Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

A hotshot NASCAR driver (Will Ferrell) sees his world crumble when a gay French Formula One racer (Sacha Baron Cohen) challenges his supremacy on the circuit. The script by Ferrell and director Adam McKay, a parody of sports biopics, takes the same freewheeling approach that served them well on Anchorman, but with a more mean-spirited edge; a sneering contempt for NASCAR fans as a bunch of inbred white-trash cretins is never far below the surface. But the movie’s what-the-hell spirit is surprisingly infectious, and there are more funny moments than misfires. Besides, there’s just no denying that the racing scenes are exciting and brilliantly staged and edited. John C. Reilly plays Ferrell’s best friend, Jane Lynch and Gary Cole play his parents, and Leslie Bibb and Amy Adams play the women in his life.