Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)

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

Cast

Gary Cole	...	Reese Bobby
Jane Lynch	...	Lucy Bobby
Jason Davis	...	Waffle House Manager
Jake Johnson	...	5-Year-Old Ricky
Lorrie Bess Crumley	...	School Teacher
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

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 | UK:15 (DVD rating) | Ireland: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:

Columbia Pictures

Trivia:

The car driven by Reese Bobby is an homage to Curtis Turner's 1967 Daytona 500 car designed by Smokey Yunick. This car was a 7/8 scale model of a regular Chevelle that enable Turner to have an advantage on the field. The car was banned by NASCAR thus starting Smokey's tenuous relationship with NASCAR.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Ricky and Susan are talking in the bar, in the close-up shots Susan's glasses have no lenses in them.

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:

References "The Oprah Winfrey Show" (1986)

Soundtrack:

Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line

Sharp & Stupid

It's a pretty funny movie. You could tell Will Ferrell and Sacha Cohen (aka Ali G) and John C. Reilly all had the opportunity to improvise lines and riff on one another, and all three were pretty good.

Ricky Bobby's kids were given some choice lines and nailed home some great (albeit loud and aggro) deliveries. Amy Adams is totally hot. The dad role was well-played. The car action was money and you couldn't quite tell when it was CG and when it was recreated action, so that was good. They did it right.

The overabundance of seeded advertising was acknowledged in the film's dialogue and concretely addressed at the end of the movie (when Ricky Bobby goes sponsorless0 but it was still kind of annoying. I just can't understand how Hollywood blockbusters need more money. They could do the same movie without the extra $$ I think, but in this particular movie, set as it is with NASCAR, it certainly fits in the world we see on screen if there is rampant, colorful advertising.

So it's a good movie, a lot of gut laughs, and not unlike Dodgeball or Anchorman or the like...