Talladega Nights Movie Review

Gary Cole ... Reese Bobby
Jane Lynch ... Lucy Bobby
Jason Davis ... Waffle House Manager
Lorrie Bess Crumley ... Schoolteacher
Luke Bigham ... 10-Year-Old Ricky
Austin Crim ... 10-Year-Old Cal (as Austin Crimm
Michael Clarke Duncan ... Lucius Washington
Will Ferrell ... Ricky Bobby
John C. Reilly ... Cal Naughton Jr.
Adam McKay ... Terry Cheveaux
David Koechner ... Hershell
Ian Roberts ... Kyle
Jack McBrayer ... Glenn
John D. King ... ESPN Reporter
Pat Hingle ... Mr. Dennit Sr.
Greg Germann ... Larry Dennit Jr.
Leslie Bibb ... Carley Bobby
Dale Earnhardt Jr. ... Himself
Amy Adams ... Susan
Dick Berggren ... Himself
Houston Tumlin ... Walker
Grayson Russell ... Texas Ranger
Ted Manson ... Chip
Danny Vinson ... Texas Ticket Seller
Sylvia G. Lyerly ... Texas Ticket Seller
Mike Joy ... Himself
Larry McReynolds ... Himself
Darrell Waltrip ... Himself
Jamie McMurray ... Himself
Molly Shannon ... Mrs. Dennit
Dan Cox ... Bartender
Sacha Baron Cohen ... Jean Girard
Andy Richter ... Gregory
Bob Jenkins ... Himself
Rob Riggle ... Jack Telmont
William Boyer ... Rescue Worker
Ruffin Copeland ... Doctor
Rick Benjamin ... Reporter
Matt Day ... Pizza Delivery Boy
Alex Whittington ... Pizza Delivery Boy
Pete Burris ... Police Officer
John W. Love Jr. ... Passenger on Bus
Frank Hoyt Taylor ... Frank
Conrad Ricamora ... DMV Officer
Angie Fox ... Waitress
Jim Wise ... Jim Bohampton
Joshua Manning ... Bacco (as Josh Manning)
Elvis Costello ... Himself
Mos Def ... Himself
Lindsay Decker ... Breeze
Shannon Keens ... Breeze
Bill Weber ... Himself
Benny Parsons ... Himself
Wally Dallenbach ... Himself
Jack Blessing ... Jarvis
John Baker ... Ted Beaman
Ed Lauter ... John Hannafin
Lazaro Siplon ... Kenny Rogers
Peter Musooli ... 'Larry Bird'
Robert R. Lee ... Talladega Ticket Seller
Matthew Coulter ... PA Announcer (as Matt Coulter)
Joshua Church ... Fainting Guy (as Josh Church)

Talladega Nights

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Talladega Nights
The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
(Unrated Widescreen Edition)

Sweet baby Jesus, we thank you for blessing Will Ferrell and Adam McKay with the talent to create a NASCAR comedy as hilarious as Talladega Nights.

The so-called "Ballad of Ricky Bobby" is hardly flawless in fact it's not always firing on all cylinders but with comedy star Ferrell and director McKay still hot from the success of their previous comedy hit Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, most of this 108-minute spoof of oval-track racing is so knee-slappin' funny that you can't help but surrender to the stupidity.

Obviously, Ferrell's the shining star, and his portrayal of lead-footed pit-crew-member-turned-#1 NASCAR champion Ricky "I Wanna Go Fast" Bobby (how can you not love that name?) is spot-on perfect, righteously spoofing the entirety of NASCAR culture without insulting its oft-ridiculed roots in redneck bootlegging of a bygone era. You could even argue that Talladega Nights is truer to NASCAR than Tom Cruise's Days of Thunder, and it's certainly more entertaining, especially when you add John C. Reilly as Ricky's life-long pal, teammate, and eventual rival Cal Naughton, Jr. (together they're nicknamed "Shake 'n Bake"), and Sacha Baron Cohen (from Da Ali G Show and Borat) as gay French "Formula Un" driver-turned NASCAR rival Jean Girrard, to a stellar cast including Molly Shannon, Greg Germann, Amy Adams and Michael Clarke Duncan.

Sure, it's mostly a showcase for Ferrell's loud, over-the-top antics and nonsensical non sequiturs (like cameo appearances by Elvis Costello and Mos Def), but with Ferrell behind the wheel, Talladega Nights rolls into victory lane with fuel to spare, and there's one final bit of comedy (with a tip of the hat to William Faulkner) for those who sit through the credits.