Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Critic Reviews

We are treated to the riotous, almost David Lynchian moment in which Ferrell runs around a motorway in his undies screaming that he's on fire. He's not. Actually, come to think of it: He is.Read the full review

The races are scorchingly shot, and they lend the movie a zest.Read the full review

A bit of a mess, but it is a genial mess, and one that will make you laugh. Which is the whole idea.Read the full review

You laugh a few times but, in the end, you wonder why you bothered.Read the full review

The laughs come and go, but Ferrell makes NASCAR his bitch funny. Funnier. And more fun. And then the fun skids to a stop. You know how it goes: Plot gets in the way.Read the full review

This is a decidedly blue-state take on a red-state phenomenon.Read the full review

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.Read the full review

As a cultural artifact, Talladega Nights is both completely phony and, therefore, utterly authentic. Or, to put it differently: this movie is the real thing. It's finger lickin' good. It's eatin' good in the neighborhood. It's the King of Beers. It's Wonder Bread.Read the full review

When the crazy comes, it's pretty good crazy. Ferrell is in full-on brazen redneck mode, doing a variation on his "Saturday Night Live" George W. Bush impression.Read the full review