I’m not a big fan of the comedy genre sometimes called the “fratboy slob” movie (or alternatively, the “former SNL cast member cheap and stupid” movie). Even the “classics” like Animal House and There’s Something About Mary leave me irritated or yawning or both. But I laughed out loud, several times, at the trailer for this new Will Ferrell opus, and when it got better-than-expected reviews, I decided to check it out one hot afternoon. And, happy surprise, it really is one of the most entertaining movies I’ve seen lately.
It won’t win any awards for gentility, grace, or a beautifully shaped plot. But it has more belly laughs per minute than practically anything in recent memory (maybe the best 45 minutes from The Devil Wears Prada would beat it, but the other half of that movie is fairly dreary). And there is one scene in particular – an amazingly extended, probably mostly improvised number in which our hero, NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby, says grace before a meal with his, shall we say, boisterous family – that I’m tempted to call a masterpiece, if the word didn’t seem like a near-insult in this context.
Will Ferrell is just fine as Ricky Bobby, but two supporting turns are even better: John C. Reilly as Ricky’s best pal Cal, and Sacha Baron Cohen as his archrival Jean Girard. Reilly really lets fly in the first out and out farce I’ve ever seen him do. His riffs on Southern good ole boydom have to be seen and heard to be believed – just brilliant, and screamingly funny.
Cohen, whose Ali G and Borat have already amply illustrated his ability to turn PC attitudes inside-out and make you squirm and laugh simultaneously, has a potentially offensive and unpleasant role here: Girard is not only French, he’s gay, and is given mountains of negative stereotypes to work with. But Cohen manages to make him super-bad (a nearly invincible opponent), totally ridiculous, and lovable, all at once. He could read the phone book with his preposterous accent and have you rolling on the floor. Yet despite the uninhibited dialogue, there’s really not a mean bone in this movie, and we should be grateful. (As Ricky Bobby might say, we should thank the cute little Lord Baby Jesus.)
Article comments
1 - Dave Nalle
Was my impression unique, or was most of the dialogue in this movie ad libbed? It sure seemed that way.
Dave
2 - Dave Nalle
Oh, and for me the funniest scene was the one where Will Ferrll stabs himself in the leg and then the other guys try to dig it out with another knife. Likely improvised, but incredibly funny.
I also thought Gary Cole was a real asset to the film.
Dave
3 - Ashley B.
Good movie. 10/10 stars. go see it now.
4 - handyguy
If the dialogue is largely improvised, it's brilliant improvisation. That could help account for the unevenness of the material and the sloppy plotting. Anyway, it's really funny and often really imaginative too.
5 - RJ Elliott
I saw this movie tonight...there were some funny parts, but it was overall pretty weak...the out-takes during the closing credits were funnier than the film itself...