With 71% rotten tomatoes and certified fresh, “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” is the renaissance of American comedy. Released in 2006, Talladega Nights features Will Ferrell as Ricky Bobby and John C. Reilly as Ricky’s best friend, Cal Naughton Jr. The plot of the film focuses on an American NASCAR driver, Ricky, and the highs and lows of his career. His talent and devotion are put to the test when Jean Girard, a French NASCAR driver, rises to the very top. 

At the beginning of “Talladega Nights,” Ricky steals his mother’s car as a child and drives it away while she’s shopping in a store. All Ricky has ever wanted to do is to “go fast.”

One of my favorite scenes in the movie is near the end when Ricky is making a final push on the last lap of The Talladega Superspeedway Race to take the win over Jean Girard. Cal pulls ahead of Ricky to set him up for the Slingshot, which is a maneuver used by racers to break the vacuum causing a burst of speed that allows the second car to push ahead. When Cal and Ricky engage the slingshot, Ricky is sped ahead and passes Jean Girard. Even though Ricky passes Jean, Cal actually ends up finishing first.

My favorite character is Ricky, since he embodies America in the movie. Ricky is unique, which is illustrated throughout the movie. For example, when he gets in a crash, thinks he is on fire. Another example of his uniqueness is when he gets a concussion and is admitted to a hospital. Cal and Lucius walk in and see Ricky playing basketball in a wheelchair, and assume Ricky is paralyzed. However, Ricky had just found the wheelchair in the hallway and decided to join the paraplegic basketball game. 

Overall, the comedic effect of the movie is spot on, and I would recommend it to anyone who is in need of a good laugh. In all of Will Ferrell’s movies, he never fails to become the character he plays, so “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” is a well-made comedy film simply because Ferrell becomes his character exceptionally well.