Blu-Ray Review: TALLADEGA NIGHTS: BIG HAIRY AMERICAN WINNING EDITION

Starring Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen, Michael Clarke Duncan, Leslie Bibb, Gary Cole, Jane Lynch, Amy Adams. Directed by Adam McKay. (2006, 108/121 min).
SONY

We’ll probably never get another film like Talladega Nights. Maybe that's a good thing.

Fans may have made Elf and Anchorman modern classics, but Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby remains Will Farrell’s best film. It’s his funniest, most consistent and deceptively clever because it relies on much more than Ferrell’s typical schtick (though there’s plenty of that, too). In fact, without director Adam McKay to reel him in, Ferrell often flounders on the big screen. Now that The Big Short has promoted McKay to the rank of respectable director, I can’t imagine him returning to this type of stuff. What'll Ferrell do without him?

Talladega Nights, more than any of Farrell’s other films, is the most focused and funny. The script finds the sweet spot between clever humor and broad slapstick, with quotable dialogue and one-liners that hit more often than they miss. And even though this is definitely a Will Ferrell vehicle (no pun intended), he’s not the whole show here. The entire cast is allowed to shine, with Gary Cole being a particular stand-out.

Kitties love car rides.

As someone who follows NASCAR pretty religiously, I also appreciate its good-natured skewering of the sport’s sillier aspects, such as its proud-to-be-an-American image, how it’s presented by the media and the extreme level of commercialism.

Now ten years old, the theatrical cut of the film as been given a 4K restoration. The previously released unrated version is also included, but the 13 extra minutes don't improve things. Disc One also includes quite a few new bonus features which might be of interest to fans. All the supplemental material on Disc Two are holdovers from the original home video release.

I suppose if Ferrell was strapped for cash, he could do a sequel, but without McKay behind the camera, what’s the point? Hell, even with McKay, Anchorman 2 was one film too many. Talladega Nights came at the perfect time, when both Ferrell's & NASCAR's popularity were peaking and McKay knew just what to do with them. No way could lightning strike twice, and since this one is always worth revisiting from time to time, why bother trying?

EXTRA KIBBLES:
NEW-TO-DISC FEATURES (All on Disc 1):
Featurettes: “Interviews with Ricky & Jean” (the three leads, in character); “Adam McKay’s Video Diaries”; “Line-O-Rama 2.0” (outtakes/alternate dialogue)
Audition Reel
Raw Takes Reel
13 Deleted/Extended Scenes
PREVIOUSLY-RELEASED FEATURES:
Featurettes: “Will Ferrell Returns to Talladega”; “Walker & Texas Ranger”; “Line-O-Rama”; “Ricky & Cal’s commercials and Public Service Announcements”; Interviews
Interviews
“25 Years Later” Commentary (If you haven’t heard this yet, it’s pretty funny).
Audio commentary by Director Adam McKay
Deleted/Extended Scenes
Gag Reel
Theatrical Trailer
Unrated & Theatrical Versions
4K Restoration (Theatrical version)
Digital Copy

KITTY CONSENSUS:

PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS