Director:
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
Leslie Bibb”¦”¦”¦.Carley Bobby
Amy Adams”¦”¦”¦.Susan
Jane Lynch”¦”¦”¦.Lucy Bobby
Columbia Pictures presents Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Written by Will Ferrell and McKay. Produced by Judd Apatow and Jimmy Miller. Running time: 121 minutes. Unrated (theatrical rating was PG-13). Available on DVD: December 12, 2006. MSRP: $28.95.
Just who is Ricky Bobby? Some say he’s seven feet tall and can consume the English with fireballs from his eyes, and bolts of lightning from his arse. No, wait, that’s William Wallace. Um, he’s less than a God, but more than a man. Dang it, wrong again. Ricky is a mythical figure, sort of, but more importantly he’s a legend in the sport of NASCAR. And how about that name? It just exudes Southern fried humor.
Will Ferrell is the title character in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, a sly parody of a stick-shifting biopic. It’s more enjoyable than the movie spoofs of recent memory, the wretched Date Movie and the never-ending Scary Movie sequels in particular. And it is a comedy that marks the second time Ferrell has teamed with director Adam McKay. Their previous collaboration was Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.
Frankly, this auto-racing ballad trumps that legend of a 1970’s newscaster. Maybe not on the humor quotient but definitely as far as storytelling is concerned. It sticks true to the biopic formula we have come to expect from such Oscar-winning features as Ray and Walk the Line. Ricky Bobby is the cocky sparkplug, who has been destined for racing greatness ever since being shot out of his mothe’s womb in the backseat of a speeding Chevy. The irony here is that Roger Mille’s “King of the Road” was playing over the radio at the miraculous moment.
Growing up, Ricky’s father Reese (Gary Cole) was an intermittent visitor. He’d show up and stay for a few days, only to then abandon his family for several years. But it was during Career Day at school that Ricky’s dad showed up unexpectedly and gave the class some words of advice. “It’s the fastest who gets paid, and it’s the fastest who gets laid.” The kids loved it, but Reese would soon be tossed out to the curb. At least he had enough time to tell Ricky something that would become his credo: “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”
This, combined with Ricky’s penchant for wanting to drive fast, would enable him to go from lowly pit crewmember to becoming the best stock car racer in NASCAR. Catapulting to the top of the heap, Ricky brings his best friend Cal (John C. Reilly) into the sport, and together they form the toughest tandem on the Nextel circuit: a fist-tapping duo known as Shake and Bake. Soft-spoken after his first crack behind the wheel (the press was abuzz at his second-place finish), Ricky Bobby quickly develops into an overly brash driver, repetitively yelling like a banshee after a victory in his Wonder Bread-sponsored stock car. Equally brash are his children Walker and Texas Ranger (Houston Tumlin and Grayson Russell) and his kitchen inadequate wife (Leslie Bibb), whose concept of a home cooked meal is one catered by Domino’s Pizza, KFC, and Taco Bell.
With the rising popularity in NASCAR, and a massive fan base, the time was right for Hollywood to lampoon the spectacle. (Though, some might consider the Tom Cruise starring vehicle Days of Thunder a joke of the sport, years before NASCAR became the behemoth it is today.) In Talladega Nights we have a man whose ambition to drive fast is a metaphor for wanting to escape his fatherless childhood. Okay, maybe that’s giving this movie a little more credit than it deserves. Since it is a Southern fried comedy at its core, Ricky Bobby’s rise to prosperity and fall from grace almost seems like an afterthought. As an audience, we are laughing so hard that the tears in our eyes are making us miss the range of emotions Ricky is going through. Fake as they may be.
Ferrell is funny in a harebrained kind of way, and he says the first thing that pops into his head — because to slow down and think things through would be an oxymoron for this legend of the blacktop. A grinning idiot, Ricky can only find redemption by overcoming a sudden fear of driving. This is the consequence of one race where his car went flying through the air only to make contact with the ground below. With Ricky away from the track, this brings about a new rival: Formula 1 driver and Frenchman Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen).
Together Cohen and Ferrell are comic gold, and Ferrell seems to perform better with an audience than in more intimate settings. Well, except for the scene in which Ricky’s assistant Susan (Amy Adams) bears her soul in a quaint, little restaurant, revving him up in the process.
The boys at NASCAR must be whistling “Dixie” to the bank, as Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby is a two-hour commercial for the sport. With an ensemble cast that includes Michael Clarke Duncan and Jane Lynch (from The 40-Year-Old Virgin), there are moments where they attract laughs; other times they become part of the scenery. John C. Reilly is an interesting bit of casting, as his supporting roles of recent memory have not been comedic. But it is funny to note that Reilly has the distinction of playing a pit crewmember in both this comedy and Days of Thunder.
While the movie is a send-up, McKay’s direction (the racing sequences are very convincing and well designed) and star Ferrell do not degrade stock car racing. If anything, this clichéd underdog story helps to revere not just NASCAR, but Jesus as well. More specifically, “baby Christmas Jesus.” Watch the prayer of grace scene and you’ll understand.
Special to this DVD release is an unrated version boasting 13 minutes of additional footage. Like most unrated versions, that incorporate deleted footage just for the sake of brainwashing the consumer into thinking they’re getting some special, this release is unwarranted. Some of the new bits are fun — veteran actor Ed Lauter as a Speed Channel correspondent/sideline reporter talking to Kenny Rogers and Larry Bird (not really them) is amusing, as is the conversation between pit crewmembers on what to get for an 88-year-old grandmother. But there are other moments where lines of dialogue have been changed, oftentimes lessening the punch line. Though, this is a misnomer for those who missed Talladega Nights while it was playing in theaters.
THE VIDEO
(Presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen)
With Sony Pictures you can usually expect first-rate quality, especially their SuperBit releases with enhanced audio and video. All the colors are bright and rich with detail. This is so true in the racing scenes photographed by Oliver Wood, who just so happened to act as cinematographer for both “Jason Bourne” movies. So any action involving automobiles with Wood in control will always look good.
THE AUDIO
(English and French 5.1 Dolby Digital)
The sound is crisp and clear, but the 5.1 audio track is not well balanced on the rear speakers. This is unfortunate, but not a deal breaker when it comes to watching this comedy. Though, for a movie about auto racing, a well-defined audio track for home viewing should be expected.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Anyone who is familiar with the unrated DVD releases of Anchorman or The 40-Year-Old Virgin, you know to expect plenty of supplements in the form of deleted scenes, gag reels and alternate lines. The same is true for Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
Beginning with the DVD’s biggest disappointment, we get a commentary by director/co-writer Adam McKay and supporting actor Ian Roberts. It’s definitely one not to be taken seriously, but it is so vague and pretentious, that the jokes grow old quickly. The participants must concur, as there are moments where they are absent for several minutes. (Note: the rated DVD release has a commentary with Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in character taken in the year 2031.)
Getting to the good stuff, nine deleted and extended scenes that are generally funny. The material was rightfully nixed from the final cut, but “gas money” is worth watching if only to hear what actor David Koechner mutters under his breath as he drives off. We get more of Amy Adams as Ricky’s personal assistant, as well as see Ricky’s uncanny musical ability after he ingests nine burritos.
Furthermore, the line-o-rama is a montage of alternate lines and adlibs that didn’t make it into the film.
Other extras that were left on the cutting room floor include Ricky and Cal’s commercials (1:37) and Ricky and Cal’s public service announcements (2.37), and a montage of one-liners and adlibs with Walker and Texas Ranger.
While Sacha Baron Cohen made waves with his box office surprise Borat, the actor can be seen in one of the three fake interviews with the characters of Talladega Nights. The gag gets tiresome and becomes unfunny a few minutes into the proceedings. This features Ricky and Cal (5:31), Jean Girard and his husband Gregory (3:46), and Cal and Carley (4:17). Best bet is seeing best buds Ricky and Cal describe their childhood friendship.
Will Ferrell Returns to Talladega is a five-minute clip of the actor visiting the celebrated raceway after completing the film. Goofy and likeable, Ferrell is the toast of Talladega by fans and racing luminaries.
NASCAR gets its own page of extras. Nothing much, but we get spots advertising the “Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup,” the “Daytona 500,” and “Sirius Satellite Radio”.
Also included is the theatrical trailer, a gag reel and bonus race footage.
In support of its brand, Sony Pictures has added previews for The Pursuit of Happyness, Ghost Rider, The Da Vinci Code, Little Man, Click, Curse of the Golden Flower, An Evening with Kevin Smith: Evening Harder, Seinfeld: Season 7, and a Coming to Blu-Ray spot.
About the only thing missing from this DVD are advertisements for all the products depicted in the film. But I guess their inclusion is commercial enough.
THE INSIDE PULSE
The added footage for this unrated release is hit-or-miss, but those who like Will Ferrell will no doubt race to the store to get this release. Aside from the commentary track, the deleted scenes and alternate lines are golden. Walker and Texas Ranger will leave you grabbing your side in delight, having laughed so hard. And I’m sure after the recent box office surprise that was Borat, those who saw Talladega Nights may be so inclined to revisit the NASCAR romp just to marvel at Sacha Baron Cohen’s Jean Girard character.
