Movie Review - Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby (2006 - United States)
Good, silly fun!
I love this movie! Will Ferrell, Cal Naughton, Jr. and Sacha Baron Cohen have very different comedic styles, but all three are simply turned loose in this movie, and the result is delightful, subversive and hilarious.
I knew absolutely nothing about Nascar going into this film, and am happy to report I know even less coming out—a cinematic achievement in and of itself! What I do know, however, is that Will Ferrell is at the top of his game and should be allowed to make any picture he wants, any way he wants to make it. If you truly want to leave grim, gritty reality behind for a while, watch this back-to-back with the equally excellent Blades of Glory .
I could say a great deal about the uniformly excellent ensemble cast, but I want to give special notice to Gary Cole, whose interpretation of World’s Worst Dad is simply marvelous.
Watch the trailer for Talladego Nights:
I will add only that there are very few things in life as personal as what one thinks is funny, and not. This picture falls squarely into the “stupid funny” category of slapstick and comedy of the absurd. If your taste in what-is-funny cannot embrace silliness, you will no doubt not enjoy this movie with the same shameless glee as did I.
One other note: there were out takes on the disc I rented, and I watched them expecting any minute to catch Sasha Baron Cohen cracking up because he’d flubbed a line of the wonderfully impenetrable Peter Sellers/ Inspector Clouseau parody/homage of an accent he maintains throughout the film. Never happened. He is, I believe, every bit as obsessed as he seems to be, and as much a method actor as one might fear. He dwells gleefully inside these rather awful characters he creates, asking us, always, the quintessential question of comedy: why is this funny?
That is a question for my perceptive minds than mine, and I will only say that it is, it’s very, very funny.
Five stars, and a pie in the face, too!
Copyright © Roberta Lee 2012. All rights reserved.
(I am an artist and the author of the Suburban Sprawl series of novels as well as two nonfiction books. Find out more about my work at RobertaLeeArt.com.)
Genre: Action & Adventure, Sports & Fitness, Comedy
Rated: PG-13 – See Full Rating
Running Time: 1 hr. 47 min.
In Theaters: Aug 4, 2006
On DVD: Dec 12, 2006
Box Office:$148.2M
Distributor:Sony Pictures Releasing
Directed By: Adam McKay
Written By: Will Ferrell, Adam McKay
Cast:
Will Ferrell - Ricky Bobby
John C. Reilly - Cal Naughton Jr.
Sacha Baron Cohen - Jean Girard
Gary Cole - Reese Bobby
Michael Clarke Duncan - Lucius Washington
Leslie Bibb - Carley Bobby
Jane Lynch - Lucy Bobby
Amy Adams - Susan
Andy Richter - Gregory
Molly Shannon - Mrs. Dennit