Review of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) by Davidm. — 22 Jan 2007

While this movie had a few moments of howling laughter, "Talladega Nights" spent most of the movie sputtering and dying like a stock car that had run into the wall too many times. Will Ferrel is as funny as ever in his typical "lovable but self-absorbed dunce" role.

However, Ricky Bobby is much less likable or dimensional than his previous Ron Burgundy character. I got the sense that Ricky Bobby was truly a child who never grew beyond the petulant (and drug-induced) advice from his long-absent father.

I tried to like Ricky Bobby, but I never could. He was simply a loser who was in the right place at the right time. Perhaps his childish antics would be funny to the NASCAR crowd, but they grew old quickly.

Sasha Cohen was a marvelous foil to Ricky as the effete and arrogant French Formula-1 racer. Their staring contest at the track was probably the funniest moment in the movie. As the movie progresses, he seems relegated to a bit-role and their rivalry never reaches the payoff it should.

My biggest complaint is about the subject itself. Adam McKay really went for the jugular in "Anchorman", mercilessly needling the 70's, news anchors and mysoginists everywhere. Here he has the same opportunity to satirize NASCAR and racing in general (in my opinion, a topic that is just begging to be made fun of).

However, his jokes are so soft I wonder if he was afraid of alienating NASCAR fans. He sure isn't afraid of the product placements and endorsements littering the film, so I am forced to conclude that I can't be far off.

The good news is that I waited to rent this movie on DVD instead of seeing it in the theaters. The better news is I can always watch Anchorman instead.