Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby ***
Cast: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Leslie Bibb, Amy Adams, Michael Clarke Duncan, Sacha Baron Cohen, Greg Germann, Gary Cole
Director: Adam McKay
Running Length: 1:44
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Ricky Bobby (Ferrell) was always wanted to go fast. That suits him well as a NASCAR driver. He is the #1 driver, with a little help from his best friend Cal Naughten Jr. (Reilly). Everything is going well for Ricky, until Frenchman Jean Girard (Cohen) enters his life. He is everything Ricky is not, and his alternative lifestyle is at odds with everything Ricky believes in. When a race goes bad, Ricky finds himself on the bottom looking up, and he must decide whether to try for a comeback or move on.

“Talladega Nights” is your typical Will Ferrell movie. Take that as you will. Ferrell has just the right amount of goofball charm to make Ricky a likeable character. The always excellent Reilly is great as Cal, and Cohen makes Girard hilarious. There are lots of NASCAR in-jokes, and that will appeal to that section of the audience. Overall, “Talladega Nights” is not a huge step forward for Ferrell, but it is a step in the right direction. His star is getting bigger and bigger with each movie, and he is quickly becoming the new Jim Carrey.