Product reviewsTalladega Nights: the Ballad of Ricky Bobby (Blu-ray, 2006)

Talladea Nights

Three cheers for Ricky Bobby -- the man, the myth, the name. The title of this pitch-perfect parody of an auto-racing biopic is "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," but the racing hero's name is so great (and so much fun to say) that people are already just calling it "Ricky Bobby." The first time I heard the title character's nom de tube in "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy," the previous collaboration between Will Farrell and Adam McKay, I laughed out loud. A 1970s local newscaster? What better name than Ron Burgundy? And now, a NASCAR driver? Ricky Bobby, of course!

And the way Sacha Baron Cohen, as Ricky Bobby's gay French nemesis Jean Girard, pronounces his name (something like "Yrikee Bubbee" may be the closest print equivalent) is, remarkably, funny every single time. If Cohen's Borat movie ("Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan") is anywhere near as amusing as this one, a movie star is born. Er, "boorn."

As a biopic of a famous popular figure (following the Hollywood template of movies like "Walk the Line" and "Ray"), "Ricky Bobby" is flawless. It doesn't stand outside and make references to other movies; it inhabits the biopic formula all the way through -- even down to the slightly draggy stretch in the second act, before the big comeback.

There are the childhood scenes that have become part of the legend -- how young Ricky Bobby was born in the back of a speeding Chevy, to his first (and, for too long, only) words: "I wanna go fast." His shiftless, beer-drinkin', pot-smokin', ramblin' dad Reese Bobby (Gary Cole -- as good as he was in "Office Space") is, of course, mostly off cruisin' down the highway, so he's raised by his formerly wild-gal mom, Lucy (the magnificent Jane Lynch, from "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Best in Show").

Ricky Bobby grows up to possess a winning record, countless corporate sponsors and endorsement deals, a big house, a driveway full of cars and boats, a Hot Wife (Leslie Bibb, as Carley Bobby), two trash-talking young sons, Walker and Texas Ranger (Houston Tumlin and Grayson Russell), and an enthusiastically subservient best friend and second banana Cal Naughton, Jr. (the always brilliant John C. Reilly), whose very name pegs him as a nothing. A Junior nothing.

Cal and Ricky Bobby nickname each other "Shake" and "Bake," to emphasize their partnership (Cal positions his car to help his team's star driver slingshot to victory), and because it's the most inane and unimaginative catch-phrase imaginable. It also utterly mystifies Girard, the Gitanes-smoking, Camus-reading racer in the Perrier car, while Cal and Ricky Bobby drive Old Spice and Wonder Bread, respectively. Running out of places to put sponsor logos, Ricky Bobby even sells his windshield to Fig Newtons.

The Bobbys live in a world where branding is everything, and product-placement infiltrates every aspect of their lives. Kind of like America in 2006. One endorsement deal stipulates that Ricky Bobby mention PowerAde at each grace -- which he peppers with other brand names and addresses to Dear Lord Baby Jesus, because he prefers the cute little baby one to the more hirsute adult version. This movie may be about dumb characters, but it's very smart about American sports, biopic movie conventions, and especially language. The writers and actors are in love with words -- how they sound, and what they mean, especially when they don't mean very much at all (as in most movie dialogRead full review...

Why pay for HD, when you can't tell it's HD?

The movie itself is hilarious as most Will Ferrell movies are. If you enjoyed any of his previous films or get a kick out of his type of slapstick humor, then definitely pick up this movie.

WARNING!!!

This movie is graded as a low standard HD movie. What that means is that if you buy this movie expecting that the extra money you spent for HD quality will pay off with astounding video, you will have just wasted all your hard earned cash. Talladega nights has great HD audio, but poor HD video so your movie will appear about the same as a standard DVD. If you're getting this movie for the HD presentation, save your money and get a standard DVD of Talladega Nights and spend your money on Kingdom of Heaven or MI3 for true HDTV movie viewing experience.Read full review...

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006, Blu-

Though it is one of America's most popular sporting events, the association of NASCAR with uneducated, backwards rednecks seems cemented into the American consciousness. So the brilliant comedy TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY, is not just a sidesplitting series of slapstick pratfalls and over-the-top accents, but a lens into an important part of American culture. Comic sensation Will Ferrell (SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, ANCHORMAN) plays the title character, Ricky Bobby, a figure who is at once laughably ridiculous, infuriating, and loveable. Ricky Bobby, with his bleached-blond wife, cute sons Walker and Texas Ranger, and dim-bulb sidekick Cal (award-winning actor John C. Reilly, flexing his considerable comedic muscle), has got it made. He is NASCAR's most popular driver, and nearly every aspect of his life is endorsed by a recognizable product. Yet his racetrack kingdom is not unshakeable: two formidable opponents, his unpleasable father, Reese (Gary Cole), and a flashy new opponent, the openly gay French import Jean (played by a hilarious Sasha Baron Cohen, known to millions as Ali G), threaten to hijack his crown and expose his vulnerabilities. Though many of the jokes are easy laughs (having Ferrell run around shirtless is a guaranteed guffaw-fest), the script (co-written by Farrell and Adam McKay) is nuanced and intelligent, lending its characters much more sympathy and complexity than dumber comedies are want to do. And every performer--from Ferrell to Amy Adams (as Susan, Bobby’s fawning assistant)--tackles his or her part with joy and relish. A knee-slapper with smarts and savvy, TALLADEGA NIGHTS ensures Ferrell’s position as one of comedy's shining talents.Read full review...

Let's get ready to rumble!

Will Ferrel, race cars, dysfunctional family, crazy villans...what more do you need? Grab the popcorn and buckle up.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: second.sale

Talladega DON'T

As an avid NASCAR fan, this movie was shameful. It was poorly written, poorly directed and poorly acted. From just a movie standpoint? This movie was shameful. It was poorly written, poorly directed and poorly acted. Some movies are so stupid they're funny. This movie was so stupid; I would rather watch a 4-hour commentary from President Bush than to EVER watch this movie again. I forced myself to watch the entire movie.... just to say I did. Poor, Bad, Stupid, Pathetic, Idiodic, Not-funny, 2-thumbs down, sad, lacking intelligence; just to name a few. I do not recommend this movie to anyone. NASCAR fans should ban this movie. NASCAR racers should file a class-action suit against the writers and directors.Read full review...

Will Ferrell is Hilarious

Wow is this movie funny, it's a guaranteed laugh fest!!!

Will Ferrell, Sacha Baron Cohen, Micheal Clarke Duncan, David Koechner, and Amy Adams are great, as is the rest of the cast.

This movie isn't as funny as I thought it'd be, but it's still pretty funny. The surprising thing to me was how much I enjoyed the actual movie and the story behind it.

All in all this is one of Will Ferrells best pictures, and it's one that I can watch again and again.

Final Verdict:

5/5

Rent or Buy?: If you're a Will Ferrell/Nascar fan, this movie belongs in your collection.

IF YOU FIND THIS REVIEW HELPFUL PLEASE REMEMBER TO VOTE. Thank you.Read full review...

Didn’t work. Blu-ray player says failed to load. Disk is clean but player won’t read it.

Didn’t work. Blu-ray player says failed to load. Disk is clean but player won’t read it.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: goodwill_colora...

So...this is High Def...right? The package says so...

The movie itself isn't great but has a few really funny moments.

I got this FREE with my PS3. Thank goodness, because the quality of this
Blu-Ray is horrible. I literally have DVDs that look better in 480p than
this BD does in 1080i. I'm puzzled as to why Sony would pack this into the
first batch of PS3s when it does absolutely nothing to make high-def look
like high def. They should have used Stealth. Avoid this at all costs.
I sold mine, it's not worth having in my collection, even for free.Read full review...

Love this movie

Great price,bought this for a friend and he loves it!

Talladaga Nights

If you are in the mood for a typical Will Farrell movie, this will not disappoint. Silly, funny and sometimes stupid funny. I'm a huge NASCAR fan but you don't have to know anything about the sport to enjoy this movie. Yes, it's worth watching.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: earthblues70