Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (McKay, 2006)

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Former SNL writer Adam McKay made his directorial debut with 2004's uproariously funny Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and he's at it again with Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Both films follow the life of a charming oaf (played by Will Ferrell on both accounts), who happens to be famous for the only thing he’s good at – in Anchorman, Ron Burgundy is a famous news anchor, and in Talladega Nights, Ricky Bobby is a legendary NASCAR driver.

Actually, if you really stop and think about it, the two films are almost identical in their plotlines. However, if you can get past the fact that you’re essentially watching the same movie you saw in 2004, Talladega Nights is a funny, compelling film.

Ricky Bobby (Ferrell) is a man with a passion for speed and a love of winning. With the aid for his lifelong friend and fellow driver, Cal Naughton (John C. Reilly), Ricky consistently comes in first. Loved by the fans, and adored by his wife and two sons (Walker and Texas Ranger), Ricky Bobby leads a life of speed and bliss.

But his life falls apart with the arrival of Frenchman Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen), who is a champion Formula 1 driver back in Europe. After Jean breaks Ricky’s arm in a bar fight, Ricky loses to him in a race and crashes his car. His wife leaves him for Cal, and Ricky Bobby is left with nothing. At rock bottom, Ricky is reunited with his father (Gary Cole), and together they set out to conquer his fear of losing.

Talladega Nights has some very funny bits, as when Ricky has to tame a wild cougar as part of his father’s training, but it lacks any real memorable comedic moments. Nothing came close to the news team gang fight or the rendition of “Afternoon Delight” in Anchorman.

Will Ferrell is hilarious as always, and there’s some great supporting performances from John C. Reilly, Gary Cole, and Michael Clarke Duncan. But the strength of the charming performances wasn’t enough to keep me from comparing the film to Anchorman.

New directors face this test often, especially filmmakers with a successful debut like McKay had. Can their second film live up to the first? Is it as good? Better? Or is it a letdown, a disappointment with what we’ve come to expect. Talladega Nights is that film, but even more so, because it’s just so very similar to Anchorman.

But McKay has a good head for comedy, and the screenwriting pair of him and Ferrell really come up with some funny stuff. I hope to see the two of them work together again soon.

Talladega Nights: The Balld of Ricky Bobby is definitely a worthwhile comedy, and it keeps the chuckles coming. I simply hope that for his next film, McKay tries to do something different, and that he delivers a film that is both hilarious and unique.