TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY

US, 2006, 108 minutes, Colour.
Will Ferrell, John C. Riley, Gary Cole, Jane Lynch, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Koechner, Leslie Bibb, Amy Adams.
Directed by Adam Mc Kay.

For the first twenty minutes, it seemed as though this was going to be a long haul – a very long haul. Much as I have enjoyed Will Ferrell in Anchorman and Elf, there is always an Old School and some of his cameos. There are some jokes but…

After a while, I found that it was amusing in a heavy-handed kind of way. Ricky Bobby has been inspired by a brief and rare visit from his rather deadbeat father (Gary Cole) who gives him an exhortation about being a winner. Since he loves ‘going fast’, the Talladega track seems to be the obvious place to be. When he gets a chance to drive, there is no looking back. He becomes a racing celebrity, an icon on television (and some satirical commercials) and is a paragon of vanity and arrogance.

Then comes his nemesis in quite a funny parody of everything French by Sascha Baron Cohen as a rival driver. After that it uses the old formula where the proud man falls and has to learn a lesson. Although, this being a Will Ferrell comedy, the way to humility is full of oddball humour. Lesson learned and a happy ending.

There is strong support from John C. Reilly as his worshipping but dumb friend (even when marrying Ricky Bobby’s wife) and Jane Lynch as his mother who takes his obnoxious two sons in hand and teachers them manners, highway litter cleaning and singing in the church choir.

Loudly American in its style (and in under two months it took 140 million dollars at the US box-office), it has its crass moments (which are generally funnier than the usual crass crass) but, on the whole, it is amusing and has its moral lesson about self-centredness.

1. The popularity of Will Ferrel comedies? His screen presence, style? Satiric? Knockabout?

2. Americans and their love for cars, speed, racing? The champions? Winners and losers – and Ricky Bobby’s father’s philosophy about winners and losers?

3. Ricky Bobby as driven, ambitious, ruthless, the difficulties – and his having to learn a moral lesson? All this in knockabout comedy style?

4. The North Carolina settings, the town, the school, the house, affluence? The track?

5. The races, the track, the stunts, the teams, the crashes, the rescues?

6. The musical score and the songs?

7. The title, the tone, the heightened story because of the ballad?

8. Ricky Bobby as young, his parents, in the car, the rush of his being born, career day in school, his father turning up, the dull speech from the previous parent, Ricky Bobby’s father and his style, offending, winners and losers?

9. Ricky Bobby as an adult, on the team, working hard with the team, Lucius and his control over the group, the moody driver, opting out and eating, Ricky Bobby volunteering, going in, the drive, the win?

10. His career, the initial poor television interview and his stumbling, his changing style as he won, more outgoing, boastful? Cal as his friend? From school? The team? Carly and her flirting, marrying him, the two kids? At home, cheeky, spurning their grandfather? The long grace and the comic touches – and his devotion to Baby Jesus? His boasting during his grace? Cal and his continued support?

11. The headlines, celebrity, the range of advertising and commercials, the jokes? Money, expectations, his presumption? Yet his not allowing Cal to win? Ricky and his support from Mr Dennit Senior? The clashes with Larry Dennit? The rivalry?

12. The arrival of Jean Girrard, Sascha Baron Cohen and his comic style, impersonation of the French, the accent, the vocabulary, the French manner, his having a husband, the homosexual jokes? Defiance, interviews? His winning? The clash between the two, Ricky and his mockery of Jean, Jean breaking his arm? Ricky Bobby and his failure in the face of Jean Girrard’s success? Larry Dennit and his joy?

13. The character of the Dennits, Larry Dennit and his meanness, promoting Jean Girrard, his wife and her continually drinking, meeting the sponsors, the issues of money – and his dismay at Ricky Bobby’s final success?

14. Ricky Bobby and failure, his imagining himself being on fire, rushing around madly, stripping off, his collapse? Cal and his reaction? Ricky Bobby and delivering pizza? His wife going to Cal, the planning for the wedding, Cal moving into the house? In the hospital, Lucius and Cal and their trying to persuade him that he was not paralysed, his stabbing his leg? His father ordering the pizza, his delivering it to him, the possibilities of their discussion and a future together?

15. His life collapsing, going to his mother, taking the children, her being stern with them, teaching them manners, cleaning up litter on the highway, taking them to the church choir?

16. His father meeting his mother, the meal, the discussions, their being ousted? His father training Ricky, telling him that the drugs were under the car and that the police were chasing him, his recovering his ability for speeding?

17. The discussions with Jean Girrard, Girrard and his willingness to bow out if he were beaten by Ricky Bobby?

18. The final race, Cal and his support, Ricky and his motivations, the team and their being supportive? Dennit and his ordering the crashes? The final race between Jean and Ricky, the crashes, their running to the end? The disqualification, Cal coming in – and his joy of winning?

19. Ricky Bobby, the experience, humiliation, his support from Susan, her being in love with him – and the family going to the restaurant for the meal together? Ricky Bobby learning his lesson?

20. The satirical dialogue, the wisecracks, the knockabout comedy? All combining for a very successful comedy?