Has potential but misses the mark.

Rating: 5/10 (3 December 2006)

Having liked Will Ferrell's earlier work in "Old School" and particularly "Anchorman", I was excited to see this movie. In my opinion it falls short of being a funny movie. The script itself just isn't as funny as you might expect, and while some parts are kinda fun, they are either too stupid or too long-drawn to become laugh-out-loud funny. And apart from Sasha Baron Cohen who appears as Will Ferrell's NASCAR nemesis, most characters are pretty dull. "Anchorman" had goofy but lovable characters, and a script that didn't take itself seriously at all. Talladega Nights has neither in my opinion.
It isn't a bad movie at all, but for me it is just a little dull, and not as clear and polished as "Anchorman" was. Most of it I guess just comes from the fact that the story told in Talladega Nights isn't as good, plain and simple.