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Tuesday, 15 August 2006 02:57 |
Like many self-respecting making-of-a-legend biopics, the film begins with the mythic birth of its subject. North Carolinian Ricky Bobby comes into this world in the back seat of a speeding car, and thus begins a lifelong obsession with going fast. He gets his shot behind the wheel when he steps up from the pit crew to fill in for an indifferent driver (played by director Adam McKay). From there it's a straight shot into the NASCAR stratosphere. But all great and reckless men are destined to fall -- or, in Ricky Bobby's case, to take a car airborne and land on the wrong side of sane.
Trying in vain to get him over a case of hysterical paralysis are Ricky's crew chief (a very funny Michael Clarke Duncan) and his lifelong friend and fellow driver, Cal (Reilly). When Cal and Ricky look each other in the eyes or trade their nonsensical motto, "Shake and Bake," you can almost hear the sputtering sparks of their slow-dawning semi-self-awareness and yearning to be just a little bit more clued in. Cal can't quite understand why Ricky doesn't want to be his friend after Mrs. Bobby (Leslie Bibb) dumps her husband for the still-employed Cal.
Retreating from his waterside mansion to his hometown, Ricky gets some lessons in hillbilly Zen from his incorrigible absentee dad (an excellent Gary Cole), while his mom (Jane Lynch) sets out to tame his two ornery sons (Houston Tumlin and Grayson Russell). If he returns to the track, Ricky will have to face competition not only from Cal but also from formidable Formula One driver Jean Girard (the loopy Sacha Baron Cohen, aka Ali G). Not since Peter Sellers' Clouseau has Gallic-accented English been so tortured.
Baron Cohen and scripters Ferrell and McKay have some fun with the French-bashing and homophobia associated with America's NASCAR-loving breadbasket. The whippet-thin Jean has a taste for jazz, macchiato and the novels of Camus -- the latter two enjoyed while behind the wheel. Oh, and did we mention that he's got a devoted husband (Andy Richter)? Such uber-cool people as Elvis Costello and Mos Def hang out with him. And yet, he's really just a Continental version of Ricky and Cal: a Euro-idiot.
The rise-and-fall-and-rise saga of "Talladega" has the conviction to undercut every one of its potentially sappy moments. Reilly, an actor of proven dramatic intensity, makes a great comic foil for the gifted Ferrell, and they find ace support from the rest of the cast, which includes Greg Germann, Molly Shannon and Amy Adams ("Junebug"). After seeing in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" what Lynch is capable of, her relatively restrained turn here is a bit of a letdown.
Helmer/co-scripter McKay, reteaming with Ferrell after "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy," has a sure feel for the vulnerable points in genre conventions and for the speed of the track. DP Oliver Wood capitalizes on fine stunt work and NASCAR involvement, including shoots at North Carolina's Lowe's Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.
Director: Adam McKay
Screenwriters: Will Ferrell, Adam McKay
Producers: Jimmy Miller, Judd Apatow
Executive producers: Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, David Householter, Ryan Kavanaugh, Richard Glover, Sarah Nettinga
Director of photography: Oliver Wood
Production designer: Clayton R. Hartley
Music: Alex Wurman
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editor: Brent White
Cast:
Ricky Bobby: Will Ferrell
Cal Naughton Jr.: John C. Reilly
Jean Girard: Sacha Baron Cohen
Reese Bobby: Gary Cole
Lucius Washington: Michael Clarke Duncan
Carley: Leslie Bibb
Lucy Bobby: Jane Lynch
Susan: Amy Adams
Gregory: Andy Richter
Mrs. Dennit: Molly Shannon
Larry Dennit Jr.: Greg Germann
Dennit Senior: Pat Hingle
Walker: Houston Tumlin
Texas Ranger: Grayson Russell
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