What is it about these movies? Why is it that I can laugh almost to the point of having a bladder-related accident at a myriad of mindless entertainments like Anchorman? Until now I have not been able to put my finger on it. But upon screening Will Ferrell’s latest venture Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, I finally figured it out.

It has very little to do with Ferrell or even director Adam McKay separately, as it is the combination of the two that creates the humor that keeps me rolling in my seat. It is something special to behold, as a director-actor team very rarely strikes twice with two movies that are so similar in nature. But that is exactly what they have done, only this time it's at the expense of America’s number one spectator sport.

Any American in the know understands that there is something about NASCAR racing that appeals to a lot of people --  we just can’t figure out what it is. The sport is generally a bunch of guys in fast cars constantly turning left. What really draws the crowds, though, is the potential of the big wreck, and that is what has pushed NASCAR’s popularity to the top of American sports.

But that popularity has caused the sport to get a little ridiculous, putting the drivers up on a pedestal for all to see. This has paved the way for the drivers to show off their “tact” and “intelligence” to the world, and it has also created a huge market for advertisers, as the cars themselves have become moving billboards. And that brings us to the point of a movie like Talladega Nights — to make fun of NASCAR and all of its crazy but loyal fans.

Of course, when you combine that premise with a team like Adam McKay and Will Ferrell, you have a recipe for one hilarious film. Together they penned the screenplay about Ricky Bobby (Farrell), a man who lives his life by the phrase “If you ain’t first, you’re last.” It's that phrase that carries Ricky to the top of NASCAR and into the spotlight.

But when his racing team, owned by the slithering Larry Dennit, Jr. (played by Ally McBeal’s Greg Germann) decides to go in another direction and bring on European superstar driver Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen), Ricky is put into a competitive frenzy. The frenzy ends with a horrific accident that puts Ricky out of the game.

Article Author: Neil Miller

Neil Miller is a 23-year-old film critic who lives and works in Columbus, Ohio. He is a member of the Central Ohio Film Critics Association. His musings about the world of film (and other various topics) are on display at his blog, The Columbus Movie Guy. …

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