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Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
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Wikipedia article
'Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby' is a 2006 American sports comedy film directed by Adam McKay and starring Will Ferrell, written by both McKay and Ferrell. Other actors include John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen, Gary Cole, Michael Clarke Duncan, Leslie Bibb, Jane Lynch, and Amy Adams, and appearances by 'Saturday Night Live' alumni. NASCAR drivers Jamie McMurray and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have cameos, as do broadcasting teams from 'NASCAR on Fox' (Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip) and 'NASCAR on NBC' (Bill Weber, Wally Dallenbach Jr. and Benny Parsons).
The film opened on August 4, 2006, through Sony Pictures to critical and commercial success, grossing $163.4 million worldwide on a $72 million budget.
Plot
In North Carolina, Ricky Bobby is a man who grew up dreaming of going fast. Born in the backseat of a racing car on country roads while his father, Reese, accidentally missed the turnoff for the hospital due to driving too fast, Bobby grew up not knowing his father, only seeing him once in 10 years where he was kicked out of Bobby's school for inappropriate behavior. Fifteen years later, while working on the pit crew of Dennit Racing driver Terry Cheveaux, Bobby acts as a replacement driver after Terry decides to take a bathroom break while in last place. After finishing third in the race, Bobby gains fame and fortune at Dennit Racing. While racing, he meets his future wife Carley, after she flashes her breasts.
Years after becoming an NASCAR superstar, Bobby persuades Dennit Racing to field a second team for his best friend Cal Naughton Jr. Bobby and Naughton become an unstoppable duo on the track, but are soon introduced to their new teammate, openly gay French Formula One driver Jean Girard. Girard soon outperforms both Bobby and Naughton to become Dennit Racing's latest success story. Desperate to win, Bobby exceeds his limitations and crashes at Lowe's Motor Speedway. His declining performance subsequently gets him fired from his team; furthermore, Carley divorces him and leaves him for Naughton, causing Bobby to fall into depression and falling out with Naughton, despite the latter still calling Bobby his best friend and frequently calling to do social activities.
Bobby moves in with his mom Lucy, and brings his two disrespectful sons Walker and Texas Ranger with him while taking a job as a pizza delivery man. His luck worsens when he loses his driver's license after colliding with a woman pushing a shopping cart and hitting a police officer, reducing Bobby to riding the bus or a bicycle to deliver pizzas. Meanwhile, Lucy is determined to reform her grandsons.
With his life hit rock bottom, Bobby's estranged father Reese returns to remind him how to drive, using unorthodox methods such as putting a live cougar in his car, and forcing him to escape the police. When his father leaves him again after causing trouble at an Applebees restaurant, Bobby's former assistant Susan persuades him to return to NASCAR, since it is in his nature to drive fast. They quickly develop a romantic relationship when Bobby takes Susan's advice and races at Talladega Superspeedway. Bobby makes amends with Carley, Girard, and Naughton, while uniting with his pit crew chief and close friend Lucius Washington. With limited sponsors, Bobby's car is painted with a cougar to remind him of his passion. At the start of the race, Bobby flies from last place to pass all of the drivers except Girard. In the closing laps, Naughton uses a slingshot technique for Bobby to pass Girard.
In the closing laps of the race, the replacement driver of Bobby's former Wonder Bread car causes a massive wreck that takes out the field, except Bobby and Girard. On the final lap, Bobby and Girard collide, wrecking their cars. Bobby and Girard exit their cars and begin running towards the finish line. Bobby reaches the line first, however both are disqualified for getting out of their cars. As Naughton takes the checkered flag, Girard offers Bobby a handshake, but Bobby responds by kissing him on the lips. Carley asks Bobby to move back in with her and start over, but he chooses to stay with Susan instead. At the end of the event, Bobby is congratulated in the parking lot by Reese; Bobby declares that it was no longer about winning, knowing that he has a family who loves him no matter where he finishes. He, his family and Susan leave to go back to Applebees.
In a post credits scene, Grandma Lucy is shown reading a story to Walker and Texas Ranger, both having fully been disciplined by her and are now presented as polite, respectful children.
Cast
* Will Ferrell as Ricky Bobby, a NASCAR driver who only believes in winning throughout his career. He originally drove the #26 Laughing Clown Malt Liquor Chevrolet Monte Carlo until it became sponsored by Wonder Bread and Powerade during his soar to the top of NASCAR and the #62 "ME" Ford Taurus at the Talladega 500.
** Jake Johnson as 5-year-old Ricky.
** Luke Bigham as 10-year-old Ricky.
* John C. Reilly as Cal Naughton Jr., Bobby's best friend and teammate. He drives the #47 Old Spice Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Reilly previously had a role in 'Days of Thunder'.
** Austin Grimm as 10-year-old Cal.
* Sacha Baron Cohen as Jean Girard, an openly gay French Formula One driver and Bobby's archrival. Girard's dream is to move to Stockholm and design a currency for use by dogs and cats. He is described as talented, eccentric and dominating in the Formula One circuit in a SPEED broadcast segment. While challenging Bobby, Girard drives the #55 Perrier Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
* Michael Clarke Duncan as Lucius Washington, Ricky's crew chief and close friend. After Ricky's firing, he and the pit crew started a car wash, where they had a hard time adjusting to the career change. They eventually return as the pit crew of Ricky's ME car.
* Leslie Bibb as Carley Bobby, Ricky's wife and later Naughton's wife after she fears Ricky will not successfully return to NASCAR.
* Gary Cole as Reese Bobby, Ricky's father.
* Jane Lynch as Lucy Bobby, Ricky's mother.
* Amy Adams as Susan, Rickys assistant and eventual love interest.
* Andy Richter as Gregory, Girard's husband and a world-class trainer of German shepherds.
* Houston Tumlin and Grayson Russell as Walker and Texas Ranger Bobby, Ricky's two sons.
* Adam McKay (the film's director) as Terry Cheveaux, an apathetic driver who Bobby replaces at the beginning of the film.
* David Koechner, Ian Roberts and Jack McBrayer as Hershell, Kyle and Glenn, Bobby's three pit crew members. They join Lucius at the car wash before returning to be Ricky's pit crew. Though Glenn was initially claimed to have died while working on the car, he is revealed to still be alive, and had pretend to die as extra motivation for Ricky to win.
* Pat Hingle as Larry Dennit Sr., original owner of Bobby's team, Dennit Racing. After retiring, his son, Larry Dennit Jr., takes over the team halfway through Bobby's career.
* Greg Germann as Larry Dennit Jr., the new owner of Dennit Racing, who is concerned only with season point totals and winning sponsors.
* Molly Shannon as Mrs. Dennit, the younger Dennit's alcoholic wife.
* Ted Manson as Chip, Bobby's elderly, long-suffering father-in-law.
* Rob Riggle as Jack Telmont, the Speed Channel commentator.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. as one of Bobby's fans. He also appears in a deleted scene at the garage in Talladega.
* Jamie McMurray loses to Ricky at Texas Motor Speedway while driving the No. 42 Home123 Dodge Charger when Ricky wins by driving in reverse.
* C.J. Dornberger plays fictional Brian Wavecrest who replaces Bobby in the 26 car at the end of the film after being driven by the No. 86 Mopar Dodge Charger.
* Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds, Fox NASCAR commentators.
* Dick Berggren, a Fox NASCAR field reporter, seen interviewing Ricky in pit lane at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
* Bill Weber, Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach Jr., NASCAR on NBC commentators.
* Elvis Costello and Mos Def, guests at Girard's party (Girard claimed they were not them).
* Bob Jenkins and Rick Benjamin, Speed journalists.
* Jack Blessing as Jarvis, Cal's crew chief
* Greg Biffle, in a Special Feature but not credited.
* A cardboard stand of Dale Earnhardt appears in the infield of Talladega.
*The broadcaster and various real-life NASCAR drivers and/or their cars from the 2005 racing season can also be seen, including Dale Jarrett, Dale Earnhardt Jr. , Casey Mears (car only), Kasey Kahne, Jeremy Mayfield (car only), Tony Stewart, J. J. Yeley, Jason Leffler, Bobby Labonte (car only), Terry Labonte (car only), Travis Kvapil (car only), Mark Martin (car only), Carl Edwards (car only), Mike Bliss (car only), Scott Wimmer (car only), Jamie McMurray (car only), Rusty Wallace (car only), Brian Vickers, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch (car only, Elliott Sadler (car only), Greg Biffle (car only), Matt Kenseth (car only), Michael Waltrip (car only), Ryan Newman (car only), Scott Riggs (car only), Boris Said, Joe Nemechek (car only), Sterling Marlin (car only), Jeff Burton (car only), Ken Schrader (car only), (car only), Tony Raines Kevin Lepage (car only), Mike Skinner (car only), Mike Wallace, Kenny Wallace (car only), Bobby Hamilton Jr. (car only), Hermie Sadler (car only), Robby Gordon (car only), Kerry Earnhardt Kevin Harvick (car only) Jeff Green, Kyle Petty (car only) and Johnny Sauter (car only).
* Frank Welker as The Cougar,
Production
Development
McKay and Ferrell first discussed a comedic film about a NASCAR driver while Ferrell was filming 'Elf'. Shortly after filming of that film had completed, co-producer Jimmy Miller invited the two to a NASCAR race in Fontana, California, after which the two began initial writing of the film. The two presented the idea to studios using only a six-word pitch: "Will Ferrell as a NASCAR driver". Studios, responded enthusiastically to the pitch largely due to the recent commercial success of Ferrell as a comedic leading man in films like 'Elf', 'Old School' and 'Anchorman'. After a bidding war by studios, the rights to the film were won by Sony Pictures. McKay and Ferrell knew that in order to create the film in the way in which they desired, they would need cooperation from NASCAR. Following a meeting with NASCAR executives, NASCAR agreed to provide assistance for the film's production. While writing the script, McKay and Ferrell sought to make a film that individuals involved with NASCAR would enjoy, much how people in the television news industry did with the pairs previous film Anchorman, with Ferrell stating "We were real adamant up front that our goal wasn't to make fun of NASCAR. We wanted to have fun with NASCAR." Despite NASCARS involvement with the film, many teams and drivers were reluctant to participate in the film largely due to the negative feelings those in the sport had for the 1990 film Days of Thunder, with drivers fearing the movie would be similar to Thunder. The only two drivers who did end up making cameos in the film were Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jamie McMurray. During development, the films title changed from Talladega Nights to "High, Wide and Handsome" before eventually reverting back to the original title.Filming
With the exception of one week of shooting at Talladega Superspeedway, the entire film was filmed in North Carolina. Many of the racing scenes were filmed at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina and Rockingham Speedway also known as The Rock. Various other scenes were filmed in the Gaston County, North Carolina area, including the Pizza Delivery, DMV Driving Test, and Church Choir scenes. The Pizza Delivery sequence began in Downtown Cramerton, North Carolina and concluded at the 'Midtown Motor Inn' in Gastonia, North Carolina. Both the DMV Driving Test and the Church Choir scenes were filmed on the campus of First Baptist Church in Cramerton, North Carolina. Scenes at The Pit Stop, the bar the characters frequent and Ricky Bobby and Jean Girard first meet were filmed in a recently closed sports bar in Charlotte. The scenes for the Bobby residence were filmed at a mansion near Lake Norman.McKay was adamant about wanting to incorporate stunts in the movie, and even had Ferrell and Reilly take driving classes at the Richard Petty Driving Experience with Ferrell later stating that he was "terrified" while driving the cars. Andy Hillenburg's Fast Track Enterprises and K4 Motorsports combined to provide race cars, hauler transportation and stunt coordination. Previously, the companies had assisted in promotion for 'Herbie: Fully Loaded', '3: The Dale Earnhardt Story', and other stock car racing films. Within 'Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,' K4 Motorsports created custom wrapping for specific race cars, notably Bobby's "ME" car.
Reception
Box office
The film grossed US$47 million in its first week, and was the 1 film at the box office, making it at the time, the largest opening weekend of Ferrell's career, before being passed by 2014's The Lego Movie. The film grossed $148.2 million in the US and Canada, and $15.1 million in other territories for a total worldwide gross of $163 million making it Ferrell's fourth highest grossing film behind The Lego Movie, Elf and Anchorman 2 and McKay's highest grossing film behind Anchorman 2 and The Other Guys.Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 71% based on 188 reviews, with an average rating of 6.51/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Though it occasionally stalls, 'Talladega Nights' mix of satire, clever gags, and excellent ensemble performances put it squarely in the winner's circle." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "B" on scale of A+ to F.
Robert Koehler of 'Variety' wrote: "Simultaneously teasing and loving a subject doesn't make for easy comedy, but writer-star Will Ferrell and director/co-writer Adam McKay pull it off with good-ol'-boy good nature in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby." Koehler was surprised by the racing aspects of the film, and praised McKay's direction and Oliver Wood cinematography, saying "he gets the grit, heat and feel of NASCAR racetracks with a near-documentary sensibility." Owen Gleiberman of 'Entertainment Weekly' found the film increasingly uneven as it progressed but praised the racing sequences: "The races are scorchingly shot, and they lend the movie a zest that was missing from Anchorman."
Sheri Linden of 'The Hollywood Reporter' wrote: "From its pitch-perfect title through just about every detail, this sendup of sports-triumph movies maintains the right parodic pitch, if not always the highest mph on the laugh speedometer."
British magazine 'Total Film' gave it a perfect five-star rating, with the following verdict: "Forget the recent blips; Ferrell is back in freewheeling form. More than just the year's funniest film, 'Talladega Nights' is one of the best films of the year." Automotive journalist Leo Parente said, "the most accurate racing film ever, trust me," while emphasizing that he was not being sarcastic.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjPUWcAd2Ko Jackie Stewart / 'Weekend Of A Champion' Film] - Shakedown Trackdown (Region Blocked by NBC)
Acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan cited the film as a personal favorite of his, calling it "great".
Promotional
V8 Supercars team Britek Motorsport incorporated the 'Talladega Nights' logo into the paint scheme of their Ford Falcon BAs for the 2006 Sandown 500 and the 2006 Bathurst 1000.The Supercars also featured Talladega Nights in a Drive-In Night event at Skyline Blacktown on August 2, 2018, to promote the upcoming race at Sydney Motorsport Park that weekend.
Both Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly appeared at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards in June of that year, in character, to promote the film. The two presented the award for "Best Comedic Performance".
Accolades
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col" | Award
! scope="col" | Date of Ceremony
! scope="col" | Category
! scope="col" | Recipients
! scope="col" | Results
! scope="col" |
|-
! scope="row" | Teen Choice Awards
| August 20, 2006
| Choice Summer Movie
| 'Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby'
|
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="5" | Stinkers Bad Movie Awards
| rowspan="5" | March 2007
| Worst Movie Title
| 'Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby'
|
| rowspan="5" |
|-
| rowspan="2" | The Spencer Breslin Award (for Worst Performance by a Child in a Feature Role)
| Grayson Russell
|
|-
| Houston Tumlin
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | Most Annoying Fake Accent (Male)
| Sacha Baron Cohen
|
|-
| Will Ferrell
|
|-
! scope="row" | MTV Movie Awards
| June 3, 2007
| Best Kiss
| Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen
|
|
|-
! scope="row" | Teen Choice Awards
| August 26, 2007
| Choice Comedy Movie Actor
| Will Ferrell
|
|
|-
|}
Home media
The Blu-ray version was released on November 17, 2006. Standard DVD and PSP UMD were released on December 12, 2006. When viewing, the opening menu gives viewers choices for Super Speedway (with footage of the film used as introductions for special features, scene selection, etc.) or Short Track (without video introductions). The film is presented on standard DVD in four different configurations, giving consumers the choice between either theatrical or unrated versions and anamorphic widescreen (2.40:1 aspect ratio) or pan and scan presentations. As for the audio, each standard DVD carries Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks in English and French with optional English and French subtitles.Extras for the standard DVD editions include a retrospective "25 Years Later" commentary track featuring most of the main cast, deleted and extended scenes along with bonus race footage, features, interviews with Bobby, Naughton, and Carley, a gag reel, a 'line-o-rama' feature with alternate dialogue from the film, and DVD-ROM content. The unrated disc contains additional deleted scenes ("Cal Calls Ricky" and "What'd You Do Today?"), an interview with Girard and Gregory, and commercials. The "Unrated & Uncut" DVD omits two scenes that were in theaters: Bobby, as a child, steals his mother's station wagon and the happenings of Bobby's pit crew. The scenes are not present in the deleted scenes either.
The Blu-ray release is available on a dual-layer disc with the majority of features presented in high definition. These include: nine deleted/extended scenes, three interviews, gag reel, line-o-rama, bonus race footage, Bobby & Naughton's Commercials, Bobby & Naughton's public service announcements, Walker & Texas Ranger, Will Ferrell Returns to Talladega and a theatrical trailer. Three non-high definition extras include: Daytona 500 Spot, NASCAR Chase for the Nextel Cup Spot, and Sirius and NASCAR Spot. In terms of technical aspects, this edition carries the unrated cut and presents the film with a widescreen transfer at its 2.40:1 theatrical aspect ratio and includes Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks in English and French and an uncompressed PCM 5.1 audio track in English, along with English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, Korean and Thai subtitles.
The first one million 60GB and 20GB PlayStation 3 units included a free Blu-ray copy of the film.
In October 2016, the film was re-released on Blu-Ray to coincide with its 10th anniversary. The 2-disc set includes all new bonus features, as well as both versions of the film, marking the theatrical version's first time on Blu-Ray disc.
Real-world homage
On the final lap of the 2009 Aaron's 499 (one of two Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega Superspeedway), Carl Edwards crashed after Brad Keselowski made contact with his car on the final lap. His car turned backwards, went airborne, bounced off and crushed Ryan Newman's hood, flew into the catch fence, and came to a stop on the track apron. At this point, his car was just beyond the pit-road exit, as Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr. crossed the finish line. Edwards climbed out of his car and jogged to the finish line. He received a standing ovation from the crowd. Fox play-by-play commentator Mike Joy commented on how it was "shades of Ricky Bobby." Although Edwards did cross the finish line but on his feet, he was still handed a DNF since his car did not cross the line and Edwards finished in 24th. Edwards was later asked about this on 'Larry King Live'; he responded, "I'm kind of a Will Ferrell fan. He did that at the end of 'Talladega Nights.'"
At the 2012 Aaron's 499 at Talladega, Kurt Busch's unsponsored No. 51 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet Impala used Ricky Bobby's "ME" paint scheme. Busch and his team were heard reciting movie lines over the team radio. He was running up front when contact from behind sent him spinning, he went on to finish 20th. In October 2013, Busch's No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet was sponsored by Wonder Bread for the fall race at Talladega. Its paint scheme was based on Ricky's original No. 26., he finished 18th in this race.
During qualifying at the 2013 United States Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel and his race engineer Guillaume "Rocky" Rocquelin made reference to the movie over team radio when Vettel posted the fastest lap and gained pole position. The pair referenced the movie in saying "shake and bake" over the team radio, the same phrase used by Bobby and Naughton.
During his victory lap and postrace interview following the 2021 Quaker State 400, driver Kurt Busch exclaimed "Shake and Bake!" in reference to his teammate Ross Chastain, who assisted Busch in holding off his brother Kyle Busch for the victory.
References
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