Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby (2006)
ADAM McKAY
Bil’s rating (out of 5): BB. USA, 2006. Columbia Pictures Corporation, Relativity Media, Apatow Productions, Mosaic Media Group, GH One. Screenplay by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay. Cinematography by Oliver Wood. Produced by Judd Apatow, Jimmy Miller. Music by Alex Wurman. Production Design by Clayton Hartley. Costume Design by Susan Matheson. Film Editing by Brent White.
Will Ferrell in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
Sweet, goofy hick Will Ferrell was abandoned by his father at a young age and remembers only that the man loved vehicular speed; in his adulthood he becomes the most famous race car driver (with the smallest vocabulary) in the world, conquering the speedway with his bimbo wife and lifelong best friend (John C. Reilly) by his side. His reign as king of the road is cut short, however, when the two people closest to him betray him and he is forced to reevaluate the meaning of his life. This awkward, ridiculous comedy would be so much better if it wasn’t so bloody long, and if Will Ferrell would learn to insert a few genuine moments into his silly face-pulling. I’d love to say it’s easy entertainment and not very demanding, but the fluffy humour eventually becomes tiring; it’s basically a one-joke premise stretched out over a ridiculous 120-minute length. Great performances, the masterpiece moments coming from a hysterical Sacha Baron Cohen as the gay, stylish French race car driver who becomes Ricky Bobby’s greatest threat (and who reads Camus while competing on the racetrack).
