Enjoyable, subversive moments work better than Anchorman's

Rating: 8/10 (4 August 2006)

When I had first seen Anchorman, which was also directed by Adam McKay, I thought that the farcical improv stuff had reached too far, but I have to say, that it was that very stuff that kept me into Talladega Nights.
I have to admit that I'm not that into the old southern good ol' boy stereotypes that we often see in any pop culture reference to NASCAR and its fans, but Ferrell's script put a good deal of heart and character development beneath the silliness. Walking out out of the theater, I heard a complaint about the product placement, but in some cases, it is played perfectly from a comic perspective. I made the mistake of reading a New York Times review that ruined the most stunning moment of the film, in addition to referring to a throwaway line early on as "the single funniest joke". John C. Reilly, Sascha Baron Cohen and Gary Cole each have great supporting moments. I was particularly shocked that Cohen's accent made me laugh as it did. He was spectacular, going toe-to-toe with Ferrell on the improv front. He really is in joining that rare Peter Sellers realm, it seems. Ferrell is as great as he can possibly be in a character rooted in stereotypes. Most of all, I walked away impressed with McKay, who I really thought was too subversive to pull off a blockbuster. Anchorman was cool in that there hadn't been anything like it in the mainstream, but this takes it to another level.