What "Anchorman" was for the news, "Talladega Nights" is for NASCAR.

Rating: 5/10 (8 August 2006)

Here's another comedy in the vein of "Anchorman" which is sure to win over the hearts of the easily amused. And by "easily amused" I mean teenage boys who think poop jokes are an endless source of joy.
I didn't care much for "Anchorman" and this left me feeling similarly unimpressed. Does it have some big laughs? Yes. But its titular character is so aggravating and unlikable, and its story is so ridiculously unbelievable, that developing any emotional attachment towards the movie's protagonists  which the film expects us to do at times  is a hard task.
The most obvious example of "Ricky Bobby's" simplistic humor is its title. As one character states, "He's got two first names." Har, har.
The film tries to come across as a satirical statement on blind patriotism ("Americathe greatest country in the world"), rednecks, Christians, NASCAR and the ruthless commercialism of the national spirit  but it only goes for surface digs. Oh, look! They raise their kids poorly! They swear at the dinner table! They pray to Baby Jesus! They make fun of gays! That's so funny! Yeah, and it gets old fast.
If you're going to make a movie parodying NASCAR then go all out. There's so much more that could be done. Essentially all "Talladega Nights" does is obnoxiously point fingers at stupid stereotypes that we already get enough of with "Blue Collar Comedy Tour." (Although, admittedly, I'd take Will Ferrell over Larry the Cable Guy any day of the week.) Speaking of stereotypes - Sacha Baren Cohen's horrible French accent is one of the most regrettable in motion picture history. Yes, I know it was intentional. And it was also painfully unfunny.
"Talladega Nights" has some strong moments of wacky humor. If you go see it, you'll laugh a lot  and you'll also sit there a lot, staring at the screen, wondering if that little pause amongst the cast members a few seconds ago after they said something stupid was meant to indicate that their spoken dialogue was an intended joke, and they were giving us a moment to react to it.
Just like "Anchorman," it starts out strong and midway just collapses. Once Ricky Bobby loses his home the movie flushes all its realism down the toilet and turns into a very typical underdog story  I half-expected to see Sly Stallone running down the street in shorts or Ralph Macchio waxing on and off. The film drew less and less laughter from the crowd as it rambled on recklessly, and the conclusion  which features the typical dumb romantic subplot (with Ricky Bobby finding the girl who truly loves him - as opposed to his more attractive and less caring ex-wife). Oh, and let's not forget that every good slapstick comedy needs an unmotivated villain bent on the destruction of our hero. If you thought the baddie in "Billy Madison" was unmotivated, wait until you see this! He hates Ricky Bobby for no apparent reason and disappears for most of the film, only to reappear at the end to give Ricky Bobby a hard time again.
The biggest disappointment here is Will Ferrell. An insanely funny co-star, he has consistently proved with his leading-man roles that he is better suited towards smaller roles. His performances in movies like "Wedding Crashers," "Old School," and "Starsky and Hutch" were perfect  whereas "Bewitched" had most people running for the exit signs.
Judging by its box office intake over the first weekend, "Ricky Bobby" has hit it big and I am already seeing phrases such as "Shake n' bake!" being posted on the Internet ("That just happened!" is also emerging as a future 'net slogan), but essentially this is just for NASCAR what "Anchorman" was for the daily news  and the formula is already growing incredibly stale.