Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby remains an endlessly hilarious, ridiculous classic that firmly stands as one of Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's best collaborations. Years later, I still quote this movie constantly, a testament to its enduring comedic genius and unforgettable characters.

Enjoyed this a lot more on the rewatch than I originally did when it came out. I think I had an issue with Ferrell prior to "Elf" and once that film flipped me, I've enjoyed his films more. But let's face it...this is not his movie. It is owned by Walker and Texas Ranger. They steal every scene they are in. Which is good, because Sacha Baron Cohen's work puts it in the minus column. Luckily, the movie has some bonafide knee slappers in here that make it good fun to watch.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby was a fun & hilarious (although not all the jokes landed with me) racing movie that manages to exceed Days of Thunder as a racing movie while also making fun of it and by extension affectionately sending up NASCAR as a whole. I get that some NASCAR fans blame this movie for helping to make the sport a bit of a joke in the eyes of the general public… but c’mon, it was all in good fun and wasn’t mean spirited…

Some of the F1 jokes didn’t sit too well with me as an F1 fan… but I suppose that’s just what Bernie Ecclestone had done to the sport’s perception during the later years of his reign over the sport and it’s TV rights.

Will Ferrell carries his usual assortment of zany costars and ad-libbed punchlines to the NASCAR track. As the titular Ricky Bobby, a redneck racing hero, Ferrell dominates the competition until a slimy French F-1 star joins up and injects a bit of chaos into his perfect world. Making matters worse, Ricky’s longtime running buddy spots opportunity in his pal’s breakdown and chooses that moment to move in on his wife, his fortune and his coveted lead racing position.

The plot is as narrow and rudimentary as any of Ferrell’s joints, par for the course at this stage, but _Talladega Nights_’ real sizzle is in its rapid-fire stupidity and ridiculous cast of supporting players. This is actually Ferrell’s first pairing with John C. Reilly, but their chemistry is so easy and natural that it feels like they’ve been working together for years. Sacha Baron Cohen is equally well-suited as the despicable Frenchman Jean Girard, an arrogant fish out of water who dares to bring his husband(!!!) to the racers’ favorite watering hole. Michael Clarke Duncan delivers hilarity of a slightly different sort in his straight role as Ricky’s oft-frustrated crew chief. And newcomers Houston Tumlin and Grayson Russell, who play the driver’s spoiled, obnoxious young sons, Walker and Texas Ranger, might just be the best of the bunch. They definitely get some of the best lines.

Nobody should be surprised by what we have here. It’s a bunch of improv comedians doing improv comedy together, wearing silly brand-stamped jumpsuits and trying their hardest not to break character while the cameras are rolling. Nothing really means anything, the announcers even say as much after the climactic race, but it made me laugh. Often. That’s plenty good enough for a relaxed Friday night.

“I wanna go fast.” Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is an outrageous comedy that’s full of laughs. The story follows NASCAR’s number one driver Ricky Bobby as he rises to the challenge of French Formula One driver Jean Girard to see who’s the fastest, but after getting into a wreck Bobby loses his self-confidence and has to get it back in order to return to the track and beat Girard. Starring Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen, Leslie Bibb, and Gary Cole, the film has an impressive cast that has great chemistry together. And the comedy is hilarious, with a lot of over-the-top humor that works incredibly well (like learning to drive with a live cougar in the car). Ridiculously funny, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a terrifically entertaining film.

A lot of great quotes that I still use and still pretty funny but not the best Will Ferrell movie.

When this movie hits, it had me screaming and tearing up with laughter - two scenes in particular are exceptionally funny... The family meal is just brilliantly written and funny as hell. And the knife in the leg scene had me crying with laughter.

There are patches in the middle of the film that aren't as funny as they should be and the pace gets bogged down there too.

But the rest of the characters and plot deliver giggles and laughs throughout.

When it first came out, I wasn't digging the Sacha Baron Cohen turn. On rewatch, it is very well done.


7.25/10 overall

Talladega Nights is a brilliant comedy. While I still like some of McKays movies better it’s a good comedy. It rushes into the movie pretty fast but makes up for it later. The jokes are great and well written. It starts out ridiculous and keeps it that way until the end. The racing scenes are well done and final race is great. The plot is good it’s the typical man who is famous messes up/loses and then works to get it back and learning about himself, then winning/ fixing it and becomes a different person. The acting is good from most of the cast. Will Ferrell has a good southern accent and most of the characters are like able and memorable. This movie also has a ton of quote able lines. Overall it’s good comedy that’s is fast and fun.

(8 out of 10)

Typical 2000s comedy movie. Has some funny parts and some forgettable parts.

A couple of laugh-out-loud moments, but in the main this kind of comedy’s just not my sense of humour. I get that Will Ferrell and John C Reilly are both great comic actors but they’ve just never been for me. I’m not a Step Brothers guy! It’s all a bit too big, a bit too dialled-up. I don’t know if it’s whether I’m too unaware of what is being parodied — maybe I just haven’t met enough chopsy ginger kids for that part to land, or maybe I’m missing some cultural wiring that makes the jokes hit — either way it mostly bounced off me