Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Adam McKay

Writers (WGA):

Will Ferrell (written by) &
Adam McKay (written by)

Release Date:

4 August 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Sport

Tagline:

The story of a man who could only count to #1

Plot:

#1 NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby (Ferrell) stays atop the heap thanks to a pact with his best friend and teammate, Cal Naughton, Jr. (Reilly). But when a French Formula One driver (Cohen), makes his way up the ladder, Ricky Bobby's talent and devotion are put to the test.

Plot Keywords:

Nascar | Racing | French | Friend | Car Racing

Awards:

6 wins & 4 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. July 17	9:00 PM	TBS
Sat. July 18	12:15 AM	TBS

Cast

Gary Cole	...	Reese Bobby
Jane Lynch	...	Lucy Bobby
Jason Davis	...	Waffle House Manager
Lorrie Bess Crumley	...	Schoolteacher
Luke Bigham	...	10-Year-Old Ricky
Austin Crim	...	10-Year-Old Cal (as Austin Crimm)
Michael Clarke Duncan	...	Lucius Washington
Will Ferrell	...	Ricky Bobby
John C. Reilly	...	Cal Naughton Jr.
Adam McKay	...	Terry Cheveaux
David Koechner	...	Hershell
Ian Roberts	...	Kyle
Jack McBrayer	...	Glenn
John D. King	...	ESPN Reporter
Pat Hingle	...	Mr. Dennit Sr.

Also Known As:

High, Wide, and Handsome (USA) (working title)
Talladega Nights (USA) (working title)
Untitled Will Ferrell NASCAR Comedy (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, language, drug references and brief comic violence.

Runtime:

108 min | 122 min (unrated version) | Argentina:121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS (8 channels) | DTS

Certification:

UK:12A | Australia:M | USA:PG-13 (certificate #42008) | Ireland:12A | Singapore:M18 | Singapore:PG (edited version) | Sweden:7 | Finland:K-11 | Argentina:13 | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Ireland:15 (DVD rating) | UK:15 (DVD rating) | Netherlands:12 | Malaysia:U | South Korea:15 | Denmark:7 | New Zealand:M | Norway:10 (TV rating) | Norway:11 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Apatow Productions

Trivia:

The car that Reese Bobby drives over the course of the entire film is a 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu.

Goofs:

Continuity: During Ricky Bobby's first crash, he's shown shifting gears in an effort to catch up to the Frenchman. He's wearing Silver shoes with a blue Puma symbol and after the crash, while he's running around "on fire", he's wearing blue shoes with a yellow Puma symbol.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Reese Bobby: [Reese is speeding] Guess how fast were going now.
Lucy Bobby: [screams] I don't care, I'm having a baby!
Reese Bobby: Hundred and five miles an hour, you believe that?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Epic Movie (2007)

Soundtrack:

T.N.T.

Long Overdue NASCAR Parody

You still get plenty of fast paced action, muscle cars, and massive car crashes. You just get to laugh a lot too.

Will Ferrell really doesn't get enough credit for his acting. As mindless as it seems, he still manages to make it believable. You have to keep in mind it's usually during over-the-top parodies, so it's supposed to be carefree and with complete disdain, yet he still manages to make it intelligent most of the time (at least in this film), so the result is far more than simple fart and gross-out type jokes.

He also had the benefit of writing this film, cast members like John C. Reilly and Sasha Baron Cohen, and a focus for the film in deep need of parody. NASCAR has been long overdue.