Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)

Director:

Adam McKay

Writers (WGA):

Will Ferrell (written by) &
Adam McKay (written by)

Release Date:

4 August 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Sport

Tagline:

The story of a man who could only count to #1

Plot:

#1 NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby (Ferrell) stays atop the heap thanks to a pact with his best friend and teammate, Cal Naughton, Jr. (Reilly). But when a French Formula One driver (Cohen), makes his way up the ladder, Ricky Bobby's talent and devotion are put to the test.

Plot Keywords:

Pizza Delivery | Motor | Frat Pack | Product Placement | Wheelchair

Awards:

6 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Gary Cole	...	Reese Bobby
Jane Lynch	...	Lucy Bobby
Jason Davis	...	Waffle House Manager
Lorrie Bess Crumley	...	Schoolteacher
Luke Bigham	...	10-Year-Old Ricky
Austin Crim	...	10-Year-Old Cal (as Austin Crimm)
Michael Clarke Duncan	...	Lucius Washington
Will Ferrell	...	Ricky Bobby
John C. Reilly	...	Cal Naughton, Jr.
Adam McKay	...	Terry Cheveaux
David Koechner	...	Hershell
Ian Roberts	...	Kyle
Jack McBrayer	...	Glenn
John D. King	...	ESPN Reporter
Pat Hingle	...	Mr. Dennit, Sr.

Also Known As:

High, Wide, and Handsome (USA) (working title)
Talladega Nights (USA) (working title)
Untitled Will Ferrell NASCAR Comedy (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, language, drug references and brief comic violence.

Runtime:

108 min | Argentina:121 min | 122 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS (8 channels) | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Ireland:15 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-11 | Sweden:7 | Singapore:PG (edited version) | Singapore:M18 | Argentina:13 | UK:12A | Portugal:M/12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #42008) | UK:15 (DVD rating) | Malaysia:U | Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | Australia:M | Ireland:12A

Filming Locations:

Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Apatow Productions

Trivia:

The young woman who plays the artist during the brunch scene at the French driver's house is actually the artist of that painting. She was commissioned to do the painting and was then asked if she would play the artist in the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: After the crash during practice when Ricky pulls into the pits, he throws his helmet off when he gets out of the car. A few seconds his helmet is back on.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Reese Bobby: [Reese is speeding] Guess how fast were going now.
Lucy Bobby: [screams] I don't care, I'm having a baby!
Reese Bobby: Hundred and five miles an hour, you believe that?

Movie Connections:

References Days of Thunder (1990)

Soundtrack:

Guaranteed Cool

"I wanna go fast!"

When looking at the merits of a movie and decide whether it is good or not, one must think of the goal of the picture. Is it a serious film, designed to comment on society, or is the movie's job to merely entertain? I think we all know the answer to this one when it comes to Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. This movie's goal is to entertain the audience, make them laugh, make them spend an hour and a half rejoicing in talented comedians doing their job well. And this movie reached its goal. Not only is this movie an above-average sports movie (it even concludes with a big race and a warm and fuzzy winner!), but is also a very funny movie. All I had to do was listen to the reaction of the sold out theater I was in and I knew that most people will find this movie to be very funny. Will Ferrell is Ricky Bobby, a NASCAR driver who makes up one half of "Shake and Bake," with John C. Reilly's Cal Naughton, Jr. being the "Bake" half of the duo. They are childhood friends who have now become teammates on the top NASCAR level, where Cal sets up the play that lets Ricky win almost every race--that is, unless Ricky has already crashed out of it. Talladega Nights follows the same story arc that Days of Thunder did, but is far more entertaining, as Ferrell and Reilly work together to bring humor to all parts of the racer's lives, including a bizarre dinner ritual that includes corporate sponsorship. Sure, the movie slows down for about 20 minutes in the middle to develop plot, but that may have been designed to give us, the audience, a break, allowing us to get ready for the final scenes of the movie. Sacha Baron Cohen (aka Ali G, Borat) plays the French Formula 1 driver who threatens to oust Ricky Bobby as the best driver on the track, perhaps the funniest overall character in the movie. There is not one scene with Cohen in it that isn't funny. After watching this movie, it is clear why Will Ferrell takes his comedies so seriously (watch the extras on the Elf DVD to see Ferrell between scenes, he's not always "on" playing the clown on set)--he gets the results he's looking for. This movie is laugh-out-loud funny pretty much from start to finish, and seeing Gary Cole return to comedy as Ricky Bobby's father will bring back memories of Office Space for a moment, then this new character will win you over.