"You're not on fire, Ricky Bobby"! I beg to differ!!!!!!!

Rating: 10/10 (12 November 2006)

Ricky Bobby was born "to go fast". He was born in the back seat of his race car driving father's car in the fictional town of West River, North Carolina. He was raised by his mother Lucy Bobby. Reese Bobby, his alcoholic, pot-dealing father, wasn't around. One morning, while his mother was at the grocery store, Ricky climbed into the driver's seat and, using a wiffleball bat to press the pedals, took his mama's station wagon on a high-speed joy ride.
After ten years, Ricky finally met his father when he showed up for career day at Ricky's school. He told Ricky, "If you ain't first, you're last", a motto that stuck with Ricky for the rest of his life.
Ricky Bobby never outgrew his love of racing. While working on a pit crew as the jackman for a race team, he replaces an uninterested driver named Terry Cheveaux and ends up finishing third in the race. Ricky soars to the top of NASCAR very quickly, achieving both fame and fortune with his ride at Dennit Racing. He is able to get a ride for best friend Cal, who he uses as the starter of a slingshot move which lets him pass cars easily. His pit crew consists of crew chief Lucius Washington, Glenn, who constantly annoys Ricky and Lucius, Kyle, who thinks that jazz music sounds like "a tape of somethin' dyin' or something" and Hershell, a stocky, balding fellow who enjoys fried chicken.
While on top of the racing world, Ricky is challenged by a Formula One driver named Jean Girard, who ends up becoming Ricky's teammate. Girard is an effete gay Frenchman who reads the French existentialist novel The Stranger by Albert Camus and sips macchiato as he races.
Girard outperforms Ricky on the track and overtakes Ricky's #1 standing. Ricky, desperate to regain his dominance, pushes himself too hard and ends up in a horrible wreck. Though he eventually recovers from his crash, he loses his ride at Dennit Racing after a disastrous testing session. His wife, yearning to be married to a top NASCAR driver, divorces Ricky within three hours of his firing and marries Cal, whom Ricky refused to let come first in races.
Ricky moves back home with his mother and takes a job as a pizza delivery driver for Hugalo's Pizza. With his life at a low point, Ricky's father suddenly reenters his life. With the retraining and guidance of his father, Ricky gains his confidence back, but still refuses to race after Reese walks out - and then confesses that he was high when he told Ricky's class "If you ain't first, you're last!". Ricky then runs into his former assistant, Susan, at a bar. Susan convinces Ricky to get back into racing at the Talladega 500. Susan then professes her love for Ricky, and they end up having sex in the bar, as Ricky warns the other customers to look away, because "we're gonna start making animal noises". Ricky later meets with Jean Girard, who is having tea with Mos Def and Elvis Costello. Girard confesses that he wants to retire to Stockholm with his husband Gregory to "design a currency for dogs and cats to use", but before he does, he wants Ricky to beat him. However, he refuses to let Ricky win. Ricky returns to the track and tells Cal he's sorry for always making him come in second.
Despite being un sponsored, underfunded, and starting last, Ricky quickly climbs through the field and passes Cal, moving into second place behind Girard. As Ricky unsuccessfully attempts to pass Girard, his former owner orders Cal to wreck Ricky. Cal refuses, and does the traditional slingshot move to get Ricky side by side with Girard. Larry Dennit, Jr., the owner of Girard and Naughton's cars, orders his third driver, Bryan Waynecrest (who replaced Ricky in the Wonder Bread car), to wreck Cal. The ensuing wreck destroys the rest of the field, leaving only Ricky Bobby and Jean Girard. On the final lap, the two drivers slam into each other numerous times, until they both have a long, spectacular wreck in the tri-oval. So long, in fact, that the race goes to a commercial for Applebee's while the wreck is still taking place. The race's broadcasters, seeming disinterested, declare the race over.
However, Girard and Ricky both get out of their cars and race on foot to the checkered flag, to the tune of Pat Benatar's "We Belong". They both dramatically dive for the finish line. Ricky's fingers cross the line, while Girard comes up a bit short. Girard wishes to shake Ricky's hand, but Ricky kisses him passionately instead. Both drivers are disqualified for leaving their cars during the race and Cal wins the race by finishing third. Ricky and Cal make up, again. Reese watches from the distance, and walks away, satisfied. The family, including Susan, Ricky's new "lady", meets Reese in the parking lot, and all climb into his old Chevelle to go get thrown out of Applebee's.