Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Adam McKay

Writers (WGA):

Will Ferrell (written by) &
Adam McKay (written by)

Release Date:

4 AUGUSZTUS 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Sport

Tagline:

The story of a man who could only count to #1

Plot:

#1 NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby (Ferrell) stays atop the heap thanks to a pact with his best friend and teammate, Cal Naughton, Jr. (Reilly). But when a French Formula One driver (Cohen), makes his way up the ladder, Ricky Bobby's talent and devotion are put to the test.

Plot Keywords:

Nascar | Racing | French | Friend | Car Racing

Awards:

6 wins & 4 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. Nov. 19	9:00 PM	TBS
Fri. Nov. 20	3:00 AM	TBS

Cast

Gary Cole	...	Reese Bobby
Jane Lynch	...	Lucy Bobby
Jason Davis	...	Waffle House Manager
Lorrie Bess Crumley	...	Schoolteacher
Luke Bigham	...	10-Year-Old Ricky
Austin Crim	...	10-Year-Old Cal (as Austin Crimm)
Michael Clarke Duncan	...	Lucius Washington
Will Ferrell	...	Ricky Bobby
John C. Reilly	...	Cal Naughton Jr.
Adam McKay	...	Terry Cheveaux
David Koechner	...	Hershell
Ian Roberts	...	Kyle
Jack McBrayer	...	Glenn
John D. King	...	ESPN Reporter
Pat Hingle	...	Mr. Dennit Sr.

Also Known As:

High, Wide, and Handsome (USA) (working title)
Talladega Nights (USA) (working title)
Untitled Will Ferrell NASCAR Comedy (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, language, drug references and brief comic violence.

Runtime:

108 min | 122 min (unrated version) | Argentina:121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS (8 channels) | DTS

Certification:

UK:12A | Australia:M | USA:PG-13 (certificate #42008) | Ireland:12A | Singapore:M18 | Singapore:PG (edited version) | Sweden:7 | Finland:K-11 | Argentina:13 | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | UK:15 (DVD rating) | Ireland:15 (DVD rating) | Netherlands:12 | Malaysia:U | South Korea:15 | Denmark:7 | New Zealand:M | Norway:10 (TV rating) | Norway:11 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Apatow Productions

Trivia:

When Ricky meets Reese Bobby for the first time as an adult Reese is drinking Laughing Clown Malt Liquor which is the sponsor of Ricky's car when he first becomes a driver.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the last shot, as they drive away from the race track in the Chevelle, you can see that the road they are on is barricaded at the far end (for filming purposes).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Reese Bobby: [Reese is speeding] Guess how fast were going now.
Lucy Bobby: [screams] I don't care, I'm having a baby!
Reese Bobby: Hundred and five miles an hour, you believe that?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2006-08-05)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Hard-Core Troubadour

I Hate To Admit It, But I Liked This One

Ricky Bobby grows up to become a big-time race car driver. With the conflict of having no father to raise him, life was not always easy. And now, as an adult, he is finally ready to meet his match: a French driver from the Formula Un series. Can Ricky make him surrender? Shake and bake! I really don't want to like this film, because I think Will Ferrell is past his prime already and on his way out. The bigger a role he receives, the less likely he is to make a good movie, because he is just such a dumb actor. Popping in for a brief time ("Wedding Crashers") is alright, but a full movie ("Elf")? I don't know. Yet, he took the whole film here and ran with it.

The help came from John C. Reilly, who was fantastic as Cal Naughton, Jr. While he is not the usual co-star of Ferrell (such as Vince Vaughn, or one of the Wilson brothers) he was a dominant force. Seeing some new faces was very good, although having "Crash" from "Anchorman" was a nice touch, as I would consider "Anchorman" to be Ferrell's best film.

Stealing the show was Sacha Baron Cohen as Jean Girard. I did not even recognize him until the movie was almost over. Cohen is a master of disguise ("Alig G", "Borat", "Bruno") and I would say this was his best performance yet. All the French references were great (Albert Camus, Perrier, crepes) and this character was so much more than just a simple parody of French culture. Why he was hanging out with Elvis Costello and Mos Def is unknown to me.

This film has the comedy that other films by these creators have, with constant pop culture references that pay off if you get it. And heck, if you don't, there's a good amount of really stupid humor, too (such as the imaginary fire). My favorite scene might be where they try to figure out how to pry out a knife from a man's leg.

If you want a cheese fountain at your wedding with nachos and seven different kinds of cheese, you need to see this movie.