Only for fans

Rating: 4/10 (1 August 2006)

The Will Farrell comedy franchise continues with this film about a guy born in the backseat of a car. As he grows up, his need for speed grows into his adult years when he gets a job as a member of the pit stop crew at NASCAR. He gets his chance to show his stuff when the team's driver decides that he has to go to the toilet during a race. From then on nothing can stop Ricky Bobby, the man with two first names. That is until, a Formula 1 driving Frenchman is added to Ricky Bobby's lineup. And the heat is on. Fans of Farrell and Nascar will probably love this film. When I saw it at an early screening, the audience was laughing and even cheering. I'm not a Farrell fan or a follower of Nascar, so I became bored about halfway into the film. It seemed too long and relied on the same jokes over and over, particularly Ricky Bobby and his friend's signature phrase "Shake and Bake." Enough already. Sacha Baron Cohen is the best reason to endure this film. Maybe Steve Martin should have taken French lessons from this guy. He's very good. And so is John C. Reilly, who plays the clueless buddy. A particularly cringeworthy performance comes courtesy of Molly Shannon. How does she keep getting work? Talladega Nights will undoubtedly make a lot of money at the box office. It will be seen by all of those people who never read reviews. Oh well. At least I can say I didn't have to pay for it.