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Will Ferrell’s new movie, Talladega Nights brings the country’s latest obsession to the big screen. Ferrell stars as Ricky Bobby, a North Carolina boy who was born to go fast. While working on the pit crew for a losing NASCAR driver, Ricky finally gets his chance to get behind the wheel—and thus begins his wildly successful racing career. Ricky’s life is all winner’s circles and million-dollar paychecks—thanks to his win-at-all-costs attitude and his racing partner, Cal Naughton, Jr. (John C. Reilly)—until his team’s owner hires a new racer. Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen) is a gay French Formula One racer who switches to NASCAR, determined to dethrone Ricky. Girard threatens everything that Ricky holds dear—his winning record, his popularity, his manhood, and even his love of the good ol’ US of A. But with the help of his loving mama, his deadbeat daddy, and a cougar, Ricky might just be able to get behind the wheel and fight.
Talladega Nights is low-brow humor at its finest. The story may not be all that strong (though it’s actually not that bad—and it doesn’t exactly end the way you might expect), but that’s not the point. The point is that it’s funny. It’s really, really funny. It’s loud and obnoxious and homophobic and closed-minded and totally redneck. It’s all about adrenaline and loud music and fast cars—and it’s so funny that you’ll laugh until you come dangerously close to losing the ability to breathe.
While it’s not as crude as many recent comedies, that doesn’t mean that Talladega Nights isn’t without its share of moderately-crude humor—nor does it mean that you won’t be subjected to watching Will Ferrell running around a racetrack in saggy underpants. But it’s still pretty tame in comparison. And the humor is almost non-stop. Even during the movie’s more serious moments, you’ll still find something to snicker about.
Ferrell can be hit-or-miss, but he’s hilarious as Ricky Bobby—and the supporting cast does a pretty good job of keeping up. NASCAR fans take note, however, that this movie doesn’t exactly put your sport of choice in the best light. Unless you can laugh about yourself a little (like my friend Kim, who spends her summers camping out at the track and proudly admits that she’s a hillbilly), you could possibly take offense to the fact that NASCAR fans and drivers are portrayed mostly as stupid rednecks.
Lately, my greatest complaint with comedies has been that they just go too far—either they push the jokes until they’re not funny anymore or they drag the movie out until it gets old. But that’s not the case with this one. If you love a good Will Ferrell comedy as much as I do, run right out to the theater and buy your ticket for Talladega Nights. It’ll keep you laughing long after the closing credits roll.
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