Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

The story of Nascar legend Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) whose star begins to fade when he is challenged by a fruity Formula One Racer (Sacha Baron Cohen) and his sycophantic best friend (John C. Reilly) starts to question his allegiance. Stupidity abounds in Talladega Nights nearly running the picture off road, and the first half is far funnier then the second, but it still contains more belly laughs than most things passing for studio comedy these days. Ferrell and especially Reilly, along with a lot of the supporters (Baron Cohen, Molly Shannon, Greg Hermann, Michael Clarke Duncan, Jane Lynch, Gary Cole) help keep the movie on track.

*** out of ****