11/06/06 Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby

Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby (2006), directed by Adam McKay

watched w/ Leslie; theater (Blue Ridge Cinema, Raleigh, NC)

Once again teaming up the comedic talents of writer/director McKay and writer/star Will Ferrell comes this preposterously potent portrayal of the sweeping NASCAR culture in America, through the screwy view of off-color humor. Ferrell plays the inane racing hero Ricky Bobby (gotta love the love for double first names), who embraces everything about the NASCAR circuit, from the sponsorships (he's in a Wonder Bread car for crying out loud) & fame (signing babies foreheads and ladies' boobies), to the rush of the need for speed. His lifelong best friend is the dim-witted yet loyal Cal (John C. Reilly), who helps keep his friend Ricky in the hunt for the racing title due in large part to their successful tag team maneuver of the "shake & bake" (another chance for sponsorship gold if you ask me). When a flamboyant French Formula One racer named Jean Girard ("Borat" & "Ali G" star Sacha Baron Cohen) gets thrown into the title mix, Ricky must do whatever he can to prove his worth as a driver and a man! The hilarity thus ensues, due in large part to Ferrell's incessant ad-libbing in the face of any traditional script ideas he may have had, all to better deliver the laughs (point in case is the two famous scenes from the trailer with him thinking he's paralyzed only to jab a fork deep into his thigh, and flipping his car through the air & praying to Tom Cruise's witchcraft Scientology doctors to spare him his life). Yeah, funny, and if you don't think so, you're either a Scientologist or have been stabbed by a fork recently. A strong supporting cast comes in many unexpected forms of comedic timing, including crew chief Lucius (Michael Clarke Duncan), past McKay/Ferrell collaborator David Koechner, NASCAR drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. & Darrell Waltrip, deadbeat father Gary Cole (yeah, Lumbergh from "Office Space"), cute redhead Amy Adams (from "Junebug" nominations), cameos by Elvis Costello & Mos Def, Andy Richter, and Ferrell's on-screen sons named Walker & Texas Ranger. It's just Will Ferrell's world lately, and we're all living in it. It's almost just as much fun to wait until the credits roll for the ridiculous outtakes and wait for the eventual entire 2nd movie's length worth of gags and deleted scenes that will end up on the DVD version. That's what you have to look forward to with a Ferrell comedy...plenty of hilarious stuff that they couldn't even find time to cram into the original hilarity. Two funny movies for the price of one.

4 out of 5 stars