Talladega Night: Will Ferrell Delivers

Will Ferrell does not disappoint his fans in "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby".

By now, Ferrell's reputation as a Hollywood funnyman has been established. Viewers know whether or not they like his style of humor. If you're a Ferrell fan, you will enjoy this film. If flicks such as "Anchorman" and "Old School" were not your style, do not expect this one to better suit you.

The movie starts with a look into Ricky Bobby's childhood. Ricky's father was in and out of his life as a boy and his strongest memory of his dad is him speeding away from his school with a bumper sticker on the back of his car that reads, "If you ain't first, you're last".

This sets the pace for the rest of the movie and inspires Ricky Bobby to become part of the Nascar team and eventually behind the wheel. Set in North Carolina, aka "Nascar Country", Ricky plays the stereotypical redneck with a need for speed along with his sidekick, Cal Naughton (played by John C. Reilly).

Together they develop the slogan "shake and bake" and in every race, Ricky easily places first due to the way Cal repeatedly and devotedly keeps the other drivers at bay with his own racecar.

With his "red hot smokin' wife", two sons, Walker and Texas Ranger, and father-in-law, Chip, Ricky Bobby is living the good life...until French driver Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen) gives the drivers a run for their money.

Jean breaks Ricky's arm in an altercation and Ricky's career immediately begins spiraling downward. He wrecks his car on the racing track, which causes mental trauma. Although Ferrell is physically alright after the accident, he is convinced he is paralyzed and much hilarity ensues, with him stabbing himself in the leg to prove (falsely) that he has no feeling in his legs.

His decreased mental state causes him to race poorly and his gold-digger wife soon attaches herself like a leech to Cal, putting a rift in decades of friendship.

Ultimately, the two become friends again and there is the expected happy ending. As you may know from Ferrell's other flicks, you are not watching for a strong and deep plot. The script is amazing and full of very quotable quotes that the cast delivers splendidly. If Ferrell's humor is your kind of humor, you will appreciate this film and I recommend it as a great addition to your DVD collection.