Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)

What makes it different from others?

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

'Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby (2006)' has a number of key problems that easily make it Adam McKay's worst effort. The first issue is that it's honestly pretty offensive, as it's genuinely quite homophobic, fairly sexist, a bit xenophobic and just generally seems to dislike the very people it should most clearly be aimed at. It finds some way of taking a low-blow at pretty much every conceivable group. These low-bows that don't seem satirical to the point that they would be mocking the very idea of their inclusion - which would be the only way they could actually work and, thus, be somewhat excusable. If these dodgy jokes were used as a way to shine a light on how ridiculous the specific attitudes they highlight are, the flick could've lampooned its closed-minded characters and also taken a stance that allowed it to examine why they think the way they do, before developing them so that they become more tolerant and the overall piece can take on an ultimately inclusive tone with at least a half-decent message. The film doesn't do that, though. Not even close. Perhaps the problems were unbeknownst to those behind the camera. The jokes might've just been haphazardly thrown in without any thought to their possibly harmful nature. This leads to, or is perhaps a product of, a careless and callous kind of comedy, one that does occasionally feel a tad mean-spirited. The second main issue is an incredibly poor, almost non-existent, structure that makes the entire movie feel more like a string of improvised jokes than a proper narrative. It is very difficult to become engaged with the 'plot' at any point because of this. The piece also feels incredibly long. Another big problem is the fact that the characters are all either too blatantly unlikable or straight-up stupid - usually a combination of the two - to care about at all. This means you can never be invested in anything that happens to any of them and that the weak 'redemption' arc feels even more unearned than it would've if it were just poorly done. The final flaw is that it isn't actually all that funny, either, giving me maybe two chuckles (and I do only mean short, one-breath chuckles) in its entirety. I will say that the more irreverent, light-hearted and good-natured jokes tend to be the ones that land. In its more absurdist moments, or even its more on-point satirical ones, there is some potential. I can't say that I particularly enjoyed the piece, though, and I certainly wasn't entertained. Also, that French accent is perhaps the worst I've ever heard. 5/10

I generally love Will Ferrell film, but this one didn't really attract me. Sure it's heavily quotable like most of his films, but I feel those scenes are the only redeemable parts from this film. For the longest time because of this movie and Step Brothers it left a bad taste in my mouth for John C. Reilly until I was able to see some of his much better films. Sorry Ricky Bobby, if you're not first, you're last.

A jarringly unfunny film that shames all of the great Hollywood comedies.The acting,script,and everything else is terrible. A send-up of red-neck habits and a whole roster of unfathomable American cultural in-jokes that fails to amuse on any level.Will Farrell is obviously an acquired taste and he and the film strain at being funny and it shows. The lines are delivered so clunkyly badly and with no pace that it is as though the actors aren't reacting to each other.All the French stuff is of course insulting and of course he's gay and has a husband.let's all laugh at the funny French man! Quite who it is aimed at I don't know but obviously not my age group(over 60).

The excellent cast go all-out to be as silly as possible in this great Will Ferrell vehicle (excuse the pun). Ferrell plays his usual outrageously spoiled man-child (as in Anchorman) who is forced to grow up when his hi jinks catch up with him and he's cast out of his successful world. For me, though, the funniest character is the French racing star played by Sacha Baron-Cohen - a hysterical portrait of a pompous snob who reads Camus and sips coffee in his car while casually overtaking the Nascar field, and who freaks out everyone in the bigoted, good old boys racing scene with his gay lifestyle. But like Anchorman, there are so many great scenes, such as when Ricky Bobby's bimbo wife switches to his best friend (John C. Reilly) when Ricky is losing; any scenes Jane Lynch is in, as Ferrell's mother; or the way Ricky unashamedly advertises everything from cake mix to tampons. The movie is just full of steady, reliable laughs.