The Race Fan and the Pit Crew
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
directed by Adam McKay
rating: 2 out of 5 cravats
on DVD from Netflix
Two thoughts struck me as I laughed my way congenially through Talladega Nights. Sacha Baren Cohen plays Jean Girard, who arrives in Alabama from the international Formula One circuit to steal a "taste of America" from the lips of his competitor - dear, disgraced Ricky Bobby. Jean jokes about Crêpes Suzette, existentialism, and William Blake, but laughs like that aren't aimed at casual detractors of Francophilia. Instead, they seem targeted towards an altogether more specific subset: lovers of "cinema," perhaps. Lovers of cinema... like me!
I can't wrap my head around Will Ferrell. Would he scare me if I met him face to face? Shouldn't I be sick of his routine by now? And if not, why was Talladega Nights at least a half hour too long? There's a slapstick scene I loved involving Ricky and his truck, post-professional meltdown. But it doesn't last; John C. Reilly is back before you blink. Why is good slapstick so rare, or so difficult? When I was a Jim Carrey fan, hearing critics compare him to Jerry Lewis made me never want to see a Jerry Lewis film. Eventually I did, and I laughed like a Frenchman, but surely someone can take all these stray threads and make something new.
directed by Adam McKay
rating: 2 out of 5 cravats
on DVD from Netflix
Two thoughts struck me as I laughed my way congenially through Talladega Nights. Sacha Baren Cohen plays Jean Girard, who arrives in Alabama from the international Formula One circuit to steal a "taste of America" from the lips of his competitor - dear, disgraced Ricky Bobby. Jean jokes about Crêpes Suzette, existentialism, and William Blake, but laughs like that aren't aimed at casual detractors of Francophilia. Instead, they seem targeted towards an altogether more specific subset: lovers of "cinema," perhaps. Lovers of cinema... like me!
I can't wrap my head around Will Ferrell. Would he scare me if I met him face to face? Shouldn't I be sick of his routine by now? And if not, why was Talladega Nights at least a half hour too long? There's a slapstick scene I loved involving Ricky and his truck, post-professional meltdown. But it doesn't last; John C. Reilly is back before you blink. Why is good slapstick so rare, or so difficult? When I was a Jim Carrey fan, hearing critics compare him to Jerry Lewis made me never want to see a Jerry Lewis film. Eventually I did, and I laughed like a Frenchman, but surely someone can take all these stray threads and make something new.
posted by NPK at 5:24 PM
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