I have rarely understood audience's obsession with Saturday Night Live Players who break out into the mainstream of film. The first season of "SNL" actually had cast members that were talented enough (at least in their earlier days) to carry a film. Later seasons offered fewer laughs and fewer talents. Of those that came after, only a handful actually had what it took to be a pseudo-star. Eddie Murphy in his hey-day was extremely funny (though nowadays he has become the actor 'better heard and not seen' as his voiceover work far outshines his horrendous live action films). Then there was….. oh wait…. That was it. You can't count Billy Crystal because he was already a movie actor when he signed up, as was Christopher Guest. That really was it. By now, some of you are saying, "But what about Adam Sandler!!" Well, truth be told, Adam Sandler is a talent less goofball whose films are by and large awful. Any bits of quality that I've caught in any of his films are the product of his co-stars.

I just don’t get why he is such a big star. Michael Meyers is a bit better and at least has some talent, but carrying a whole movie is just something he shouldn’t do. More recently we have the wave of films starring Will Ferrell. I'll admit Ferrell is an amiable kinda guy, whose interviews really kinda make you like the guy. But I had seen him on "SNL" and never imagined him starring in a movie.

Then things went nuts for him a few years ago, when after several small roles he was pegged to play a human raised in the North Pole in "Elf." Since then he's starred in so many films I've lost count. And up until the other night, I had only seen Woody Allen's "Melinda and Melinda." I just wasn't impressed enough with Will Ferrell to take the time to watch any of his films. However, I was intrigued when I heard about "Talledega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby." The thought of a film making fun of the ridiculous world of NASCAR caught my attention. I almost couldn’t imagine being able to successfully make fun of something that is in all respects as self-satirizing subject. It's like making movie showing rednecks to be stupid… what other choice is there?

I now have to draw you attention to the other side of our household… my son. He loves Will Ferrell and thinks his movies are the best. I can’t tell you how many times he's tried to get me to sit down with him to watch one of them. I'm a loving parent and all, but I always found a way to duck out of this particular father-son event. But when the DVD for "Talledega Nights" showed up, there was no getting out of it. At least this one I wanted to see. But my son had other plans. This brilliant little 13-year old asked me how I could possibly review a Will Ferrell film without watching any of his other films for reference. I stared at him in wide-eyed shock unable to give him an answer good enough to save me.

So last weekend we 'enjoyed' a Will Ferrell semi-marathon. We did not have all of his movies, but had on hand "Elf", "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and of course, "Talledega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby." While I won't get into the first two movies here, I will say that they were funnier than I expected and in the case of "Anchorman", I could appreciate the style of humor that Ferrell and director Adam McKay were going for, but only laughed out loud once or twice. Still, neither was a waste of time and I like Ferrell a little more than I did before. (My wife on the other hand, still refuses to watch them and opted to go shopping instead…) Of the three "Talledega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby" was easily the funniest and one that I'm not embarrassed to say that I really liked.

Will Ferrell plays Ricky Bobby, a man born to race, as is evidenced by his birth in the back of a speeding Chevelle. Bobby is taught at an early age by his drug-dealing father the simple rule that 'if you’re not first, you’re last', though it was spoken with more of a southern vernacular. He grows up to become a huge NASCAR star, but loses everything after a horrible crash. The film mainly deals with the rise, fall, and rise of this faux NASCAR legend.

Ferrell is extremely likable in this movie and plays the role, as he does many others (I can now say that), with a naiveté that can be found only in the innocent and the stupid. This is in part funny because Ferrell, as I have seen him in some interviews, is obviously neither innocent nor stupid. But he is able to play it with a childlike grace that makes it incredibly believable. But where this 'simpleton' act has worked to a moderate degree in his other films (that I've seen), pairing it with the people who live, love, work, and breathe NASCAR is like a match made in heaven. There were times I wondered if "Talledega Nights" was a comedy or a documentary.

But as with the other films I've seen, Ferrell is smart in casting it with good character actors who are able to pull off these extreme (though accurate) stereotypes. I live outside of Dallas and car racing is huge here so I see these beer-chugging, white trash idiots pretty much on a daily basis. There are even two people in our neighborhood who own race cars and I have to remind them from time to time that our street is not a garage. Anyhow, in "Talledega Nights" Ferrell is fortunate to have Gary Cole as his dad, John C. Reilly as his best friend, and Leslie Bibb as his trophy wife. But the film is nearly stolen from everyone by Sacha Baron Cohen, who stars as Ricky Bobby's gay French rival, Jean Girard. Cohen is better known for the characters of Ali G and Borat, but here he is every bit as hysterical.

The DVD we received to review contains the Unrated version, which adds about 13 minutes to the movie. There are also several more extra features than you'll find on the regular edition. You'll find a ton of deleted scenes, a gag reel and a couple of fake commercials made by the characters. I was hoping for a really good commentary but the one they have here is merely okay. Director Adam McKay joins up with actor Ian Roberts and they try to deliver a satirical commentary mocking directors who are very full of themselves. It's relatively funny at first, but quickly wears a little thin. Additionally there is some footage of Ferrell making a personal appearance at the racetrack. All in all, most of the features seem to be made up of some sort of extra footage, but with all the ad-libbing going on, I'm not surprised that is the case.

While I still cannot consider Will Ferrell to be the comedic genius that some folks do, I do have a better appreciation for is brand of comedy. As for the film "Talledega Nights" in particular, again I say that anything that makes fun of some of our dumber time honored traditions is okay in my book. Especially when it does it in such a fashion as those being made fun of don’t catch the fact they are being made fun of.

Directed by: Adam McKay
Starring: Will Ferrell, Leslie Bibb, Sacha Baron Cohen, John C. Reilly
Extras: Deleted and Extended Scenes, Gag Reel, Will Ferrell Returns to Talladega, Line-O-Rama, Bonus Race Footage, Director and Friends Commentary, Ricky and Cal's Commercials, Ricky and Cal's Spas
Specifications: Widescreen (2.40:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Sony / Columbia Tristar
Release Date: 12/12/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Website

We'll give Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby a B-.