Talladega Nights M=3; F=2

I’m not much of a fan of NASCAR but I am huge fan of both Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. A since this seems to be the year of NASCAR with it making appearances in a Pixar movie, on “Days of our Lives,” and now a Will Ferrell movie, I admit I took my time going to see this movie. My first tip off as to how awesome this movie is should have been that my brother saw it twice the first week. While I might watch even movies I don’t’ care for several times (sometimes in a carb induced slumbering TBS repeat weekend), it is rare that my brother watches anything a second time. Pre-show: I had just bought the best chair ever before I went to the show. I like to call this chair the heroin of furniture because when I sit in it, the world melts away and I swear to God I hear birds chirping and mountain stream flowing. Now that Ikea has harnessed the power of corduroy, they can not be stopped people. They will conquer us all. Anyway, I was happy and primed for a comedy. “Talladega” was my goal for the day so I headed over to my favorite AMC down the street. One of the first commercials I see is for the new CW network and its fall line up. I fully admit I dorked out for that commercial. I think CW, for the most part, picked some of the best of UPN and WB in their merge (“7th Heaven” and “Everwood” decisions excepted), so it was nice to see some familiar faces smiling at me, promising me a new season of intrigue, humor, and cheesiness. I’m free to be fired up for this line-up! And no, I was not paid to paraphrase their ad campaign. The first trailer was for “Rocky Balboa.” Damn. This is the second time I’ve seen this trailer and I still want to see it. I’m confounded. By all rights I should loathe the very idea of this (and I do) but the trailer is just so charming. Just as charming was the next trailer for “Borat.” This was a new version of the trailer with scenes of Borat in the U.S. & A. If the movie is half as brilliant as the two trailers, we have another summer comedy winner on deck. Next up was the surprise of the day, a trailer for “The Prestige.” I’ve seen write ups on “The Illusionist” with Edward Norton and I’ve seen the trailer for that as well. It did not make much of a positive impression on me. However, this trailer looked remarkable. It is a similar story to “The Illusionist” but it doesn’t seem quite as forced. Trailers are not always the most reliable of tools to judge a movie on, but I have to say, the preview for “The Prestige” blows “The Illusionist” out of the water. It looks darker and less pompous. Here is to hoping it is. The next new trailer was for “Man of the Year.” It stars Robin Williams and Lewis Black. The story is basically a what if tale based on those marvelous buttons from the last election pushing for Jon Stewart and Lewis Black as President actually caused them to run for the presidency and win. It feels a little like the trailer for “Dave,” which isn’t a bad thing. However, I think they would have done better with a different lead. William can pull it off but I’m just not feeling him here in the trailer. Ideally I would have liked Stewart himself to play the role, but I guess it would have been a bit awkward on some level. Regardless, this movie has possibilities but could easily veer into saccharine feel good. I worry. I hope Lewis Black isn’t going soft. Someone get that man to an IHOP, STAT! Next was the trailer for “The Grudge 2.” I never got to see the first one. I love horror movies, but I wasn’t hear broken over it. I don’t know if I’m going to see this second one, but I can tell you it has Sarah Michelle Gellar getting killed and Amber Tamblyn taking her place. If Joan is in it, surely God can settle this grudge once and for all. At the very least, can God intervene and get them to cut a trailer with less quick cuts? Because if they don’t fix it, they are going to have to rename it “The Grudge 2: The Seizure Inducing.” Stop with the flashy flashy. We know you are a horror movie. The final trailer of the day was for “The Gridiron Gang.” I previously stated that the behind the scenes made this look hokey. It did. However, this trailer is nicely cut and makes the film seem more inspirational and less giggle inducing from the self importance. This is an excellent thing because I think the story is a really fascinating one. The idea has a lot of potential. However, if the music to this is half as hokey as the behind the scenes bit, that could ruin whatever seriousness the story has going for it. Movie: Since I saw Reilly as a bumbling cop in “Magnolia,” I have longed to see him do a straight comedy. I finally got my wish here. Not only was Reilly’s character hysterical and endearing, but he almost stole the movie from Ferrell. That is not to say that Ferrell isn’t at the top of his game here. He is. Ricky Bobby is a fantastic character who although he seems to be another one of Ferrell’s stable of dumb losers, is not just that. Ricky Bobby is a bit more understated than some of Ferrell’s other idiots. He is also a bit more charming, sincere, and bit more real. Unlike some of the Ferrell’s other characters, one gets the feeling that Ricky Bobby probably does exist in real life. On some level at least. Ricky Bobby is a boy who never grew up, who just wants to please those who can’t be pleased, and who just wants to be loved. One subtle gag, or not so subtle depending on how you look at it, is product placement. Race car driving is known for its advertising. This movie takes it a step further and interjects product placement in the script as well. Ricky Bobby doesn’t just talk. He talks about brands and slogans. Every time a character mentions a product, you have to laugh. It is a nice bit that carries through the movie, and I admit, it made me laugh every time. Also fantastic is the rest of the cast. Sacha Baron Cohen brilliantly plays French driver Jean Girrard and as an added bonus, the audience is treated to Andy Richter who plays his husband. Also in the supporting cast is a very funny Michael Clarke Duncan and the always dead on Gary Cole. Beyond that handful of actors are many more talented comedians and actors filling out the film. Comedy wise, most of the cast brings their A game and manages to make what could have been a silly little movie a rather strong comedy. They are aided of course by the nicely penned script from Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. Sure there is a lot of juvenile humor, but there are also some wonderful bits. As an added bonus, the movie doesn’t wander into schmaltzy territory like a lot of comedies do for their main act. There really wasn’t a lot to dislike about the movie. In fact, I can’t think of a thing to nitpick. I suppose the worst that can be said is that although I laughed my ass off, I couldn’t really remember much about it afterwards. That isn’t such a bad thing though because this is still one of those movies that you can watch over and over and quote for years to come. And I think that is exactly what this movie will become in the future.