Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Comedians need to surround themselves with creative people. Many of the top comedic stars have long standing relationships with writers or directors who know how to get the best out of them. Jim Carrey likes to be directed by Tom Shadayac (Bruce Almighty, Liar, Liar , Ace Ventura), Mike Myers works well with director Jay Roach (Mystery, Alaska, the Austin Powers series), Adam Sandler enjoys writing with his pal Tim Herlihy (Happy Gilmore, Wedding Singer, Big Daddy, Mr. Deeds), and Will Ferrell does his best work with co-writer Adam McKay (Anchorman). Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is definitely in the same vein as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, so if you are ready for some absurd humour, this is the film for you.

Ricky Bobby and Ron Burgundy have similar character arcs, as they both are the best at what they do, then get everything taken away from them just so they can claw their way back to the top. Will Ferrell shines as Ricky Bobby, a NASCAR driver with an equal mix of arrogance and dim-wittedness. What impresses me about Will Ferrell is his commitment to character. With many of his lines improvised, Ferrell is still able to keep Ricky Bobby constant, a skill most likely honed with his work on SNL. I found that while watching the improvisation of The 40 Year Old Virgin, the actors would often betray their characters in order to get the funny line; there was no consistency. While Talladega Nights has some fun roles for Sacha Baron Cohen (Ali G, Borat) and Gary Cole (Brady Bunch, Office Space) what surprised me was the humour coming from serious actors like Michael Clarke Duncan (Green Mile, Sin City) and especially John C Reilly (Chicago, The Hours, The Aviator). Unfortunately, as funny as this group of people were, they still didn’t hold a candle to the supporting cast of Anchorman (with Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd and David Koechner). Thankfully, Talladega Nights’ humour is not only derived from its colourful characters.

Talladega does a great job of taking jabs at the south and the obsession with NASCAR. What’s funny is that they make more fun of the advertising associated with the sport, than the racing itself. Fig Newtons are mostly responsible for Ricky Bobby’s demise and Applebee’s gets so much air-time, they even get a commercial inserted into the film. I found this film to be quite entertaining and a scene involving knives made my laugh to the point of tears. You don’t need to be a NASCAR fan to appreciate this movie either (I could care less about racing), you just need to be ready for some off-the-wall humour and some crazy characters. And don’t forget, the film is rated PG, so the only nudity you’ll see is Will Ferrell running around the track in his underwear. And who hasn’t seen that already?