Judd Apatow is officially a comedy genius, despite not being a comedian. In the past few years Judd has produced the funniest films in years. Anchorman, The 40 year-old virgin, and now The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Will Ferrell and Adam Mckay (ex-SNL writer) deserve some credit as well. Bringing back the original writing/directing crew for Anchorman was a wise decision. The three know comedy, and know how to exploit Ferrell's comedic insanity just right.
Which is what makes Ricky Bobby so much fun to watch. It's very easy to see that the character of Ricky Bobby is a Will Ferrell creation, and not some studios big idea. Ricky comes off as a red-blooded American, with a touch of Ferrell's George Dubuwa impression. Ricky lives the American dream of a big house, a hot wife, and all the KFC he can eat. As the King of Nascar, Ricky plays a bit arrogant until things take a sharp turn for the worse. A gay French Formula One driver, played perfectly by Sacha Baron Cohen (Ali G/Borat), comes to take away everything that Ricky worked for. Will Ricky Bobby be able to overcome losing everything and finish off his arch-nemesis?
Like Anchorman, the key to Ricky Bobby's success is in it's ensemble cast. Some of the funniest lines in the film are uttered by various cast members. Will Ferrell knows not to concentrate entirely on his character. John C. Reilly does an equally excellent job as Ricky's best friend Cal. Gary Cole is great as Ricky's loser father, who always seems to have a beer in his hand at all times. Some of the funniest lines actually come for Walker and Texas Ranger, Ricky's two bratty kids. Strangely, the film has fewer cameo's then I was expecting, something Anchorman was full of. I guess everyone was too busy this time around?
If there is one unfair disadvantage to having the same team as Anchorman, is that Anchorman was overall a much funnier film. While Talladega Nights had its fair share of laugh out loud moments, it's missing a bit of the zanyness of Anchorman. Nights is much more structured then Anchorman was, which may appeal more to mass audiences, but it may also lower the amount of repeat viewings. I've seen Anchorman multiple times and still laugh at different scenes each time. Nights seems to have fewer of these small moments that made Anchorman a repeat viewer.
Overall, this is the funniest film that has I've seen so far this year, and only the power of Borat may convince me otherwise. The laughs are constant and are usually consistant. Ferrell, McKay, and Apatow have created a comedy that embraces redneck culture as much as it makes fun of it. Nights is sure to be a crowd pleaser this summer.
8.6/10.0