Solid, but not quite in Anchorman territory

Rating: 7/10 (5 August 2006)

I had high expectations for Talladega nights, most of which were met. But part of me thinks there is a more tightly woven, funnier movie that could have come out of the premise.
Without a doubt, there are plenty of hilarious scenes, great one-liners, and clever details that'll make repeat viewing entirely worthwhile. Ricky Bobbly's son Texas Ranger's line "I'm gonna come at you like a spider monkey" hasn't stopped amusing me, nor has his dad's line "Shut up you little pot licker, or I'll stick you in a microwave!" NASCAR is ripe for parody, and there's plenty of it to keep things rolling.
The major faults lie in setting up the conflicts in the movie and its PG-13 rating. The first third of the movie is the weakest part because it's essentially an exposition to introduce a deadbeat dad, turn Ricky Bobby from a member of the pit crew into a dominant driver, fashion a rival from an effete Frenchman, and create a conflict with a team owner bent on replacing him. That's a lot to throw on the plate from the start, and it shows. Furthermore, presumably for marketing reasons, the movie was edited to get a PG-13 rating. I can only imagine how much comedic gold is waiting for the DVD version because it would have brought about an R rating. This probably has a lot to do with the early stagnation, as well.
That said, things pick up once the onus of trying to create a real plot has been lifted. I laughed consistently from the middle of the movie right down the outtakes. Some movies lose momentum as they go on; Talladega Nights only gains momentum like a stock car coming out of turn number three as it roars to its conclusion. Molly Shannon and Sascha Baron Cohen put in great supporting work (that sadly seemed a bit underutilized), while newcomer (to me at least) Amy Adams has a great scene with Ferrell in a bar.
It's worth the price of admission, that's for sure.