Anybody who knows me personally knows that two of my favorite things in the world (other than my wonderful girlfriend, of course) are NASCAR and Will Ferrell. So when I read Internet rumors that Ferrell was in the works to star in a NASCAR-themed comedy, it was too good to be true. Two years later, I realized it wasn’t too good to be true, and I can rejoice that the movie gods were on my side when they made “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.”
While it’s no “Anchorman,” Will Ferrell’s latest comedy “Talladega Nights” is a great film with many memorable scenes.
“Talladega Nights” is the story of no-holds-barred NASCAR racer Ricky Bobby (Ferrell), whose win-at-all-costs attitude has given him racing fame and fortune. Multimillion-dollar sponsorship deals, a hot wife, two hell-raising sons and a slew of NASCAR victories are everything Bobby can ask for.
With his best friend and teammate, Cal Naughton, Jr., played by John C. Reilly, the duo are on the top of their game until Frenchman and Formula 1 driver, Jean Girard, played by Sacha Baron Cohen (a.k.a Ali G), joins the NASCAR circuit and sets his sights on taking racing supremacy away from Bobby.
When Bobby is involved in a ghastly crash, he loses his competitive edge and falls on hard times. He loses his NASCAR ride, his best friend Naughton, Jr. steals his wife and Bobby and his boys move back home to his mother’s house. It’s there that Bobby rekindles his racing spirit with the help of his once-estranged father.
While the movie is set in the somewhat complicated world of NASCAR, you don’t have to be a race fan to enjoy it. If you are a race fan, however, you will appreciate the attention to detail that was paid to all aspects of the movie. Producers included officials from the NASCAR racing sanctioning body in the development of the movie, which provided technical assistance and helped keep things authentic. The movie incorporates the broadcast crews from both Fox and NBC, including three-time NASCAR champion Darrell Waltrip, as well as a handful of current NASCAR drivers including Jamie McMurray and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Most of the racing action is realistic, but I would have enjoyed more of it. There are a few scenes that are a little over the top, but it’s a comedy right? While they may not reach the intensity of the racing scenes in “Days of Thunder,” (which, by the way, John C. Reilly also had a supporting role in as Buck Bretherton), they are a lot better than NASCAR’s last movie attempt, “Herbie: Fully Loaded.”
The film was predominately shot at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, NC, the sister track to Ft. Worth’s Texas Motor Speedway. In one scene of the movie, the track was transformed into TMS for a scene where Bobby wins the Dickies 500, TMS’s November race. Aside from the racing action, my favorite scene takes places at the Bobby family dinner table. The table is covered in food from Bobby’s sponsors, who, in true NASCAR style, Bobby thanks during grace.
While they only play a small role, Houston Tumlin and Grayson Russell, who play Bobby’s sons, Walker and Texas Ranger, are pretty funny. Incidentally, the boy’s names aren’t the only Chuck Norris connection to the movie. Norris’s son, Eric Norris, who has seen moderate success in racing’s lower levels, including the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, is a stunt driver in the movie.
“Talladega Nights” is a fun summer movie, and will undoubtedly be the one everyone will be quoting this year.
As far as racing movies go, this one’s up there. It stacks up as one of Ferrell’s best movies, but probably not the best. It’s definitely worth seeing in the theaters, and who knows, maybe it will bring a new wave of racing fans to the track.
