Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Director:  Adam McKay
Year Released:  2006
Rating:  2.5

Speed demon Will Ferrell's race car driver follows the familiar path of going from humble beginnings to superstar to bum to superstar again in this humorous but shallow picture - yes, it's very funny, but how difficult is it to mock the American South, Nascar (and its fans) and white trash? Ferrell's rival - a Frenchman played by Sasha Baron Cohen - steals the scenes he's in: though (uncreatively) turned into a homosexual, Cohen keeps the character from being a bore (he's married to Andy Richter, reads Camus in his car and has an interest in the financial dealings of animals). Like Anchorman before it, there's a Disposability Factor to it, so it's difficult to say whether or not I'll even remember any of it a few months from now, but as mindless, in-the-moment comedy, it's fine for a (very slow) Friday night.

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