Plot: What’s it about?
It’s odd how I can’t remember what I had for dinner a night or two ago, yet I can remember with pinpoint accuracy standing in line (at Circuit City, may it R.I.P.) waiting to get my hands on a Sony Playstation 3. The allure, for me anyway, wasn’t so much the gaming aspect of it; rather it was a Blu-ray player that also played games. I’d purchased a HD-DVD player a few months before and we had no idea who would with the vaunted “format war.” As time has shown, we know (and it was over sooner than I’d have thought) now. I mention this as this film was bundled with the PS3, so if you purchased one of these – this was your Blu-ray collection. And this was also the first collaboration between Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly (two more films would follow…so far) and featured a then relatively unknown star by the name of Sasha Baron Cohen known, at the time, for his work on The Ali G Show. That would change a few months later. Having said that, let’s get this party started!
Will Ferrell plays the titular character. He’s a NASCAR driver and it’s fulfilling his lifelong dream since he was kid. His father, Reese (Gary Cole) taught him how good it felt to go fast and gave him one piece of advice: “If you’re not first, you’re last.” Ricky took that to heart and now he’s not only the top driver, but the sport has also given him a trophy wife (Leslie Bibb) and more money than he knows what to do with. He’s also got two precocious sons: Walker and Texas Ranger (you connect the dots). Of course, Ricky’s best friend is his partner-in-crime, Cal (John C. Reilly) who helps Ricky win by blocking the other cars. But all is not well as a French racer, Jean Girard (Sasha Baron Cohen) has joined the team and he’s determined to replace Ricky in the winner’s circle. Add to this that Ricky’s just had a crash and he now believes himself paralyzed (he’s not). Is this the end for Ricky Bobby, or will he regain his gumption and show Jean who’s the king of the hill?
If you’re a fan of sophomoric humor, Will Ferrell and/or John C. Reilly or the work of Adam McKay, this one is for you. I might also throw in “the South” and having lived there for a few decades of my life, I have no problem making fun of those who live there. I’ve never really had the affection for this film that I should have and that’s a shame. It’s got all the right elements, but I think the fact that I saw this disc everywhere somehow turned me off. Or not. I don’t know, it has been twenty years ago. Still, I got a few chuckles and it’s nice to have anything and everything associated with this film in one nice package. There’s not a lot to dislike with this one, I need to watch it more often.
Video: How’s it look?
To say that this film has been around is nothing short of an understatement. As I mentioned above, if you purchased a Sony PS3 back in 2006 (legally, of course) this movie was bundled with it. So, in essence, this was literally the first Blu-ray on the market. How’s that for history? Over the years, we were graced with a couple of other editions, notably the “Big Hairy American Winning” edition and that seems to be one of the included Blu-ray’s. Nevertheless, that’s not why we’re here as we’ve now got this in 4K that’s now been treated with Dolby Vision and contains both the theatrical and unrated versions on the same disc. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it once more – Sony’s discs really do set the standard for what looks good. This remastered 4K disc effectively uses Dolby Vision to give us a sharper, more well-defined image that bursts with color and clarity. Yes, folks, you can easily read every corporate sponsor that this film has to offer. The film has never looked bad by any means, but this 4K edition puts it across the finish line looking very smart indeed. It’s a noted improvement.
Audio: How’s it sound?
The new Dolby Atmos track does bump things up a notch, but even considering the source material – this is still a comedy at heart. If you’re looking for something that sounds like F1, then that’s the film you need to watch. Having said that, this is a serviceable upgrade to the existing DTS HD Master Audio mix, but it gives us – as expected – a bit more “oomph” in the rear channels. Vocals are crisp and sharp, surrounds are prevalent and the LFE get their fair share as well.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Nothing new has been included, and all of the legacy supplements are included on the Blu-ray discs.
Disc One (4K)
- Theatrical and Unrated Versions
Disc Two (Blu-ray – Theatrical)
- 25 Years Later Commentary
- 13 Deleted and Extended Scenes
- Line-O-Rama 2.0
- Interviews with Ricky & Jean
- 4 Raw Takes
- Adam McKay’s Video Diaries
- 4 Auditions
Disc Three (Blu-ray – Unrated)
- Director & Friends Commentary
- Deleted and Extended Scenes
- Gag Reel
- Line-O-Rama
- Interviews
- Will Ferrell Returns to Talladega
- Bonus Race Footage
- Walker & Texas Ranger
- Ricky and Cal’s Commercials and Public Service Announcements
- Theatrical Trailer
The Bottom Line
Of the three films that John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell films, this ranks squarely in the middle. I don’t think the day will ever come when something tops Step Brothers, but you never know. This is a landmark in a matter of speaking considering this is the film that “launched” the Blu-ray format. And this set has it all, literally so for true fans, this one is a no-brainer.
