Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
The story of a man who could only count to #1
No One Can Handle The Curves, The Speed, The Heat, Like Ricky Bobby
If you're not first, you're last.
NASCAR stock car racing sensation Ricky Bobby is a national hero because of his "win at all costs" approach. He and his loyal racing partner, childhood friend Cal Naughton Jr., are a fearless duo — "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 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.
| Gary Cole | Reese Bobby |
| Jane Lynch | Lucy Bobby |
| Jason Davis | Waffle House Manager |
| Jake Johnson | 5-year-old Ricky |
| Lorrie Bess Crumley | Schoolteacher |
| Luke Bigham | 10-Year-Old Ricky |
| Austin Crim | 10-Year-Old Cal |
| Michael Clarke Duncan | Lucius Washington |
| Will Ferrell | Ricky Bobby |
| John C. Reilly | Cal Naughton, Jr. |
| Adam McKay | Terry Cheveaux |
| David Koechner | Herschell |
| Ian Roberts | Kyle |
| Jack McBrayer | Glenn |
| John D. King | ESPN Reporter |
| Adam McKay |
6.50 out of 10 (27601 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Not that great for, but I think that is my fault.
posted on 29 Aug 2009Ricky Bobby was a 'real' movie. It was realistic in terms of Nascar, and realistic in terms of making fun of the south. It was a real movie, rather then some one lined joke.This was very good. However, it was just not for me. The plot was not very good either...and that is not because it was stupid...I thought that it was just flogged and runny.Anchorman was better to me. It's plot was also runny, but to me the jokes were funnier, and that made up for the plot. Anchorman was a 'one line joke movie'...maybe I just like them better.I respect that they succeeded in being realistic to Nascar and the south...but it just didn't click with me.Maybe I was just dry today, I don't know, but Ricky Bobby will be a very appealing movie to most people, and I am happy for it.5/10.
Anchorman is Funnier, This One Has a Better Plot
posted on 25 Aug 2009NASCAR stock car racing sensation Ricky Bobby is a national hero because of his "win at all costs" approach. He and his loyal racing partner, childhood friend Cal Naughton Jr., are a fearless 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 challenges them 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.Okay, I'm kind of disappointed in this film for not being funnier than Anchorman, another film made by these people of Talladega Nights. I've only laughed out loud in some scenes but really chuckled throughout the whole movie.Though that was a weakness, this film actually has a better story than Anchorman! I don't even know if this film tries to be a dramedy or if it is a dramedy because the middle of the movie tries to be a drama but it really don't give you the jokes so I would expect it's a dramedy. I must be crazy. Maybe I'm getting the wrong idea here.Still, I have to say Will Ferrell's performance is funny in the film. I was partcially disappointed that John C. Reilly and Sacha Baron Cohen weren't in the movie that long than I would expect.Although not as funny as Anchorman, this was a good comedy, having a good storyline, and some funny performances. If you like Will Ferrel with all his funny roles, you'll like this.
Had overload of gay stuff and wasn't very funny.
posted on 21 Aug 2009This movie sucked! The previews showed the funny parts and it had way too much queer stuff (like guy/guy kissing) throughout the movie. i love Will Farell movies but this was the worst one he has ever made. Nothing like old school or Anchorman it had funny parts but most were in with the previews. I found me making myself laugh just to laugh so that i could pretend i was having a good time. I wasn't expecting a plot but a light-hearted comedy similar to Anchorman but was disappointed with the low level of humor projected throughout the film. Don't waste your time and money on this go and see cars that is much funnier and has to do more with nascar than this film.
If you enjoyed "Anchorman" then you will most likely enjoy this
posted on 21 Aug 2009"Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" is an entertaining delight. If you like "dumb" comedies, you will likely enjoy this. The same two people who co-wrote "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" (Adam McKay and Will Ferrell) co-wrote this, so if you enjoyed the first movie in the "Mediocre American Man" trilogy, you will enjoy this. You do not have to be a Nascar fan to enjoy this. You just have to like the Will Ferrell type movie.If you are looking for a plot, look somewhere else because you have wasted your time and money. If you are someone who complains about the plot, in a comedy by Will Ferrell, you might as well complain about how donuts do not have enough nutrition or how "Bad Santa" did not have scenes appropriate for children. This plot is similar to "Anchorman" and other sports movies as well. Here you have a man at the top of his game, he hits a little snag, and the rest just explains how he slowly moves up until he is at the top again. The plot may not be Academy Award winning but who goes to see a Will Ferrell movie for its "rich" plot? Will Ferrell plays Ricky Bobby, a redneck Nascar driver with the perfect name, amazingly and again shows how funny he is with his improvisations and random comments. This was not surprising considering that I have loved him sense his days on "Saturday Night Live." He is great playing a lovable moron, as shown in movies such as "Elf" or "Anchorman." I could tell he had a lot of fun working on this project.The supporting cast made this funnier. Ricky's two sons, Walker (Houston Tumlin) and Texas Ranger (Grayson Russell) were very rude and profane and my favorite supporting characters. John C. Reilly as Cal, Ricky's best friend, was also great and had very nice chemistry with Will. Sacha Baron Cohen as a gay French Nascar driver made a great villain. Reese and Lucy Bobby played by Gary Cole and Jane Lynch, Ricky's parents, were entertaining especially Reese. Michael Clarke Duncan, as Lucius Washington, and Amy Adams, as Susan, were great as assistants to Ricky Bobby. Leslie Bibb as Carley Bobby was also funny. Even Molly Shannon (who was on "Saturday Night Live" with Ferrell) had a humorous part as Mrs. Dennit.I do not have any complaints about "Talladega Nights." It did its job, which was to entertain, and it did it well. However, if I had to make one complaint, it would be that there were numerous scenes shown in the trailers that were not shown in the movie. This is not a bad thing, because I know the DVD will be loaded with deleted scenes. The more I think about it, the more I realize this was not a negative because it made the movie more random.In conclusion, "Talladega Nights" had me laughing the hardest out of everything I have seen this year. If you are looking for a love story about two men hanging out on a mountain, this is not what you are looking for. If you can laugh at Will Ferrell being a redneck Nascar driver, you are in the right place. If redneck or gay jokes easily offend you, this is not for you. I also suggest not bringing children, this is not a family movie, it is a PG-13 rated comedy for a good reason. If you want a family PG-13 movie, go see "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." I want to see "Talladega Nights" again just to find any jokes I missed!
Not Worth Theater Prices to View
posted on 19 Aug 2009I was very disappointed with the film after previous comments and reviews I have heard regarding the film. There were no scenes that made me actually laugh, occasionally I did chuckle but it was more or a contagious vibe I got from everyone else so I could try to pretend I was enjoying myself. Will Ferrel just wasn't funny, his lines seemed repetitive and white trash. The co-star of the film, John C. Reily, was probably the funniest character throughout. Hell, even the character playing the dad was more humorous and entertaining than Ferrel. The hype surrounding the film is what made me actually go see it, the cast didn't have much interest to me, but once I went and saw it, I realized I made a mistake....I suppose you would enjoy this film if you are into the whole Blue Collar Comedy tour/white trash nascar thing...otherwise you might be subdued to an occasional chuckle.
Excellent Movie!!
posted on 17 Aug 2009When I went to see this movie, I knew I was going to see an excellent movie. However, when the movie was over, I was in tears. Not sad tears, but tears of joy because I was laughing so hard! This movie was by far, the funniest movie I have ever seen this year. Will Ferrell was amazing in it! The movie had me laughing so hard at one point that I almost spilled my drink all over myself! When I walked out of the theater, I could barely walk because my sides hurt so much! For those of you who haven't seen this masterpiece yet, I really recommend you see this. Believe me folks, Talladega Nights was that good. As Jay Leno once said: "Just the name Ricky Bobby is funny."
Will Ferrel is a Comedy Genius
posted on 13 Aug 2009Having been a very lucky guy, and seeing a preview of this film, i can honestly say, this will be a hit, this has to be 1 of the funniest films i have ever seen, Sascha Baren Cohen is absolutely hilarious as the french rival. With all Will Ferrel Film, you expect the same type of humour, and this film is no different, although you expect the same, its still as funny as ever, and will never get old, people in the cinema, including me were standing up and cheering good ol Will as the film progressed, its that damm funny. There's no doubt in my mind that i will be seeing this again, lets hope the people out there go see it as well, its a film that deserves to be viewed.
The "Anchorman" of the Nascar movies!
posted on 13 Aug 2009Here is the review my wife and I wrote for cincity2000.com Talladega Superspeedway. For those unfamiliar, it is NASCAR's biggest and fastest race track, and the setting for the latest Will Ferrell comedy Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. I'm no fan of professional racing, but I do know funny. Put Will Ferrell in the driver's seat of a stock car, cast John C. Reilly (so wonderful in Chicago) as his best friend, and pit Sacha Baron Cohen (best known as Ali G.) as his rival and you can be almost guaranteed a good movie.Here's the deal…Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) is born in the backseat of a souped-up Chevelle. His motivation in life is given to him when he is ten years old by his alcoholic father: "If you ain't first, you're last." This mantra carries him to the pit crew of a losing race team. When he's given the chance to finish a race, Ricky shows that there isn't much he won't do to win. Teamed with his best friend Cal Naughton, Jr. (Reilly) they become 'Shake and Bake' and go on to NASCAR super-stardom. Ricky has the perfect life. A sexy wife, a family, riches. Enter Jean Girard (Cohen), a flamboyant Frenchman who begins to unravel Ricky's perfect world by beating him on and off the track. Ricky is forced to deal with his own fears. And a cougar.What's this, you say? A Comedy? Sounds more like the 'feel good' movie of the summer! Perhaps I failed to mention that Jean Girard is a gay married man (Andy Richter plays his husband in a decidedly underwritten role) who sips espresso while he races. Or that Ricky and his wife Carley (the hot Leslie Bibb) have two delinquent sons named Walker and Texas Ranger. And how about the cougar? Oh, I know I mentioned the cougar! All this and more mixes together very well under the comedic eye of Adam McKay, who wrote (along with Ferrell) and directed.Talladega Nights takes the whole All-American-Dream concept and makes it funny. It's Rudy with belly laughs. Better yet, it's the Anchorman of car racing, which makes sense since McKay did that movie, too. A lot of the scenes felt improvised, but by seasoned professionals. And with a great cast that included Gary Cole and Amy Adams, the jokes were constant and seamless. From an extended dinner grace addressed to 'tiny, baby, Christmas Jesus' to Molly Shannon's portrayal of the drunken wife of the team owner, the movie never failed to make you laugh. As an added bonus, this movie also has some great action. The race sequences were very believable and the crashes were amazing.To be completely fair, there were moments when some of the scenes dragged a little. And some characters you will not like as much as others. But all in all, an enjoyable, laugh out loud experience for anyone 13 years and up. Shake and Bake, baby!
One of the best comedies of the year!
posted on 13 Aug 2009Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is one of the best comedies of this year so far and probably will stay that way. Will Farrell has not let me down yet and I think he never will. Most of comedies are actually stupid but its him that brings every one of his movies up and makes it a lot more funnier than what they actually are. John C Reilly, who is actually most known for serious films, puts on a great performance as Ricky Bobby's sidekick as well as Gary Cole, who played Ricky Bobby's father. Overall, this film is top notch and although I don't think its better than Anchorman, it still made me laugh a ton and not worry about anything. Will Ferrell does not fail!!Hedeen's Outlook: 9/10 ***+ A-
Disappointingly Average
posted on 13 Aug 2009Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen together in a comedy about NASCAR? I could not resist, but obviously I now wish I had. I suppose that the Anchorman team had to deal with high expectations but I believe they flunked here, by forgetting to crank up the insanity that made their previous efforts so good. There are some good laughs, but too few and far between and most of the best parts already made it to the trailer.As far as acting goes, every one is pretty much comfy and in character, except for Sacha Baron Cohen, who despite being amazing as a Kazakh, does not deliver the gay Frenchman very well. That may be to his credit, but it still makes his parts surprisingly boring, considering that at first glance at least, a gay Frenchman in NASCAR should be a rather fertile background.There's not much here to warrant a theater outing or purchasing the DVD. A rental may be particularly interesting in a pre-frat-party context, where copious amounts of various legal intoxicants were not forgotten. On an empty stomach and a well rested mind, this fell rather flat.Everyone but Sacha Baron Cohen - 7/10 - Pretty Decent.Sacha Baron Cohen (Jean Girard) - 3/10 - Sacha, start studying some gay Frenchman's behavior, mannerism and accent for the sequel. There should not be a lack of potential test subjects.
good movie
posted on 09 Aug 2009this movie was really funny i saw it twice and i loved it also i thought will Ferrel had an excellent part in the movie he had some really funny moments. if you haven't seen this movie yet then u are missing out on the funniest movie of the summer i seen some good movies this summer such as clerks 2 ,miami vice,pulse and many more but i thought this one was the best. will Ferrel had some excellent movies such anchorman and many more but this was his best.this movie was about 2hrs but it was funny as hell many people would rate this movie a 10 i saw this movie with 4 of my friends like 2weeks after it came out. so thats all i got to say hope u enjoyed this movie if you saw it.
A very strange movie
posted on 07 Aug 2009Movies are a very effective form of getting a point across, either through the actions/dialogue of a character, or the plot of the movie -- these add up to a "moral" or "lesson." Most comedies do not have this; they exist merely to entertain. Take a movie like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. It is a silly movie, and it does not try to be anything else than a silly movie. And it is extremely effective in its silliness, as well, because the movie is set in a world with rules, even if the rules are stupid. This is the main problem with Talladega Nights. It has no rules. Every character in this movie contradicts him or herself hundreds of times. We think that Ricky Bobby is going act a certain way, and instead he does the exact opposite.And this is where you have to decide: were the creators of this movie aware of this fact? Did they purposely make every character in this movie NOT likable, simply through their willingness to change their own actions based on a final, pre-set outcome? Was the ending of this movie at all surprising? Of course not. But did Will Ferrell do that on purpose? My point here is that I cannot tell whether or not this movie is intended to be so bad as to be a commentary on NASCAR culture and patriotism. If it is, it is quite hyperbolic and biting. Every character in this movie is rather stupid, but for some reason they all get bursts of intelligence once in a while -- even that doesn't fit the whole "parody" paradigm.And, if the movie is not self-aware of its own ridiculousness, then it is a VERY, VERY bad movie, with lame set-ups for jokes and characters that are so inconsistent they make you want to smash your head on a rock. I usually hate when people write things like "This movie wasn't funny, because no one in the theater laughed." Well, I went to this movie, and every time there was supposed to be a joke, no one laughed. Again, either the comedy is so smart that it's going over our heads here, or it's just very stupid. Whether this movie serves as a commentary on American culture, or was just a vehicle for Will Ferrell to act like an idiot yet again is up to you, but I think you can tell how I feel about it.
Worst film I've seen in years. Seriously.
posted on 07 Aug 2009Where to start with this mess? The screenplay: Honestly, it looked like the made up the lines as they went along. In fact, there were actually times when you could see the wheels turning in the actors' heads as it looked like they had thought up the "perfect" line! The direction: Good God. Take a basic course in "film pacing" and try again - please! This film had more stuttering stops and starts than a 16-year old in a driver's ed lesson. This film was all over the place, leading to my next criticism: Editing: Most of the scenes dragged on WAY too long, exhausting the already unfunny "jokes". Case in point - the scenes in which Ricky and Cal carried on their inane phone conversations. These easily could have been cut out of the film altogether.I honestly can't remember seeing a worse film in many years. This is either testament to my tastes or to the fact that this film was sheer excrement. My humility leads me to believe that it was the latter.
Classic Ferrel Movie
posted on 30 Jul 2009This was a hysterically funny movie. For those of you who say it was bad (such as dinnerbellbishop) I am angered by your ignorance and naivety. You don't see this movie for the unpredictable plot twists and amazing content, you see it to laugh. This is a classic Will Ferrel Movie, portraying his outlandish comedy acting style and superb improvisation. Denoucning this film only shows that you lack a sense of humor. This film satirizes the Christian religion and Nascar, but in a very innocuous manner. I could not stop laughing at the ridiculousness of Ferrel's dialog and loved every minute of it. If you are a stiff, stubborn person with no sense of humor, you will no doubt detest this funny film.
Homogenised, cheeseburger crap.
posted on 26 Jul 2009Talladega Nights is so crudely manufactured and tacked together that if it were a real NASCAR it would break down before even leaving the factory. Adam McKay and Will Ferrell try their hardest to make the movie work but there is simply not enough mileage in the paper-thin concept to stretch over 108 minutes.The only people this film is likely to appeal to are NASCAR fans themselves. I don't find anything particularly interesting about a bunch of generic, advertisement-covered vehicles circling a big oval 200 times. I honestly don't see what the appeal is. The movie only exists to cash in on the current, inexplicable NASCAR craze and as another excuse to have Will Ferrell run around in his underwear. Even if the racing were exciting it would justify its existence but it is all done so flatly and amateurish you'd be forgiving for thinking you're just watching some random traffic shots. Even uber-trash Days of Thunder didn't fail in this department.There are a few laughs here and there, mainly from Reese Bobby, Ricky's transient, pot-dealing father, played by Gary Cole (that's the voice of Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, folks). But the one thing that almost ruins the entire movie (not hard considering how poor it is anyway) is Sascha Baron Cohen's misjudged, stilted, woefully unfunny performance as a gay Formula One driver. He's just absolutely horrible and every scene with him is painful to watch.In the end TN:TBORB simply cannot escape the Deus Ex Machina ending you've seen coming from minute one or any other tiresome, clichéd plot mechanics. And it's just not worth your hard earned pennies to laugh only 5 times in 2 hours in between endless bad jokes and boring fast cars. Go play Skalectrix or something.
A mediocre movie and a terrible comedy
posted on 24 Jul 2009I was extremely disappointed in this movie. I came in expecting to laugh, and couldn't really find anything to laugh at. It isn't like they weren't trying either. Any potentially funny moment was already shown in the trailer. The movie was packed full of jokes and gags, but none of them really worked at all, and the audience never laughed out loud even once.As a movie, the plot wasn't all that impressive. It was a decent story, but a story that made a lot of mistakes. The timing of a lot of the events just didn't make sense, and some things started too late in the movie. Real Nascar fans with see how ridiculous the driving is because half the drivers in the movie would have been suspended for rough driving, but I'm sure they won't care anyway.The only reason you should go see this movie is if you have the money and time to waste and absolutely nothing else to do, but don't even expect 1/3 of anchorman.
Classic Ferrell
posted on 24 Jul 2009This is just pure Ferrell,. Stereotypes are a little too much in your face; I can see why the European release is only in a few months, they have to prepare the public for the biggest slap in the face ever. Although, it equally mocks the southern culture of Americans. While Ferrell is usually very predictable, there are a few surprises in the movie. I wouldn't call it suspenseful, because the storyline is nothing different to Herbie Fully Loaded or Days of Thunder, but the slapstick humor works. You've all seen the knife in the leg scene in the previews, ... well there's more to it, and even if you expect it, they really rub it in, literally, and it made me laugh more than
Dumb but entertaining racing comedy
posted on 24 Jul 2009In Talladega Nights, Will Farrell and Jon C. Reilly head a nicely assembled cast (without a lot of star power) in a story about a fool who happens to be a race car driver and who has based his entire life philosophy around a phrase uttered by his alcoholic father during a drunk - "If you ain't first, you're last". Ricky Bobby rides high in his largely unexamined life until, predictably, he eventually crashes hard when confronted with a gay French intellectual who just might be a better driver than he is, and a boss who does not appreciate his arrogance.Talladega Nights uses a narrative and editing style reminiscent of the brilliant Deathrace 2000 to create an entirely different effect - unlike Deathrace 2000's intellectually challenging political and social commentary, Talladega Nights is a simple absurdist comedy played out by several stereotypes in the contemporary racing entertainment industry. The film is successful largely because of it's careful plotting and occasional substitution of slap-stick for (dumb) dialogue driven comedy. The script is nothing special, but was probably well edited in the final construction of the film in order to emphasize its occasional moments of brilliance. If you go into this without much in the way of expectations, you just might enjoy it.
Very disappointing
posted on 16 Jul 2009I saw this movie because I am a huge fan of Sasha Baron Cohen. I HAD to see this movie the moment I found out he was in it. Anyways, after 100 minutes of watching this film, I couldn't recall laughing more than once or twice. It really was not Will Ferrell's best effort, and Sasha Baron Cohen's exceptional talent was not enough to save this dreadful comedy. The whole of the theater I was at was silent throughout the movie so I suppose I'm not the only one who found this boring. After watching 'Bon Cop Bad Cop,' this movie is just pathetic. I suppose that the only highlight was getting to see the trailer for the Borat movie. Now THAT was hilarious.
No No NOO Ricky Bobby
posted on 31 Aug 2009Look I don't know about the rest of you people but this alternative life styles getting shoved down my throat makes me sick. Don't get me wrong a little oddball humor is OK but to much is TOO much. If you want to see a movie that is on the same level as, say, The Anchorman then by all means watch Ricky Bobby. But personally I'd take back the hour and a half that I wasted watching crude antics, and over the top life style themes portrayed in this film. Also there is the matter of lack of respect for the elderly, and also lack of continuity in a family. In one scene young children are berating and belittling their grandfather, but instead of being chastised they are in fact encouraged to continue; also (same scene) children admit to doing badly in school, and showing lack of respect for authority but nothing is done about it. In another matter there is Ricky's father, a transient bum who constantly leaves his family only to come back to leave again. This film is portrayed as a family comedy, but but i can't see it as anything but a waste of time.