Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a humorous and entertaining comedy which successfully satirizes the world of auto racing -- NASCAR to be exact. Will Ferrell portrays Ricky Bobby, a member of NASCAR driver Terry Cheveaux’s (Adam McKay) pit crew.

Ricky accidentally stumbles into the role of professional NASCAR driver by having to take over the reins from Terry, who was dead last in a race when he decided to pull his car off the track to search for the nearest public lavatory and something to eat. Lucius Washington (Michael Clarke Duncan) is Terry’s crew-chief, and it’s his responsibility to monitor his driver’s progress during a race as well as to determine what strategies need to be implemented. He knows the team’s sponsors will be extremely irate if he cannot get Terry’s car back out on to the track, so he reluctantly approaches the pit crew and asks those assembled, “Is there is anyone who wants to go fast?”

Ricky volunteers for this duty and is immediately strapped into the cockpit. Driving like a complete fool, he goes from last to third at the conclusion of the event. And he soon becomes a favorite among attendees at NASCAR races for his ability to start in any position on the grid and always finish first. Ricky is aided by best-friend and teammate Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly) who has been given orders by the team to block other cars from passing Ricky or from getting in his way. Ricky is then able to move past traffic to get to the front of the field and take over the lead.

Since childhood Ricky has been obsessed with being number one at everything he does. The character’s pre-occupation with never losing can be traced back to the day his father Reese (Gary Cole) suddenly showed up after 10 years absence at his son’s career day assembly.  Afterwards, Reese yells to Ricky, “If you ain’t first you’re last.”

Ricky took this phrase to heart, never losing anything again until meeting Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen), a gay Formula One driver from France who dominated the circuit and looks forward to doing the same in NASCAR, putting an end to Ricky’s reign. How will Ricky respond to this challenge? Will he give up completely or make a comeback?

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby benefits from the strong comedic talents and timing of Ferrell and Reilly. Michael Clarke Duncan is also strong here. Director McKay, who co-wrote the script with Ferrell and directed him in Anchorman : The Legend of Ron Burgundy, knows Ferrell’s strengths and weaknesses and is able to get a more restrained than usual performance from him in this amusing film.

 (Released by Columbia Pictures and rated “PG-13” for crude and sexual humor, language, drug references and brief comic violence.)