"Sony's Wildly Entertaining 'Talladega Nights'..." 432 Pageviews

Talladega Nights recently roared to the top of the summer box office, and the success of this comedy -- featuring former SNL star Will Ferrell -- is really no great surprise to me. I went to a matinee viewing on a sweltering Friday afternoon in August, and more than one hundred fifty people had the same idea that day. Thank goodness the air conditioning was working!

Adam McKay directed this somewhat lengthy movie from a script he co-wrote with Ferrell. For the most part their jointly-penned screenplay seems to work, but there are a few dead spots in the proceedings and on occasion you’ll forget you’re watching a broad satirical comedy. But for every gag that fails there are two or three jokes looking for a slot to squeeze through, in this slightly uneven crowd-pleaser.

Looking at Ferrell’s previous box office record, you’ve got to be impressed that TN:TBORB scored $47 million in its debut. Maybe the movie’s tagline -- “the story of a man that could only count to No. 1” -- is responsible for that? This live-action comedy fronted 3,800 screens, grabbing the #1 weekend position, and it easily earned Ferrell more money than Elf ($31 million) ever did.

Luckily, Ferrell doesn’t mind going toe to toe with other talented actors. Half the fun in Talladega Nights occurs when Ferrell faces off with Gary Cole (who plays the role of his transient father Reese), John C. Reilly (who plays the role of best friend and racing partner Cal Naughton Jr.), or Sacha Baron Cohen (who plays the role of the evil French driver, Jean Girard).

Although the men hog most of the hysterical Talladega Nights scenes, there are a few great women that shine in the smaller parts. Jane Lynch (who plays the role of Ricky’s tough as nails mother), Leslie Bibb (who plays the role of Ricky’s trophy wife), and Amy Adams (who plays the role of Ricky’s mousy assistant) all acquit themselves quite nicely in their sparsely allotted moments.

Dozens of scenes stand out, but I’d have to say my all-time favorite segment would be the scene where Ricky Bobby sits down with his rowdy extended family (best friend Cal, father-in-law Chip, wife Carley, two potty-mouthed sons) to say the most hilarious grace that I’ve ever heard uttered on film. While some of the southern humor employed here is crude, it rings true to life.

Even though Cohen Cohen plays a stereotypical bad guy, he really squeezes some mileage out of what could have been a rather distasteful role. Sacha stars as Jean Girard, a gay French Formula 1 driver -- whom amusingly drives the citrus green Perrier racecar -- who’s going to knock Ricky Bobby out of the Talladega 500 and humiliate him in front of his family, friends, and NASCAR fan base.

Gladly, the script lets Cohen rise above a caricature with an accent. In one of the funnier scenes Jean Girard confronts Ricky Bobby in a bar after Girard starts playing jazz on the jukebox, and Girard then threatens to break Ricky’s arm, reminding him that the French created “democracy, existentialism, and crepes,” which everybody agrees are good things. Girard then departs after throwing down the obligatory challenge.

And Ferrell is funny in many sequences, including one where Girard wrecks his car causing Ricky to go psychosomatic -- he thinks he’s on fire, strips out of his racing suit -- and start prancing around the racetrack in his underwear, screaming “Help me Jesus! Help me Oprah! Help me Tom Cruise!” Cal eventually corners Ricky, dousing the imaginary fire, and then Ricky Bobby is carted away.

Now, psychosomatic people aren’t always funny. That’s unless they’re being dumped by their sponsors and wives, and end up delivering pizzas on a bicycle. That’s unless their redneck father plants cocaine on their car and sets police on their tale, unless they try driving while blindfolded, drive with a wild cougar for a passenger, or stab their own leg when they’re told specifically not to. That’s funny!

If you wonder how Ricky Bobby ended up being this speed loving, “big hairy American winning machine,” well look no further than his hard drinking daddy Reese Bobby, who once had the audacity to show up at Career Day when Ricky was 10 years old, only to insult the teacher and be thrown out of the elementary school when he exhorts “If you ain’t first, you’re last!”

Goofy though it may be Talladega Nights has both a heart and a message -- NASCAR wouldn’t have allowed Ferrell to lampoon them otherwise. Seems the executives down in Florida rolled the proverbial dice, knowing they could attract a wider audience if the film scored well for SONY. The racing and the wrecks in the movie looked authentic because NASCAR knew that would be essential to fans.

Having belabored the finer points of the film, I’ve got an argument. Since this film’s second tagline is, “the ballad of Ricky Bobby,” I’ve got to wonder, where’s the ballad? I expected a great song at the end of the closing credits, not a blooper reel -- even though the bloopers were funny. Especially Michael Clarke Duncan’s rendition of that WHAM song.

Talladega Nights missed taking chances with really appropriate cameos too! How on earth could they make a movie poking fun at rednecks and not offer national treasure Jeff Foxworthy a role? Sure Dale Earnhardt Jr. made an appearance, but he was only on screen a few seconds. Based on the very strong $47 million first weekend gross, I’d say Daytona Nights would make for a probable sequel.

Some humor in TN: TBORB backfires, but overall it’s virtually impossible to dislike the movie given the performances of Cohen, Cole, Lynch, and Reilly. You don’t have to be a NASCAR fan to enjoy this flick, so why hesitate? Try something new. Take your mind off the ridiculous $3 a gallon gas at BP. Go buy a ticket! Scarf down some popcorn! Put your feet up! Enjoy!


(79/432)
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The Movie:
Talladega Nights,
Sony

MPAA Rating:
PG-13

Running Time:
1 Hr. 45 Min.

Sound:
Dolby Digital

If You Like Talladega Nights you might enjoy:
Anchorman
Benchwarmers
Click
Dodgeball
The Breakup