The Chris Moeller Archives

George Walker, Texas Ranger

Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's new movie "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" seems as pointed a satire of global conflict as the Marx Brothers' 1934 classic "Duck Soup." If you thought you were going to the theater to see only a send-up of NASCAR or those rags-to-riches country & western stories, you'll stay to see Ferrell (a champion left-wing fundraiser of late) transform his George W. Bush impression from a recurring SNL treat to a big screen image for the ages.

The similarities between the current President and racing legend Ricky Bobby should be blatant enough for all to see: the mythical predestination for power, the genial baffoonery and weakness for frat house hijinks, a preference for the least-complicated image of Jesus, the mushrooming insecurity and the cowboy posturing, a disdain for all things sophisticated, that often-vacant facial expression, and, of course, the Daddy issues. Even the bratty kids. And the corporate sponsorship. If he indeed intended an indictment of the Bush presidency, Ferrell deserves immense credit for his decision to portray Ricky Bobby, not as the confident victor, but as a miscast born-follower. Watching the driver clumsily deliver his first post-race sideline interview nearly had me in bitter tears over the fraudulent bill of goods American voters were sold by the Republican party six years ago. The key difference between these two comic characters is that Bush will endure his wipe-outs on the track and never reach redemption.

I saw "Talladega Nights" last night with an audience made up almost entirely of teenagers and race fans. (I judge the second category by the vast array of race-themed clothing on hand.) I hope they all saw what they were intended to see. There were laudable "eewwws" from the kiddies when the French Formula 1 driver Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen) kissed his life partner (played by Andy Richter.) But there was a sweetness in the film towards those men, and the hilarious, Peter Sellers-inspired Girard has a passion for racing to match those of Ricky Bobby and R.B.'s equally macho Southern Man "Shake'n Bake" partner Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly.)

I'm glad NASCAR has fully endorsed the film. Its sport and brainless flag-waving have, for too long, gone hand-in-hand, and there's a real message in this movie about acceptance and diplomacy. Crepes, after all, are only "thin pancakes," as Naughton points out. Speaking as an American who prefers Jean Girard's taste in Charlie Parker to Ricky Bobby's in Lynard Skynard, it's nice to see a mainstream, and none-too-subtle, critique of the current mindset in power that doesn't come wrapped as preachy documentary or angry diatribe. The well-executed satires always feel completely genuine even when their narratives are going wildly unhinged.

posted by CM @ 5:26 PM