30 for 30: 2006 — "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby"
"'America is all about speed. Hot, nasty, badass speed.' — Eleanor Roosevelt, 1936"
What’s this all about? I turn 30 on Sept. 26, 30 days from the start of this series. To celebrate, I’m going to watch one movie a day for 30 days and spend 30 minutes writing about each one. This post is about 2006. Click here for the original newsletter in the series. Other entries: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
I am but a simple man. This is probably my favorite movie, and there’s not a lot of competition.
At least on the sheer amount of rewatches alone, the power rankings probably go:
Remember the Titans
Talladega Nights
This is a movie that, as my dad says, “makes fun of everything.” It makes fun of nepotism, masculinity, NASCAR, the South, America during the Bush administration, American religion, American capitalism, gay panic and the very concept of a sports movie itself.
It’s also hilarious and immensely quotable and managed to place at least five different quotes into the popular lexicon.
There’s truly no better encapsulation of what America was like in the early aughts than Ricky Bobby’s feud with Jean Girard. We were afraid of anything different from us, we valued performative machismo over experience, we were homophobic, we were “the greatest country there is.”
Ricky Bobby is a NASCAR driver who got a pit crew job presumably on the strength of his father’s reputation, he either wins first place or destroys the car trying, he routinely ignores the advice of his closest friends, who coddle him at times to let him believe he is still the greatest, and he spends much of the movie refusing to admit he was ever wrong about anything. It’s a testament to Will Ferrell’s sincere, restrained (for him, anyway) performance that the audience has any sympathy for him at all.
But Ricky, in the end, is finally redeemed by his ability to embrace change and believe in himself and let go of his “if you’re not first, you’re last” mentality. And there’s also a lot of jokes about balls and cougars and dear sweet baby Jesus.
Much of the comedy here comes from interactions with other people or background dialogue, allowing Ferrell to play off of other people instead of dialing up his crazy man schtick up to 11. Every supporting cast member in this movie is perfect, right down to little Walker and Texas Ranger.
Much like the Lion King, this isn’t a movie I watch as much as I recite, so here’s a list of my favorite observations/jokes/quotes:
I love that Ricky’s first sponsor is Laughing Clown Malt Liquor.
“Ricky Bobby, who’s been like a son to me…only better!”
“If we wanted us some wusses, we woulda named ‘em Dr. Quinn and Medicine Woman!”
“Do you realize the implication of your actions right now?” “What’s ‘implications’ mean?”
“Remember, Ricky. The field mouse is fast, but the owl sees at night.”
“You’re gonna break us like wild horses, ain’t you?”
The dinner prayer scene where Ricky prays to Baby Jesus and pitches him on Powerade is probably going to be played during Ferrell’s “In Memoriam” reel. An all-timer.
“DON’T YOU PUT THAT EVIL ON ME, RICKY BOBBY!” RIP to Michael Clarke Duncan.
“Someone didn’t love you enough when you were little, did they?” “Well said, grandson. Here, take this can, it’s worth a nickel.”
“I’m talking about sitting down, having a gourmet meal, at some place that’s real nice.” [Hard cut to an Applebee’s]
Amy Adams’ “Ricky Bobby is not a thinker. Ricky Bobby is a driver!” monologue at the bar makes me miss when she was in comedies. Giver her an Oscar so she can get back to doing movies like this!
“Was that Elvis Costello and Mos Def?” “No.”
“Molly Shannon has like three scenes in this whole movie and runs away with all of them.
“Maybe you subconsciously slept with Ricky’s wife as a way to get back at him for making you come in second all those years.” “Well I telll you one thing, Carly was definitely unconscious every time we had sex.”
The long crash in the final race gets old, then funny, then, old, then loops back to being funny again.
“Sir, you taste…of America.” “Thank you.”
“Well if it isn’t our old mangy, transient grandfather.”
I quote the end-credit outtakes for the Ricky Bobby/Cal Naughton commercials almost as much as the actual movie. Even the bloopers and outtakes are gold. Michael Clarke Duncan was underrated as a comedic actor.
Up next: Ben Affleck’s directorial debut, 2007’s “Gone Baby Gone,” started me on my love of noir.
Letter of Recommendation
Check out one of Will Ferrell’s first collaborations with “Talladega” director Adam McKay here:
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