Best Comedy of 2006

Rating: 10/10 (17 December 2006)

TALLADEGA NIGHTS is both the best comedy of 2006 (yes, better than BORAT), and the best Will Ferrell flick yet. Where do I start? First, three scenes, top of head, that stand out as pure genius...the great improv between Ferrell and O'Reilly in the "baby Jesus" grace scene, the hilarious slapstick in the knife in leg scene, and the dead-on cultural satire of (well, the whole movie) the scene where Sasha Cohen's indelible Girard breaks Ricky Bobby's arm for not praising crepes. Beyond Cohen and O'Reilly in terrific supporting roles, Gary Cole and Jane Lynch both have some great moments/lines as Ricky Bobby's parents, all of Bobby's crew have funny scenes, and the actress who plays his wife is dead on. What else? The plot basically works, is tight, yet with lots of room to play (some of the improv becomes almost surreal, going into the territory that defined Ferrell's best work on SNL...remember the cowbell)...and it actually has a lot of energy as an action flick, the race scenes really rock. But, what I'm left is, is a rich tapestry of contemporary American excess, greed and shallowness, which serves as biting satire, even as it wallows in it. Ferrell, in my read, is doing a Bush caricature...a bit stupid, a bit charming, and quite dangerous. Yet, I like that ultimately the film has a kindness toward the people its satirizing...unlike BORAT (yeah, I don't mind ridiculing stupid, privileged Americans, but not so cool to deceive and ridicule impoverished Romanians). TALLADEGA NIGHTS...best comedy of 2006!