Last Thursday, Marcia and I watched “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” starring a huge cast that included Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Leslie Bibb, Amy Adams, Michael Clarke Duncan, Gary Cole, Jane Lynch, and Sacha Baron Cohen.
So obviously this movie is about a NASCAR driver. But Ricky Bobby’s story starts from birth. His father (Gary Cole) is a semi-pro racer and is driving well over the speed limit to get his wife (Jane Lynch) to the hospital, as she is about to give birth. When she lets him know that he has passed the hospital, her husband hits the breaks, and out pops Ricky.
Ricky eventually goes on to work as part of a pit crew for the worst driver on the NASCAR circuit, and is quickly installed as the driver himself after the real driver decides a bathroom break and lunch are more important that actually finishing the race. Ricky fights back from last to finish third, and thus begins the legend of Ricky Bobby. Soon his lifelong best friend Cal (Reilly) is added as his driving teammate.
Then one fateful day on the track, while trying to beat former Formula One star Jean Girard who has recently taken NASCAR by storm, Ricky survives a horrible looking accident without a scratch, yet thinks he is done for. Enter his long lost father to rid him of his fear to get him back on top.
I was on the fence about this one. Some of Will Ferrell’s comedy is hilarious. Some of it is over the top. This mixed the two. (Though it does give me some desire now to see “Blades of Glory” which I previous did not want to see.) The supporting cast did help. Jane Lynch was excellent as Ricky’s mother, especially in trying to tame her grandchildren. Cole and Cohen were big helps, too.
Some of the jokes, or whatever you would call them, went on too long. Though there were some jokes that went on for a long time, but that is what actually added to the humor. The story as a whole was interesting enough to help the movie, too. Even if there were a few too many clichés at times.
Not a bad rental, I must say. But then again, not a family flick either.
Side note: My favorite quote in the movie came from the scene when Cohen’s character Jean is introduced to Ricky Bobby after playing some jazz on the jukebox of the bar they are at, and then Jean puts Ricky in an arm lock.
“Let go of me you Formula One jazz lovin’ nut job!”
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