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Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
(2006)
Reviewer: Joel
Version: Uncut Version
Number of discs: 1
[Read Rich's Cinema Review here]
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) is one of my favourite ever comedies, and anxiousness fizzled, mixed within a cocktail of desperation, as Will Ferrell's second 'R.B.' film was in the pipeline. Come post-production when I had my tickets booked and knew of the inclusion of Sacha Baron Cohen as the baddie, I could hardly contain myself. Unfortunately, Talladega Nights doesn't pull off a From Russia with Love (1963) and surpass its predecessor. The film is typical Ferrell, but this time he isn't part of a complete improvisational experiment, he actually has to deliver a story, which incidentally, is actually present here and very obvious. Cohen is trapped from really delivering an excellent comedic performance, but he still manages to steal most scenes, even ones with Ferrell. Leslie Bibb escapes her supermodel roots and actually has some acting ability as Ricky's "stone cold fox" of a wife. John C. Reilly and Michael Clarke Duncan are able support with the former being particularly good as Ricky's redneck best friend and racing colleague. The protagonist's two boys steal the comedic lines however, improvising utter stupidity nearly as well as Ferrell and Reilly.
The Second Unit stunts on the racetrack are executed very realistically and do give the feeling of a NASCAR Raceway. The themes of family and North Carolina's redneck values are also present, but with both the NASCAR drivers and weird characters easily accessible, I always felt that Ferrell could have employed some of his Frat Pack friends to make some joyous cameos.
The extras
For a single disc, the DVD package is great value. The commentary by director Adam McKay and friends is the best narration I have ever heard on a DVD. This is mainly due to the humour throughout which is similar to the absurdity of the actual film. The other ten extras are relatively brief, but each is very funny. The auditions, Ferrell's return to Talladega and the standard gag reels, deleted scenes and video diary are all good, but the "Walker & Texas Ranger" featurette is the stand-out bathed in conviviality by the cheeky showstoppers.
The summary
The film is by no means a mess and it quite easily "shakes and bakes" its way to hilarity, but one always wonders what could have been had the jokes matched Ferrell's normal calibre.
