Plot Celebrity NASCAR racer Ricky Bobby (Ferrell) was born in a speeding car, so it’s hardly surprising that velocity should be his mistress. He has a “stone-cold fox” of a wife (Bibb) and the best friend a guy could ever hope for (Reilly), but when gay French “Formula Un” driver Jean Girard (Cohen) arrives on the scene, Ricky’s blessed life suddenly careens off track.
Here’s a tenuous critic’s theory for you: Will Ferrell’s only proper funny when he’s wearing an obvious wig. Evidence? Anchorman, Zoolander... wigs galore. In Kicking & Screaming and Bewitched, there’s not a syrup in sight. Talladega Nights is the latest exhibit to support this theory. In the canon of Ferrell’s absurdist comedies, The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby — which sees him sporting only mildly silly sideburns and a mini-beard — sadly rates as a minor entry.
It especially suffers when compared with Anchorman, from the same director (Ferrell’s fellow SNL alumnus, Adam McKay). Sure, this is more tightly scripted, and it’s technically superior to Anchorman in that it actually has a plot, high-octane race sequences and even a camera-trick or two. But there was a charm to Anchorman’s happy, scrappy, mostly studio-bound nature, and its freewheeling improv vibe at least meant the gags came thick and fast, so any misses were quickly forgotten amid the guffaws from the next hit. Not so here.
It has its moments. There’s a great dinner-table discussion about how everyone in the Bobby family likes to envision Jesus during grace, and, as Ricky’s assistant, Junebug’s Oscar-nommed Amy Adams reveals her comic talents rather late in the film with a fiery but ludicrous inspirational speech. John C. Reilly also proves himself a ‘straight’ actor with surprising comedy-improvisational talents, yet he’s never the equal of a Carrell, a Stiller, or a Wilson. Sacha Baron Cohen, though, is lumbered with a character which smothers his full comic talent — you’ll have to wait for the Borat movie to see that.
At the centre of it all is, of course, Ferrell. His Ricky Bobby is a well-enough-observed redneck gearhead, and he allows himself some smirk-worthy freak-outs. Most of the time, though, his shouty silliness and ad absurdum riffing are suppressed as Ferrell forces Ricky through a by-numbers sports movie plot, while McKay’s presumably distracted by all the stunt work. Both, it would seem, were too focused on revving the movie’s big, shiny engine to notice its tyres have been let down.
Verdict On the Ferrellometer, Talladega Nights sits just above Kicking & Screaming, when it should be redlining it up there with Anchorman.
Reviewed by Dan Jolin
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Average user rating for Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby
RE: 2 Stars? Its easily the best comedy of the year!
After reading some of the reviews on this page, my anticipations were not that high; but thankfully, i was proved very wrong. Laughing throughout, with the exact kind of humour that i came to adore during my first view of anjokes fell a little flat usive sons)hers killed me inside nal race...although i don't wanna ruin it for others)hough rrells usual hilarious self, i was most surprised by Reillyroduced some of the biggest laughs.
I can now only await the next film of one of my current favo... More
Posted by Art Vandelay at 00:46, 17 September 2006 | Report This Post
2 Stars? Its easily the best comedy of the year!
The 2 stars for this review that Empire gave it has baffled me. This is undoubtedly a 5 star movie and I have to say that Total Film's 5 star review was definately the more accurate review. This is a movie filled with hilarity and I highly recommen this to all fans of comedy!
I have been a Will Ferrel fan now for quite some time. While unfortunately I have never seen his Saturday Night Live antics I did immediately find him hilarious in the brilliant Zoolander. However, it was a while before ... More
Posted by 02PARSIM at 18:46, 16 September 2006 | Report This Post
RE: RE:
2 stars? Dear sweet lord baby jesus, in his golden fleece blankie.
It's hilarious from start to finish, and Sacha Baron Cohen is quality, so there.
Go see it and laugh. (apologies for the shite review, can't be arsed right now)
4/5
... More
Posted by King Nate II at 21:05, 15 September 2006 | Report This Post
RE: RE:
L: joemanji
This is da best fillm eva!!!!!!!!!!!! I woz laffin so much dat my eyeballs popped out of my head!!!!!!!! LOLz I still laffed even wen da puss woz dribblin down my cheeks!!!!!! Wotch it, and Little Man tooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
6 stars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(help me finger is glued to the exclamation mark key)!!!!!111111111111111111
ow, now Joemanji... No need to get antsy and pseudo-ironic/moronic just because people don't ... More
Posted by Monkey Wrench at 14:40, 15 September 2006 | Report This Post
RE:
This is da best fillm eva!!!!!!!!!!!! I woz laffin so much dat my eyeballs popped out of my head!!!!!!!! LOLz I still laffed even wen da puss woz dribblin down my cheeks!!!!!! Wotch it, and Little Man tooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
6 stars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(help me finger is glued to the exclamation mark key)!!!!!111111111111111111 ... More
Posted by joemanji at 11:13, 15 September 2006 | Report This Post
The Empire review is way off the mark here, Talladega Nights is is a very silly and very funny movie. You know what to expect before going in so just sit back and enjoy it. Whilst it doesn't scale the heights of AnchorMan there are enough funny moment to keep you laughing throughout, the audience I saw it with certainly seemed to love it. ... More
Posted by skeletonjack at 07:16, 15 September 2006 | Report This Post
Pure Brillance
Papa Burgandy has done it again, the whole cinema was wetting themselves. Take spare underwear......... just in case. ... More
Posted by ron burgandy at 04:01, 15 September 2006 | Report This Post
RE: TALLADEGA NIGHTS
orman or 40 Year Old Virgin but far superior to Wedding Crashers or The Break Up. Took a while to get going but once it did it met my expectations...and Gary Cole is fucking hilarious!! ... More
Posted by stuieboy at 01:15, 15 September 2006 | Report This Post
RE: TALLADEGA NIGHTS
I thought this film was HILARIOUS. I was holding my sides. Fecking awesome. Sacha Baron Cohen was fantastic, as was John C. Reilly. Ferrell was on top form, script, plot, action sequences: brilliant. Had a great time watching this film. One of my most favoured viewings of this year. ... More
Posted by Monkey Wrench at 00:12, 15 September 2006 | Report This Post
RE: TALLADEGA NIGHTS
Whilst this ain't Anchorman, I can't really see where this stopped being funny... sure there are gaps for development, but theres no point where the laughter completely grinds to a halt...
Laugh out loud funny for most of the duration, with a great cast thats widely different to past movies, so whilst Koechner is present, no Carrell, Rudd, Stiller, Black or Wilson... but John C Reilly, Sacha Baron, Gary Cole and Michael Clarke Duncan are all very good and funny, whilst Ricky's kids a... More
Posted by DJ Rob C: Mark II! at 22:50, 14 September 2006 | Report This Post
TALLADEGA NIGHTS
There's been an annoying trend of late that comedies of this ilk, whereas they used to clock neatly in at 90 minutes tops, are now stretching near the 2 hr mark. There's at least 15 minutes of this that could easily have been left on the "sweep up & add to the DVD" floor. Some of the jokes that were barely humourous 1st time(i.e. the "i'm on fire" sketch) are repeated and not to good effect. Will Ferrel is 1 guy you don't need to see too often in his underwear. That said,... More
Posted by felix sore foot at 20:46, 14 September 2006 | Report This Post
RE: Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby
Disappointing. /b] is nearer the mark than ilm 5 star review is wide of the mark. Whilst there are some funny moments and a couple of belly laughs, all of them appear in the trailer. In fact, the trailer has a gag that has been cut from the film, meaning that a two minute trailer actually has more jokes than the entire two hour film.
The real problem with the film, however, is that half way through it simple stops being funny. Much like ding Crashersomedy is left behind wh... More
Posted by joemanji at 15:45, 14 September 2006 | Report This Post
RE:
Hmm, I don't know about best comedy of the year, I've seen Borat too and I'd say that just edges it. Talladega is a funny film, but I was just a teensy bit disappointed, I didn't think it was as good as Anchorman.
John C. Reilly was great, but he seemed to go missing about 2 thirds of the way through the film and then only turn up right at the end. There were also a few too many moments were the jokes fell flat, but my main gripe is that while actors like Gary Cole and Michae... More
I'm slightly unsure if i should see this movie or not. Empire gave it * * if i'm remembering right, Total Film gave it a whopping * * * * * whilst hotdog gave it * * *. Quite abig range in verditcs if you ask me. I like Ferrell but i'm not hopping mad on him like some people are. So i may be back to give my review lol ... More
Posted by doncopey1 at 18:48, 13 September 2006 | Report This Post
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