Get out of my brain, Will Ferrel!

Rating: 3/10 (28 June 2008)

I have a hard time watching modern Hollywood comedies because they have no idea how to establish characters. Most modern Hollywood comedies and Will Ferrel movies feature ridiculous, unrealistic and unlikable characters. "The 40-Year Old Virgin" was a bit more successful because the main characters were either likable or believable, even if the movie was paced poorly. But Ricky Bobby is forgettable, unlikable and full of drawn-out (improvised?) scenes which are often stupid and a chore to sit through.
I don't think the movie's material is necessarily awful or the people involved are unfunny. It just isn't good enough for a feature-length movie. With a film made of this material, stretching it so thin over 90 minutes, there is nothing to hide the wheels of the corporate machine pushing it through the factory press.
On the surface, the film appears to be making fun of NASCAR, but it also seems to be a tribute to that unbelievably popular past-time. There are no real jokes at the expense of NASCAR fans. And the success of the movie is probably because it is aimed at the NASCAR demographic. Most of the jokes are dirty and there are a lot of jokes about the implied homosexuality of the film's arch-rival, a French race-car driver played by Sacha Baron Cohen. Sacha Baron Cohen is (to me) a lot more fun than usual here, perhaps because his schtick only lasts for a few scenes in the movie.
Will Ferrel is a pretty successful actor, to be sure. The number of cameos and leads he's done over the last decade is enormous. It surprises me, because while he's a funny and goofy guy, his range and depth and physical ability are not particularly deep. Yet he's much more interesting doing other roles. And with so much money, I don't know why he keeps doing movies like this. The more he makes like this, the more forgettable he makes himself.