Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Jack FischerTalladega Nights Movie Review "If you ain't first you're last." (Ricky Bobby) Ricky Bobby, Will Ferrell,comedy genius to perfection" (Jamie Russell Rotten Tomatoes), becomes the best NASCAR driver, then loses everything when Jean Girard, Sacha Baron Cohen aka Ali G, steals the win from him, leading Ricky to not win for awhile. Then Ricky, makes a comeback when Ricky and Girard crash, leading to a running race to the finish line. In Talladega Nights, Adam McKay creates a comedy using a North Carolinian stereotype through Ricky Bobby. Two parts of the movie were similar to real life situations. First, the costumes were close copies to actual driver suits. The movie used real NASCAR suits that made it more realistic. Additionally, the cars were authentically represented as they had sponsors and logos on the side of the cars. According to Tom Neven, a movie critic, "there has never been any good NASCAR movies, but Will Ferrell ended that streak" (Tom Neven Plugged In) to depict a real life situation.While the director Adam McKay made a spoof of the racing world, NASCAR lovers still found it realistic and amusing. People who watch NASCAR were not offended with the movie. They thought it was a realistic movie about a driver that loves to win races. The special effects in Talladega Nights were not too impressive, however, the movie was not designed for that purpose. In the movie the special effects were fine that I could notice. In Talladega Nights the special effects were not the greatest in the eyes of a movie critic, but to an average person they were realistic, for example when Ricky Bobby thinks he on fire after he crashes. The special effects were not supposed to be Academy Award winning, but was just supposed to be a spoof of NASCAR. Talladega Nights was an appealing movie because the directors used authentic costumes and cars to make it believable. Additionally the special effects were not fantastic but convincing. I highly recommend this movie to people that enjoy comedy movies.

When America's number one NASCAR speed-demon is issued a direct challenge from a gay, French Formula One racer with a hunger for the top spot and a mean talent for tight-cornering, the race is on to become the number one man in all of NASCAR in a full throttle comedy starring Will Ferrell and directed by Anchorman cohort Adam McKay. Ricky Bobby (Ferrell) is a national hero with a "smokin' hot" trophy wife, pair of borderline-abusively precocious sons, and an endless line of endorsement deals filling his mansion with toys and driveway with sports cars and Hummers. His racing partner and lifelong friend Cal Naughton, Jr. (John C. Reilly), never fails to provide him with a hand on the racetrack, frequently performing their trademark "slingshot" maneuver to shoot Ricky into first place, leaving Cal in second. While the public loves these buddies (popularly known by the meaningless childhood nicknames they find so exceedingly cool: "Shake and Bake"), a wedge comes between the two, as Ricky Bobby's longstanding winning-streak is broken by flamboyant French Formula One driver Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen), robbing Ricky of everything in an instant as the trauma leaves him unable to drive. Ricky's wife takes his fortunes while Cal takes his wife, and now he's back with his mother (Jane Lynch) and long-estranged father (Gary Cole). Things look bad for Ricky, but his father was once a race car driver himself, and now with the help of a training montage, a live cougar, and the courage to drive without his gleaming white Wonder Bread endorsement, Ricky might be ready to face the track again.

I usually have a problem with an unlikable central character, but I just can't resist Ricky Bobby's ridiculously funny character! He is very fun to watch run around, especially when on fake fire. Now, when watching this film don't except any breathtaking stories. Because this story is a very bumpy ride. The first 20 minutes is all obvious exposition and some plot points are honesty too stupid for my taste. The "Shake and Bake" joke got old quickly and the ending is a little messy. (keeping this spoiler-free) They wanted to wrap everything up in a nice little bow but it just doesn't work in my opinion. Mistakes should have consequences and I despise when someone doesn't get what he deserved for his choices. However, the story does have some surprising strong points. Watching Ricky Bobby lose his racing touch was done very well and was interesting to watch. That surprised me. And despite my previously mentioned problems this is an extremely funny film. I haven't this hard in a film in a long time! Sasha Baron Cohen provides some awesomely ridiculous laughs as well. This isn't the ballad expected based off of the title, but this is fun ride with laughs all the way to the finish line.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby has to be one of the stupidest so-called comedies it has ever been my displeasure to watch. I don't like Will Farrell in the first place, but I like NASCAR even less, so when I saw that the film was supposedly a parody of NASCAR, I just had to watch. The trouble is, the movie is not funny; it is simply stupid. The scenes that the writers tried to make comical were not because those scenes reminded me of real people that I know who would actually try the scene in real life. No kidding, I know some NASCAR fanatics who would not only identify with the character Ricky Bobby, but would actually love to be him. Don't waste your time watching this sad, stupid movie.