Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Though high speed car chases and hot heads filled with adrenaline have often graced the silver screen, it’s not every day that a movie comes out about NASCAR racing – Days of Thunder with Tom Cruise is one, but what else? This much-loved American sport is the central theme of the movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. The following write-up reveals the plot.

Whether you enjoyed Talladega Nights or not will depend on your personal taste in movies. The movie tells the story of a fairly regular guy, Ricky Bobby (played by Will Ferrell) who rises to the top of his profession, only to plummet to the depths of despair after one bad race. Ricky Bobby lives his life according to the motto: “If you ain’t first, you’re last” – the only ‘words of wisdom’ that his estranged father ever imparted to him.

As a youngster Ricky suffers some trial and error races before shooting to the top at rocket speed. Working with his best friend since childhood, Cal Naughton Jr. (played by John C. Reilly) the two men team-up and work together to ensure that Ricky Bobby wins every single race. Of course winning also brings with it wealth and Ricky Bobby not only becomes rich, he ends up with a very beautiful wife (Leslie Bibb) and two very spoiled children who are never restrained (presumably so as not to inhibit their ‘winning potential’). However one fatal day Ricky Bobby’s life hits a massive speed bump when European race driver Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen) defeats him.

After a somewhat unusual ‘mental breakdown’ on the track, Bobby suffers a short period of denial where he claims to be paralyzed from the waist down. After realizing that he has no excuse, he becomes depressed, feeling that he can never race again. His wife leaves him for his best friend who is only too happy to be able to cross the finish line first for a change and he is left to look after his two hellish children. After getting his mom to sort out his two children, Bobby slowly climbs his way back to the top.

While the story line of Talladega Nights is a bit far fetched, and filled with typical Will Ferrell slap-stick humour, it is an entertaining movie that features some interesting race scenes. It may not be a believable story about NASCAR drivers but it worth the price of admission whether you are a auto racing fan or simply wanting to see another Will Farrell movie.