Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Comedy

After missing out on watching “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” on the big screen, I was finally able to catch it on DVD over the weekend. As a Will Ferrell fan, I was expecting big things from this comedy. A genius who can come up with characters like Frank the Tank in “Old School”, Ron Burgundy in “Anchorman”, or his many personas on “Saturday Night Live”, Ferrell is one my top favorite comedians of all time. Therefore, when Jo and I finally sat down to catch “Talladega”, I was going in as a fan.

Ricky Bobby has always wanted to drive fast. He was born in a stock car and his dad Reese (Gary Cole) only appeared every few years because he was drunk, high on drugs, or just bored. When Ricky finally gets to drive in NASCAR, he takes advantage of it and become the best driver. He marries, has two kids, and laughs in the face of his racecar’s owner. But when a new, French driver named Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen) beats him, Ricky’s life unravels. His best friend Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly) steals his wife, he freaks out when he drives, and loses his sponsors. It’s up to Ricky’s dad to re-teach him how to drive and for Ricky to return to the top of NASCAR.

“Talladega Nights” is by no means Will Ferrell’s best work. For bellyaching laughter, “Anchorman” and “Old School” are the funniest. For good acting, “Stranger Than Fiction” was his best. “Talladega” is just an okay film. It pokes fun at the NASCAR culture and the Southern stereotypes that are associated with those races. Ferrell and Reilly have a funny chemistry between them and that’s a bit surprising since Reilly is often cast in serious productions.

Some of the funniest moments in this film are provided by one of 2006’s big breakout stars, Cohen of “Borat” fame. His quirky, French, gay Girard provides a great counterpoint to Ricky’s arrogant Southern machismo. Proving his versatility in immersing himself in a character, Cohen goes to town as Girard and he too seemed to enjoy a great deal of chemistry with Ferrell.

My problem with “Talladega” is that there aren’t enough “laugh out loud” moments in it. The script, though funny in spots, had no moments that really stood out. Ferrell’s and Cohen’s performances were great, but I’ve seen better from both of them. Maybe it’s the world of NASCAR that alienated me, then again, I did enjoy watching “Days of Thunder” and “Cars” so that can’t be it.

Cohen’s French accent once again cements his reputation as “this generation’s Peter Sellers”, but the film just left me wanting something more. Reilly’s “ignorant best friend act” was okay, but again, the film just felt… bitin. I guess I really have been spoiled by Ferrell’s past work. I keep expecting him to hit homeruns that I’m not appreciating it when he has a simple base hit.