Jon Monsarrat review: hilarious, but not really for racing fans

Rating: 8/10 (7 August 2006)

The secret to this film is that it is not really for NASCAR racing fans. The film makes fun of such people to such a degree that they would have to be really good sports to take it lying down.
However, I'm not a racing fan and I'll gladly laugh at someone who's so religious that they believe in angels. Although not quite as good as Anchorman, Talladega Nights is laugh-out-loud funny throughout and appealing to the intellectual, unlike many of the Saturday Night Skits which come through as simplistic and repetitive. They have a trick where they shoot every scene multiple times and try ad libbing and it works wonderfully here. Someone is doing a good job with the comedic timing in the editing room. Lets hope that Will Ferrell can keep this winning streak going.
As for the supporting cast, Gary Cole was perfect (the dad), but I didn't really feel an original vibe from anyone else in the supporting cast. I think if they're going to pull together an ensemble cast they need to pick brighter stars. Or make the next film simply focus more on Will Ferrell himself.
Who should see this film:
-- Everyone, but use caution if you're in the group targeted as likely to be offended
-- Panther-loving deadbeat dads who Wanna Go Fast! I'll give "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" an 8 out of 10.