StumpTown Entertainment

Will Ferrell is funny. You know this right? But as Robyn Williams and Steve Martin keep reminding us in movie after movie, you can be funny and still make movies that aren’t. Will Ferrell has given us some of both. Anchorman was hilarious and gets better every time I watch it. He was the best thing in Old School a funny movie and his bit parts in various other movies have been great. Then there was Elf (which did have one really funny scene) and Kicking and Screaming which got its title from the phrase “You would have to drag me kicking and screaming to see that movie.” But for the most part, Mr. Ferrell is the funniest SNL cast member in a long long time and is on a roll with his movies.

And if you liked Anchorman, you should drive fast to see Talladega. If you didn’t like Anchorman, think Will Ferrell is too silly to be funny and just can’t get behind a movie that clowns NASCAR, please stop reading this review and don’t talk to me about movies….ever. Thank you.

However, if you still have an open mind about Ferrell, keep reading and then go see the movie.

Before we get to the review though, I have to get something off my chest about the latest unofficial American comedy troupe starring Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Steve Carrel, Will Ferrell and the Wilson brothers and including various regulars like David Koechner, the guy who plays Champ in Anchorman.

First, is it time for their movies to officially have their own genre? Every movie these guys make is essentially the same kind of movie. Sort of silliness with heart and with a very successful formula. All these guys excel at playing the “average” guy hero. You take an average and very flawed guy, give him some mission and an improbably beautiful love interest, then throw in a way over the top villain often played by another member of the troupe and “Viva!!”, you have a movie. The thing is, these guys are not all that interchangeable.

Ferrell is, in my opinion, the best of the group and it’s not just because he is funnier than the others, but his movies and characters have, so far, been the best. I also have high hopes for Carrel, but it is still too early to say. That said, he is starring in the sequel to Bruce Almighty and I’m guessing that will be worth seeing. I admit I am growing tired of the Wilson brothers. And Vince Vaughn, while good, has even less range. That brings me to Ben Stiller. Has there ever been a more popular comedian with a worse track record than Stiller? People flock to his movies and talk about him like he’s the greatest, but how many funny movies has he actually made? Let’s do a quick recap and see.

Stiller has been doing TV and Movies since about 1975 believe it or not, but I think his current run really started after the mildly amusing Ben Stiller Show in the early ‘90s. It wasn’t a huge hit, but it got him some attention which he followed up with a memorable role in the waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay overrated Gen X angst movie Reality Bites, which would have been more aptly named, “This contrite, pretentious script Bites”, but it wouldn’t fit on the poster. Then came the following:

Heavy Weights. Remember that one? Me neither

Duckman (voice). Yikes.

Happy Gilmore – actually one of the better Adam Sandler movies, but Ben was barely in it.

If Lucy Fell – full title “If Lucy Fell and we made a movie about it would anyone see it” The answer, of course, was “no.”

Flirting with Disaster – uhhhh…right.

The Cable Guy – another bit part in a pretty underrated movie really

Zero Effect – You know, that was the one about….right, another completely forgettable dud

There’s Something About Mary – This movie single handedly led to an absolute onslaught of horrible copycat, gross-out comedies, but I can’t really hold that against it since it is a classic. It is very crude which always makes it hard for me to recommend it, but I laughed so hard I cried. And, Stiller was perfect for the role, though I really thought Matt Dillon made the movie. Still, this is a plus

Your Friends and Neighbors – seriously, it was a movie. I promise. Actually, it had a pretty good cast and that’s it

Permanent Midnight – Actually…not bad, though no one saw it.

Mystery Men – Pretty dang funny really, but no one saw it which is a shame. When I saw this movie, I really thought Stiller was going to be one of my favorites. Something About Mary and then Mr. Furious in this movie and I thought we really had something here. Also, about here, he got a free pass from the public to never have to be funny again. What happened?

Keeping the Faith – Not funny or good.

Meet the Parents – A mediocre movie with some memorable stuff that went on to become the most overrated comedy of all time

Zoolander - I’m sorry, but this was not a good movie. It had some great lines and scenes and is better the second or third time especially if you are drifting in and out while watching it on your couch in the middle of the day when you have to stay home from work with the flu. If you are just watching it start to finish and really paying attention, it is brutal. I mean, there is a good hour where you become so desperate for something funny to happen a Carrot Top cameo would be welcome. I know a bunch of my peers love this movie, but it’s just not that good.

The Royal Tennenbaums – Great, great potential not realized

Orange County – Jack Black was the only thing funny about this movie and he was not in it nearly enough to make it worth seeing

Duplex – One of the worst movies I have ever seen. The lug nuts are loose and the whole car is shaking at this point.

Along Came Polly – This time Ben is joined by Jennifer Anniston with her freshly minted free pass to never have to make anything worth watching again to retain her popularity. The wheels have come all the way off.

Starksy and Hutch. Now Stiller appears to be just rehashing his old characters like maybe we’ve never seen them before or maybe he is parodying himself. Either way, it is nearly unwatchable

Envy – Putting him in a movie with Jack Black simply confirms Stiller’s just taking up space at this point. Plus, another really bad movie.

Dodgeball – not an awful movie, some funny stuff, but Stiller is the worst thing about it. And yet, people are flocking to his movies more than ever. What??

Anchorman – Great movie, very little Stiller – perhaps the right formula

Meet the Fockers – I was trapped on an airplane with nothing to do but watch this movie and I still stopped watching about half way through. There are barely words to describe how bad it was. Please someone let Dustin Hoffman in on the worst kept secret in Hollywood, that he is not, I repeat is not funny….at all…ever.

My point is not that I hate Ben Stiller. I like him. I want him to make good movies. The thing is that we think of him as this guy who has made all these hilarious movies, when in truth he has only made a couple and has made a ton of duds, many of which flopped because he wasn’t that good. So why do we still think of him as some kind of comic genius? Perhaps we’ll never know.

Regardless, he’s no Will Ferrell.

Now, back to Talladega.

What it’s about: Ferrell plays Ricky Bobby who grows up as a kid wanting to go fast and ends up as a NASCAR driver. The movie follows his exploits as he learns some valuable life lessons like: neither “Jewish God” nor Tom Cruise can save you from imaginary fire covering your whole body on a racetrack. I think we all remember where we were when we first learned that lesson.

But that’s not really what the movie is about. The movie is really about how funny it is to watch the exploits of ignorant rednecks, especially when they get some money and fame. It’s about how classless and silly so many Americans are. It’s about how much we hate the French. It’s about the complex strategies involved in NASCAR racing (go fast, turn left, go fast, turn left, repeat until you crash or some guy waves a checkered flag at you. If you win, drink Pepsi). And primarily, it is about how seriously so many people take some things that are so silly: like who’s the fastest around a track, 500 times in a row.

What’s to like: So, so much. This was a genuinely funny movie. No courtesy laughs required, there were plenty of the real thing. Here’s what I liked the most:

The French baddie called Ricky “Ricky Booby” Funny every time he said it.
The scene when Ricky says “grace” to Christmas Jesus. If they had made a whole movie of just that family at the dinner table, it would have been one of the top 5 comedies of all time.
the little red head kid, especially the line about being “on you like a spider monkey.” I’m laughing now just writing that.
Molly Shannon. Could have used about twice as many scenes with her in it.
The outtakes in the closing credits. The DVD may end up being twice as funny as the actual movie
The driving scenes. They had a very real look and sound. Not saying, that’s really how they drive in NASCAR, just that it was good camera/effects work
Ferrell is funny all the time.
The totally random stuff like, how they like to picture Jesus, French guy’s dinner guests, French guy and Ricky holding hands, Ferrell’s running commentary when hooking up with the girl in the bar.
Ricky praying to Tom Cruise
I loved how self-aware the movie was. It was almost like we were watching the movie with the actors as we all made fun of this stuff. Lots of truth, very little reality. Lots to laugh at.

What I could have done without: All the guy kissing. Yuck. When did that become ok, even to be funny? I like being funny and I’m not going to start kissing my guy friends on the lips, I don’t care what kind of laughs it gets.

Also, the 30 minute down time in the middle. Like every comedy in this new genre, there is a requisite 30-45 minutes in the middle of the movie where the jokes go from one after the other to one every 5-10 minutes. Why do movies do this? Do they think we need a rest? Do they not know what they are doing? Can’t someone put a stop to it and just make a movie that is funny start to finish?

Who do you like: I’ve really already covered this, but you really like Molly Shannon, the red head kid, Ricky’s wife, Ferrell and Reilly and even Michael Clarke Duncan in the only role he hasn’t ruined to date.

What’s new: A long overdue movie making fun of NASCAR. There is infinite untapped material here. That’s about all that is new, but you don’t go to a movie like this for groundbreaking cinema

What’s the last word: Good ending, especially if you consider the outtakes in the credits which may have been the funniest part of the movie.

Who you should bring: People that like these kind of movies. I think you know who they are at this point. If you like the movies made by this comedy troupe which include, among others: Old School, Anchorman, The Wedding Crashers, The 40 Year Old Virgin, then you will like this movie. If you hated one or more of those movies, you won’t. It’s that easy. Don’t bring anyone who takes themselves or their movies too seriously. The funny stuff in this movie is really, really dumb and sometimes crude and often disrespectful and irreverent. You want to be able to laugh at all that stuff so don’t bring anyone who can’t see the humor in Saturday Night Live. It will bring you down.

Also, don’t bring kids. I don’t care what the rating is, the jokes are too crude and, as mentioned, dudes kiss. Kids don’t need to fill their heads with those terrifying images. I think both women and men will enjoy this movie, but it is clearly aimed a bit more at men.

Where you should watch: If you want to go to a movie, you can see this and get your money’s worth, but you don’t need the big screen to enjoy it and in fact, as I mentioned, the DVD will probably be hilarious, so if you don’t need a funny fix for a while, you can wait to rent or buy this one.

What’s the couch rating: I didn’t see this with Tanya, or at home, but I can tell you Tanya would have rolled her eyes at plenty in this movie, but she would have laughed at even more. No way she falls asleep during this one.

What my gut tells me: I walked out and wanted to see it again right away. You just know it is the kind of movie that gets funnier the more you watch it. I will be going back. And then repeating the lines until all my friends want to kill me.

What it’s like: We’ve been over this.

Where it rates: 8 – That just feels right. It had its flaws like most comedies do and I liked Anchorman better, but it was pretty dang funny.