The latest Oscar-winner to come from Will Ferrell''s camp, The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a moving story about a man who
falls from the top and works his way back up again, regaining his glory and respect in the process. Who knew that an Oscar-wining picture would be about an imbecile race car driver who loses his seat as the best NASCAR driver around, and that the title of the film would be Talladega Nights ?
Will Ferrell, in a riveting, dominating performance, will unfortunately fall second to the completely unworthy Leonardo DiCaprio for The Departed . His mastery on the screen is unquestioned, though, and it is only a matter of time before he holds the golden statue of wonder. John C. Reilly, as the wife-stealing idiot friend, rightfully deserves his supporting nod.
Sadly, Talladega Nights will never be described that way. A film that is high above expectations yet not nearly as funny as some of Ferrell''s other "classics", Talladega Nights has some funny moments, appropriately makes fun of white trash NASCAR America while at the same time glorifying it, features some good crashes, and... that''s about it. There are no classic scenes or one-liners to the same degree that can be found in Ferrell''s hits such as Old School and Anchorman . The sequence where Ferrell runs around his underwear as if he is on fire is humorous, but certainly not mind blowing. The dialogue, while funny at times, really isn''t as good as one would expect.