Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
Directed by:
Adam McKayCinematography:
Oliver WoodComposer:
Alex WurmanCast:
Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Michael Clarke Duncan, Sacha Baron Cohen, Leslie Bibb, Gary Cole, David Koechner, Amy Adams, William Boyer, Jack McBrayer (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
NASCAR stock car racing sensation Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) is a national hero because of his 'win at all costs' approach. He and his loyal racing partner, childhood friend Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly), are a fearless duo known as 'Shake' and 'Bake' by their fans for their ability to finish so many races in the #1 and #2 positions, with Cal always in second place. When flamboyant French Formula One driver Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen) challenges 'Shake' and 'Bake' for the supremacy of NASCAR, Ricky Bobby must face his own demons and fight Girard for the right to be known as racing's top driver. (Universal Pictures UK)
(more)Reviews (4)
It feels as if the great Will Ferrell from Anchorman has ran out of gas. All the visual jokes are already in the trailers, the one-liners are minimal (especially the good ones) and the well shot racing scenes are not exactly what I wanted to see. Sacha Baron Cohen can't pull off the film and for John C. Reilly, I hope this is the last such flick of his career. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby had all the makings of a comedy hit, unfortunately, this time, the pieces didn't quite fit together.
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Much as I like Will Ferrell, I’m intrigued to know if the writers really believed that a lone Will, strapped into a car with a helmet on his head (i.e. no longer able to perform his own special type of humor, based on facial expressions, jerky movements and interaction), driving round and round the circuit in a dumb comedy could actually be entertaining. If the answer is yes, then this message is for you: You were seriously wrong.
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This is the first movie starring Will Ferrell that I actually enjoyed. Really! Less than two hours passed incredibly fast, I had a great time and laughed... I even wondered about it after it was over. Of the actors and their characters, I liked Cohen's Frenchman Girard the best, but Ferrell's bumbling racer who either wins or crashes was also very good. Not to mention the other characters, like Ricky's family members or his best friend. The final race is really something - among other things thanks to episodes like an interview with Kenny Rogers, who is not actually Kenny Rogers, or a commercial inserted directly into the crash. Well done!__P.S. I'd make a cougar in the back seat mandatory as of next year.
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In this comedy, I found out that I really like Will Ferrell and that J. C. Reilly are a great duo. They simply work well together, and even though the movie is two hours long, I enjoy it. The story carries on, which is an excellent parody of racing movies, making fun of clichés, but also building on them. Great characters that have stayed in my memory, and I'm glad that I remembered this film. I like it even the second time.
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