Ricky Bobby can rock a double first name combo like Marky Mark, but can he spit dialogue like the white rapper?
Yes.
Yes he can and he does in "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" with more goofy catchphrases than Yogi Berra after 12 cups of coffee.
But let's get some perspective on this here ballad of Will Ferrell — or wait, I mean Ricky Bobby. The question must be raised: In the course of this narrative, are the trials and tribulations of the bright-eyed NASCAR crew member trying to become a great driver, loving family man and all-around God-fearing, upstanding citizen believable and motivational?
Maybe I didn't really pay attention to that aspect of the film. That Ferrell character sure knows how to bring the funny, though. If he isn't running around in his underwear pretending to be on fire, he's letting everyone know that baby Jesus, as opposed to the adult Jesus, is his favorite Jesus to pray to.
If you await a rich plot with thoughtful underlying motifs from "The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," then you may want to take a quick stroll over to Olin Heath Center because you may be experiencing opposite day, every day.
Is "The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" funnier than "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy"?
Well, gee-whiz it just isn't. Ferrell just doesn't have the same dynamite supporting cast for this over-the-top roller coaster of one-liners. Basically, Ferrell is funnier as a raging alcoholic with Brick Tamland (Steve Carell) asking: "Where did you get those clothes? At the toilet store?"
John C. Reilly as Cal Naughton Jr. doesn't compare with street-fighting news teams with the combined brain power of a caterpillar when it comes to humor. And besides Reilly, Ferrell gets a couple laughs from his kids in the movie, but really from nowhere else.
I hate to be the one to write this, but it's been on my mind and I've been meaning to let it out: Will Ferrell may be turning into the next Adam Sandler. This was Ferrell's "Big Daddy," and the only place to go from here is "Little Nicky."
If Ferrell isn't careful, he will be making movies about television remotes that wreck his life because he never thought to rewind and fix the past. Man, "Click" was a terrible movie.
"The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" is nowhere near the level of unfunniness of "Click," but Ferrell may be going down that career-ruining path unless he remembers it is important to surround himself with his funny friends — Steve Carell, Vince Vaughn, Jack Black, etc. — and at least ponder the concept of plot.
