Ferrell's best yet

Rating: 10/10 (27 May 2012)

Ferrell stars as a dim-witted NASCAR driver with an over-inflated ego whose mantra of "if you're not first, you're last" takes a pounding when his co-driver (Reilly) goes out on his own and steals his barbie-doll wife (Pressly) in the process. Through a series of character defining encounters, including re-acquainting with his long estranged, loser father (Cole) he eventually discovers that winning isn't the only formula to success.
Ferrell's character is a likable guy whose bravado is pumped-up on the belief of others, fair-weathered friends keen to take advantage of residual benefits from his hard-won success. Pressly's bimbo sponge-wife, is a great introduction, perhaps foreshadowing the role she'd go on to play in the TV series "My Name is Earl". Sacha Baron Cohen has an eccentric role as a conniving, European race nemesis, in the mould of the villain from the Herbie pictures, but played with his trademark irreverence ("Come, walk with me Ricky Bobby. Do not be alarmed that I appear to have an erection").
What distinguishes this one from its peers is the very witty script, loaded with memorable one-liners delivered with precision timing by the cast, perhaps most notably Ferrell's precocious, foul-mouthed progeny ("I'm gonna scissor-kick you in the head" yells one aggressively at his frail grand-father at the dinner table). NASCAR and Ferrell fans should rejoice, this is a triumph that in my humble opinion, eclipses even Ron Burgundy's story. And that's saying something.