTS, the second part of Ferrell’s planned everyman comedy trilogy. Driven by the absence of fatherly love and the last words his father said to him,”If you ain’t first, you’re last”, Ricky Bobby is the #1 NASCAR driver in the country. Racing alongside Ricky is his best friend, Cal Naughton, Jr. (John C. Reilly) who always finishes #2. Together they are “Shake N’ Bake”. The owner of Bobby’s racing team Mr. Dennit (Pat Hingle) dies and his son, Larry, Jr. (Greg Germann) takes over. Larry Jr. has always disliked Ricky Bobby and decides to bring a French Formula One driver, Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen) into the NASCAR circuit as part of the Dennit racing team. After a serious accident, Ricky is left emotionally scarred and unable to race. His wife kicks Ricky out of the house, divorces him, and marries Cal. Jr. A few traffic accidents later, Ricky finds himself as a bicycle pizza delivery guy desperately needing a kick in the pants and some inspiration which his long-lost father provides.
TALLADEGA NIGHTS is full of humor, both crass and otherwise. Much of the humor skewers NASCAR and racing fans. Despite this, the movie is not vicious in its comedy and attitude towards the sport. Instead, the film seems to carry with it a slight amount of affection towards racing. Having been raised in a rural area around racing fans, I picked up on many of the over-the-top stereotypes right away, yet was not offended.
The movie has a lot of great quotes and contains some brilliant comic acting. John C. Reilly is one of the best actors in the business, but I would never have pictured him as the sidekick in a Will Ferrell comedy. Reilly nails the role of Cal Naughton, Jr. and in doing so raised my esteem for him as an actor. Also worthy of mention is Sacha Baron Cohen as Jean Girard. Until this film, I had never heard of Cohen, but I’ve been told that he is an up and coming comical actor to watch. His performance in TALLADEGA NIGHTS is impressive and has made me want to watch some of his other work, e.g. Ali G. Michael Clarke Duncan (who is made to look normal-sized through various camera techniques) is also a joy to watch in this film as Ricky’s pit manager, Lucius Washington. The movie also has a simple message that it attempts to deliver (something about not taking the important things in your life for granted), but make no mistake this is a comedy and most of that message is lost through the hilarious quotes and hysterical actions.
TALLADEGA NIGHTS is one of the best Will Ferrell films to have been made in the last few years. Actually, I enjoyed it even better than ANCHORMAN and other movies he has made and consider it my favorite Ferrell film. It’s a hilarious look at NASCAR that tries illustrates a need for speed in life isn’t as important as taking time to slow down and enjoy the finer and simpler things in life, such as family.
Comment by Andrew Olson “I’m confused. Wait, maybe I’m not…”
# January 2, 2007,
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.” Let’s hope it makes bank.