Barbie

Director: Greta Gerwig
Starring: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, Will Ferrell, Simu Liu, Ariana Greenblatt, Michael Cera, Helen Mirren, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey
Running Time: 114 min.
Rating: PG-13 

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)

The toughest challenge facing a film based on Barbie is convincing viewers to set aside their worst preconceived notions, some of which may seem justified. As a concept, there's little reason to believe anyone other than Mattel and Warner Bros. benefits from bringing the most famous doll in contemporary culture to the big screen. And there are countless ways for this to go wrong, making all that trepidation understandable. But co-writer/director Greta Gerwig gets this, incorporating those potential criticisms into the plot and boldly addressing them head on.

The script stays about four or five steps ahead, disarming reluctant audiences by deconstructing the entire Barbie myth and using it to convey bigger ideas about gender, conformity, aging, masculinity, femininity, capitalism, consumerism and social change. And if that reads more like a syllabus than an easily accessible mainstream blockbuster based on a toy line, it's not. This still manages to be ridiculously fun, with a subversive, self-deprecating sense of humor to go along with the surprising performances and ambitiously elaborate comedic sequences. 

Closer to The Truman Show than The Lego Movie, it's obvious from its opening 2001: a Space Odyssey spoof and accompanying Helen Mirren narration that this will be something. We haven't a clue exactly what, though that becomes part of the charm. Immersing us in a universe that visually astounds and serves as the backdrop around which its entire meta fantasy revolves, Gerwig not only conceives a populist film, but a smart one that's worth revisiting to fully appreciate all it has to offer. 

"Stereotypical" Barbie (Margot Robbie) lives in Barbieland, a brightly colored community inhabited by various versions of Barbies and Kens, some current and others discontinued. While Kens spend most of their days at the beach hanging out, Barbies hold prestigious occupations like doctors, scientists, lawyers and politicians, garnering greater respect within society. One particular Ken (Ryan Gosling) exists solely to gain the attention and affections of Barbie, who appears uninterested in taking their relationship to another level. But when Barbie awakens in her Dreamhouse like every other morning, she realizes that something's gone horribly wrong. 

After coming down with inexplicable symptoms such as a sudden fear of death, flat feet and cellulite, Barbie seeks out disfigured outcast Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon), who reveals the only way to cure this is by traveling to the real world to find the child playing with her. So with Ken in tow, Barbie travels to Venice Beach, California to locate tween girl Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt), whose mom Gloria (America Ferrera) is a Mattel executive. But as Barbie suffers from serious culture shock and the company's bumbling CEO (Will Ferrell) plots to send her back to Barbieland, Ken picks up some damaging real world philosophies that threaten their happy community.

From the start you can tell things aren't what they appear in this seemingly utopian environment, and by the time Barbie hops in her convertible and boat for answers, the gamut of possibilities Gerwig and Noah Baumbach bring to the table start playing out. Accompanying the outrageous scenes of Barbie and Ken's attempts to assimilate into real life are crippling emotional blows to her entire sense of identity and purpose. But at least she has one, which is more than you can say for Ken, who tires of being an appendage and yearns to reinvent himself.   

Barbie realizing she doesn't have legions of female fans lined up to greet and thank her is a harsh wake-up call, but even harsher are the very valid reasons why. Spanning decades as a corporate product that's reflected both Mattel's whims and the values of those who purchased her over generations, she has a complicated history. The landscape's evolved since 1959, with the company often playing catch up, as many legitimate critiques of the toy line end up forming the script's foundation. So does the strained mother-daughter relationship Barbie lands right in the middle of, connecting like the best Toy Story installments do by bottling up nostalgic themes of outgrowing childhood. 

It's fittingly ironic this is what's garnered Margot Robbie her strongest notices and biggest box office when she's made a career cleverly evading inferior parts that could have resembled superficially written versions of Barbie. But this only makes it easier to respect everything she does to humanize a character who's also a knowing commentary on the actress playing it, as Mirren's narrator memorably acknowledges. Such a physical match for Barbie that they actually place the word "stereotypical" in front of her name, Robbie makes this a referendum on the doll's entire existence, shaken out of her complacency and contentment to see the world through real eyes rather than those of a billion dollar corporation.

If Barbie must now account for unfamiliar feelings of embarrassment and humiliation, Ken makes a different kind of discovery about himself that goes beyond pining after her. This epiphany results in the film's funniest montage, as images of horses, American flags and Sly Stallone flash before his eyes, planting the narcissistic seeds for a newfound patriarchal obsession. From there, Gosling's turn only grows more wildly unhinged, reaching its pinnacle with his show stopping "It's Ken" musical number. As a power struggle develops between the sexes, the onus is on Barbie to prevent the only home she knows from backsliding into Don't Worry Darling's retro prison. But it comes with the recognition that their former situation wasn't exactly the picture of equality either.

Nearly everyone else also get their opportunities to shine, managing to convey uniquely distinctive personalities amidst an entertaining assembly line of Kens and Barbies. America Ferrara and Ariana Greenblatt really deliver as the mother/daughter duo with a relatably strained relationship, even as the former is called upon to carry a lot of the script's trickiest material toward the end with a hugely important monologue. 

More recognizable names like Ferrell and McKinnon have rarely been used as purposefully, including a hilariously deadpan Michael Cera who steals every scene he's in as the ostracized and ignored Allan. A great Rhea Perlman plays what's best described as an essential mystery part that cuts to the story's core. It's brief, but she makes the most of every minute, radiating a warmth and sarcastic authenticity that helps sell the film's pivotal moment.

An elaborate musical beach battle squashes any lingering doubts Gerwig can't hold this all together, doing it in just under two hours to boot. And in constructing a Mattel playset come to life, production designer Sarah Greenwood's Barbieland creation is as fun to take in as the characters themselves, ensuring that the purely frivolous fluff everyone assumed this would be can still co-exist alongside biting satire.  

Even when slightly losing its grip as subtext becomes glaringly literal messaging, there's an almost immediate recovery, leading to a final act that skillfully ties all the preceding themes and ideas together. It comes as a relief in a year we've been pummeled by films about popular products, showing just how hard it is to walk that tightrope of not desecrating the brand while placating audiences weary of a feature length commercial. But what's still most mind boggling about the entire phenomenon is that when Gerwig was hired to make Barbie movie, this somehow ended up being her response. 

Semi-Pro

Director: Kent Alterman
Starring: Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson. Andre Benjamin, Maura Tierney, Andrew Daly, Will Arnett, Andy Richter, Jackie Earle Haley
Running Time: 91 min.
Rating: R

*½ (out of ****)

Will Ferrell’s sports act has officially gotten very, very tired. When I reviewed Blades of Glory I said that while I enjoyed it, it was probably the last Ferrell sports comedy I could take. Boy was I ever right. In the basketball spoof Semi-Pro it’s as if all the deleted scenes and outtakes from every Ferrell comedy that weren’t funny enough to make final cut were combined into one movie to torture us all. I don’t think I laughed once during this. There may have been a tiny giggle, but definitely not a laugh. Forget about the shot clock. I was too busy watching the actual clock on my wall, waiting painfully for the very long 90 minutes to pass.

To call this Will Ferrell’s worst onscreen outing is almost too kind as the star really phones it in here in a performance of insufferable laziness and egotism. Come to think of it, there aren’t many other characters in the film worth liking or rooting for either. Like Nacho Libre, which assumed just the sight of Jack Black in wrestling attire could sustain a feature length film, this script believes Ferrell with an afro and dressed as a basketball player is the most hilarious concept ever devised.

Now Ferrell finds himself stuck in the same boat as Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler before him. Rejected by audiences when he attempts to stretch as an actor and do more meaningful work, he feels forced to retreat and act in sub-par comedic rip-offs of his earlier films. The film is so standard and predictable it has me fearing that those claiming Hollywood is all out of fresh ideas may be right. But what’s even more frightening is the notion that there are still many sports left Will Ferrell can attempt to send up in his career.

Somewhat arrogantly, the film picks up in the middle of the action in 1976, expecting us to care what happens to Flint, Michigan’s Tropics basketball team of the American Basketball Association, owned and operated by its goofy star forward Jackie Moon (Ferrell). Plans are put forth to merge the ABA into the proposed National Basketball Association and the Tropics, whose record and attendance is abysmal will not be one of the four teams selected to go and instead dissolve. That is unless Moon can find a way for the Tropics to rise from the basement and become the fourth ranked team in the league.

Moon already has his star player in the showy Clarence “Coffee” Black (Andre Benjamin), but soon he trades up for aging veteran shooting guard Ed Monix (Woody Harrelson) who once won a championship ring riding the bench with the Celtics. Nearly the entire film consists of Ferrell entertaining himself with various sight gags and one-liners (hardly any of which has a thing to do with basketball) until we reach “the big game,” which turns out to not be that big at all because screenwriter Scott Armstrong unwisely decides to throw in a late development that makes the game mean essentially nothing.

The film is filled with jokes that either just fall flat or trail into the distance without a punch line or resolution. The script is so lazy at times it seems as if it’s half-completed. The best example of this a gag involving a poker game and gun everyone believes is loaded. The scene goes on for what seems like an eternity and then just kind of fades away, leaving us wondering what the point of the entire thing was, like a tree falling in the forest. A sub-plot involving Monix’s ex-flame (a completely wasted Maura Tierney) and her sexually curious boyfriend seems like it’s out of another movie…one almost as unfunny as this.

Ferrell wrestles a bear (but you knew that from the trailer), players wear eyeliner and vomit, Patti LaBelle shows up. I thought the horror would never end. There a few funny moments though. All of them are provided by Andrew Daly and Will Arnett as a couple of vulgar, clueless announcers. I wished everyone else would just leave the film and let these guys go back and forth for an hour and a half. That would have been entertaining. The only other actor who escapes with his dignity is Harrelson, which isn’t a surprise since he has experience doing this before in a far superior sports comedy, Kingpin.

The best word to describe Will Ferrell in this is “SMUG.” He has a certain smugness in this role that I haven’t seen from him before and I hope I never see again. He plays the part as someone so full of himself it stops becoming funny and crosses the line into being pathetic. He’s just unlikable and you’re more likely to want to see him get injured and his team lose than root for the guy. He’s played hapless, unlikable losers before but something about this performance really rubbed me the wrong way.

I guess it’s a delicate balance between being funny and unlikable and Ferrell doesn’t quite pull it off this time. It’s like watching an unfunny, stand-up act with a performer in love with his own jokes. He pulled it off in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, which, incidentally, also took place in the ‘70’s. Maybe the filmmakers thought by setting the film in that decade again they could recapture some of that magic except that movie had a clever script that knew how to exploit that setting. This one thinks that wearing polyester and playing Pong is so funny there’s need for little else.

It’s the dubious directorial debut of Kent Alterman who (get ready for this) has produced such films as A History of Violence and Little Children. Speaking of Little Children, an Oscar nominee from that film, Jackie Earle Haley, appears here as a stoned-out homeless man who makes a big half-time shot. THIS is his follow-up role to an Academy Award nomination. It looks like Burt Reynolds finally has some competition.

Perhaps the funniest thing about the movie is that a PG-13, an R-rated and an unrated version of the film were all released on DVD as if it even makes a difference. I saw the R version and can tell you the profanity and vulgarity did nothing to hurt or heighten my enjoyment of the film. A bad script is a bad script no matter how many four-letter words it contains. Although I described this as a spoof it really isn’t. It actually has the nerve to play it mostly straight and expects us to care what happens to these guys. The result is a terminal lack of laughs and a spoof that becomes what it’s spoofing.

I had a choice between renting this and Meet The Spartans and when it concluded I was left with the sinking feeling I may have actually picked wrong. We’ve seen it coming for a while but now Will Ferrell has officially hit the wall and should reassess the direction he wants his career to take. The best news here is that the movie underperformed at the box office so maybe now he’ll get the message and try to diversify a little bit more in his film choices. As a sports comedy, or any comedy, Semi-Pro shoots a brick.

Blades of Glory

Directors: Josh Gordon and Will Speck
Starring: Will Ferrell, Jon Heder, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, Jenna Fischer, William Fichtner, Craig T. Nelson \
Running Time: 93 min.
Rating: PG-13

*** (out of ****)

Blades of Glory is a one-joke movie. Fortunately, that one joke happens to be very funny. Helping further is that the film takes a swipe at a sport long overdue for ridicule in a feature film. The biggest mystery coming out of the movie is how we went so long without a comedy mocking professional figure skating. If you think about it, could there be a goofier sport? With its outrageous costumes, bizarre personalities and ridiculous choreography it's almost too easy. How do you mock a sport that's a mockery in and of itself? It's simple. You hire Will Ferrell, maybe the only comedic actor alive capable of making figure skating look even sillier than it actually is. Then you pair him up with Jon Heder, who has the market cornered on playing wusses. Throw in Will Arnett as a crazed rival and add that guy who was on Coach to play…a coach. The end result is a comedy that's a lot better than it should be and much of the credit for that can go to the actors, who look like they're having the time of their lives. After a solid set-up, the movie really starts to find its groove and milks just about every laugh it can from its one-joke premise, resulting in a really good time all-around.

It's the 2002 World WinterSport Games and the top two men's singles figure skaters are going for the gold. One is a testosterone-fueled brute named Chazz Michael Michaels (Ferrell), who's nickname is "sex on ice,' a reputation only bolstered by the fact that he really is a sex addict and not shy about saying it. His arch-rival, James MacElroy (Heder) is figure skating's golden boy, groomed for greatness from a very young age by an eccentric billionaire (played by William Fichtner). That MacElroy actually stands out as too girlish and effeminate in the world of male figure skating could be viewed as an accomplishment far more remarkable than any medal victory.

The two end up tying, which leads to a funny brawl on the podium and a lifetime professional skating suspension for both. Three years later Jimmy is working at a skate shop, while Chazz (in a very funny series of scenes) is working in costume at a kid's ice show completely drunk. Jimmy soon finds out about a loophole that would allow him to compete in pairs skating and his old coach (Coach's Craig T. Nelson) convinces Jimmy and Chazz to team up. Their competition: The incestuous brother-sister duo of Stranz and Fairchild Van Waldenberg (played by real life husband and wife Will Arnett and Amy Poehler). They blackmail their sister/assistant/slave Katie (Jenna Fischer) into spying on the duo, but soon she finds herself falling for Jimmy and comedic complications arise from that, threatening the partnership of Jimmy and Chazz heading into "big competition." Also hanging over their head is the pressure from their Coach to perform a complicated and deadly maneuver known as the "Iron Lotus," which we learn from hilarious video footage once resulted in the decapitation of a pro skater.

One of the first things I noticed about Blades of Glory was how much work must have gone into making it. Figure skating may look silly but there's no denying it's extremely difficult. Sure the actors had stuntmen there to perform the more complicated maneuvers, but they all had to learn to not only skate, but skate very well. If none of these stars looked like they could skate professionally the comedy wouldn't work. To their credit, Ferrell, Heder, Arnett and Poehler never look awkward on the ice or like they're actors "trying to skate." I'm not sure how much visual effects played a role in this and I don't care because at least the action scenes looked real, which is more than you can say for a whole lot of other sports movies. Since everything looks believable that just makes the inherent goofiness in the premise that much funnier.

Of course, they couldn't have a figure skating movie without a bunch of cameos from professional skaters like Nancy Kerrigan, Scott Hamilton, Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill. Nor could they make it through the entire length of the film without inserting a joke about clubbing someone in the knee. Really, it was too easy for them. Not to feel left out, Luke Wilson appears briefly as a sex addiction counselor. His appearance is so random and unnecessary that it's actually somewhat funny.

The teaming of Ferrell's macho character and Heder's girly one not only gives the writers a chance to slide in gay jokes, but allows Ferrell to go over-the-top in his attempts to shock. Ferrell's antics should seem beyond tired by now but for some reason they're not. The sight of him as a womanizing, sex addicted professional figure skater is a cheap, easy laugh but Ferrell, not known for his restraint, gives us exactly what we'd expect and it's still hilarious. This is about the third or fourth film in a row Jon Heder has just played a variation on his Napoleon Dynamite character. Until he tries something different I'll have to assume he isn't capable of anything else, but here he adds a girly twist and his contrast with Ferrell makes the film, which was obviously the intent behind the casting.

I'm convinced Craig T. Nelson was only cast as an inside joke because of his onscreen television coaching experience. It's funny (even if he doesn't really do anything), but not as funny as, say, Judge Reinhold playing Judge Reinhold in a mock trial on Arrested Development. If any fans of The Office are interested in seeing this because Jenna Fischer's in it they'll be disappointed because her role is woefully underwritten. That's a silly complaint though since in a comedy like this it's a given she'll just be a plot device, which she is and that's fine. The sub-plot works for what it is. Still, as someone who's never seen The Office and was curious why everyone's been raving about her, I was hoping to see at least a glimpse of what she could do as actress. I didn't. It just wasn't that kind of part.

When I reviewed Hot Rod I complained that the film underused the comedic genius of Will Arnett. Here he's utilized far better and is given a chance to show us what he's got, especially in a gut-busting chase sequence late in the film that reminds us how impossible it is to walk, much less run, in ice skates. Arnett and Poehler do nearly steal the film from under their co-stars with their inspired weirdness, which is never clearer than during their bizarre interpretive ice routine of Presidential history toward the conclusion.

There are no less than four writers credited on this, which is surprising since it's far from the highest concept comedy, but they somehow pulled it together. Interestingly, there's also a story credit given to Busy Phillips, who you might remember as a television actress from shows like Freaks and Geeks and Dawson's Creek. It's pretty funny to think she's been spending her free time coming up with the idea for this movie. While hardly groundbreaking or revolutionary, she at least deserves the credit for realizing this would work, something clueless Hollywood studios apparently couldn't for years. In their defense they were probably too busy planning a remake of Citizen Kane or a prequel to Jaws.

Anyone going into this expecting shocks and surprises won't get any. What you will get is a lot of laughs and some entertaining performances. I wouldn't have lost any sleep if I never saw it but it's fair to say what it does for (or maybe to) figure skating is no better or worse than what Talladega Nights did for NASCAR. If you liked that, you'll like this. Blades of Glory is no Superbad, or even Hot Rod, and you'll likely forget about it five minutes after the final credits role, but it does continue the 2007 streak of winning comedies.

Stranger Than Fiction

Director: Marc Forster
Starring: Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, Tom Hulce, Linda Hunt Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 113 min.

**** (out of ****)

Over the past couple of weeks I've had the opportunity to watch some Oscar nominated films and review them. Two of which I even gave four stars to. They deserved four stars, but it was based primarily on technical achievement. When they were finished, I admired and respected the work that went in to to them even if they didn't reach me on a personal level. They kind of get what could be considered a "golf clap" from me. They earned four stars no doubt about it, but I'll be honest and say I'll probably never watch either of them again.

So, what does Stranger Than Fiction have in common with this year's Best Picture Oscar nominees? Absolutely nothing, because it's better than all of them. When I watch a movie I want to laugh. I want to cry. When it's finished I want to eject a disc out of my DVD player knowing I experienced a film that tells us something about ourselves and makes us think. Stranger Than Fiction is a tragedy, a comedy, a romance and a coming of age tale all rolled up into one

Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) is an I.R.S. agent stuck in what could be called a routine. He wakes up every morning to the alarm on his perfectly synchronized Timex watch, counts the exact number of brushstrokes as he cleans his teeth, catches his bus at the exact same time every morning, counts his steps on his way into the office and takes a perfectly timed thirty second coffee and forty five minute lunch break every day. It's time efficient. In actuality, he leads a painfully boring existence, but that doesn't really occur to him. It wouldn't since those immersed in their routine rarely stop to consider if they're bored or not, or more importantly if they're even remotely satisfied or happy. 

Things change for Harold one morning when he's brushing his teeth and hears the voice of a woman with a British accent narrating everything he's doing. What he doesn't realize yet is he's the main character of the comeback novel of author Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson), a chain-smoking, suicidal recluse with a bad case of writer's block. She can't seem to find a way to kill Harold Crick and her publisher has hired her an assistant (Queen Latifah) to get her out of her funk.

Meanwhile Harold seeks help from a psychiatrist (Linda Hunt) who tells him he has schizophrenia and renowned literary professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman) who tries to get to the bottom of whether he's in a tragedy or comedy. On top of this he finds he must audit the tax return of Ana Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a free-spirited, tattooed bakery owner who hates Harold because...well, he's an I.R.S. agent. You're supposed to hate I.R.S. agents. A funny thing happens. He starts having feelings for her and bumbles his way through many of their encounters, consistently embarrassing himself. That doesn't matter though. What matters is that for the first time Harold is actually feeling something and must come to terms with it in the face of his "iminent death" at the hands of Eiffel's story.

How he handles the news he's about to expire is surprising and touching, taking the story in new directions and affecting everyone around him, especially the author. It's a movie about an awakening, not just for Harold but for everyone in his story. Kay Eiffel's book within the movie forces Harold to take action and be become, for the first time, driving force of his own destiny. It forces the other characters in his life to examine how he's affected him and delivers a message (without pounding us over the head with it) that everyone is important and every moment matters. This is especially true of the ending, which is pitch perfect. Some may complain it's a cop out, but how can it be? It ends the only way it can because the characters who are part of this story choose for it to. It's earned.

Zach Helm's script joins Charlie Kaufman's Adaptation and Being John Malkovich as the most original, intelligent screenplays to come along in a while. I always thought what separates a good movie writing from a great movie writing is the care taken with the supporting characters. It's tough giving each of them a life of their own but Helm does it, and Forster (aided by perfect casting) directs each of them to magnificent performances that fill every frame of this motion picture with humor and uncontainable energy. All the decisions made in the film make sense and are based on what these people would do, not dialogue a writer has written for them.

We believe Harold would take the advice of this looney English professor Hilbert because he's smart and his advice is surprisingly good. He might be crazy, but he's right. And what a joy it is to see Dustin Hoffman, for the first time in what seems like forever, in a great role that fits him. He works so little and is given so few opportunities to show what he has that we often forget he's still one of our most treasured actors. I loved how the care was taken to make the narration of Harold's life interesting and funny, giving us the impression that if this was a real book it would likely be a bestseller. Those only familiar with Emma Thompson as a dramatic actress will find themselves surprised at her dry wit and comic timing as Kay Eiffel, especially the way she plays off Queen Latifah's character. No one in the story is as deeply affected by Harold Crick as she is. In a way, he's part of her.

For me, one of the biggest surprises of the film was how well it succeeds not only as a morality tale, but as love story. On paper Gyllenhaal and Farrell seem like the weirdest pairing imaginable, but every scene they share together in this movie is a joy to watch. Her part's relatively small, yet she really brings a realistic quirkiness to it while still conveying an intelligence that lets you know she always knows what's going on. If Harold wants her, he has to earn it and she's not making it easy for him, nor should she. If anyone needs to be challenged, it's this guy. Their relationship develops organically and isn't forced on us by strange coincidences or plot contrivances. The chemistry between the two are electric, especially in a memorable scene where he plays guitar on her couch.

If you're going into this film looking for traces of Ron Burgundy or Ricky Bobby, you won't find any of it in Will Ferrell's performance. He's shy, reserved, restrained and introspective. Everything you wouldn't expect from him. In many ways he's perfect for the part because upon first glance he's amazingly ordinary in terms of looks and appearance. He's an everyman you'd believe wakes up every morning to a stagnant, boring existence. Yet, when the story and Harold's life kicks into high gear Ferrell turns it up to just the right level. Lately many comedians have tried to stretch their acting muscles in more dramatic fare. This should rank as the most successful attempt and if the Academy ever stepped outside the box every once in a while I think they'd notice Ferrell's work was nomination-worthy. However his own skit on the Oscar telecast jokingly acknowledged his chances of a comedian ever being nominated for anything. Now that might really be a tragedy.

I'm actually very amazed, but relieved that a movie like this could be released by a major studio. I'm also surprised a movie could take a premise as promising as this and not squander it somehow. It's such a high concept, the film was almost destined not to live up to it. But director Forster knew the premise he had and was determined to have it cross the finish line in one piece. The film's been compared endlessly to 1998's The Truman Show about a man (Jim Carrey) unwittingly starring in a t.v. show about his life. That was an incredible movie, but it rarely touched on as many issues as this. With all the sequels and remakes being vomited out by Hollywood these days I sometimes wonder if there are no more new ideas and every story has been told. A movie like Stranger Than Fiction proves that isn't the case and reaffirms our faith that the well of creativity hasn't run dry yet.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Director: Adam McKay
Starring: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen, Gary Cole, Leslie Bibb, Michael Clarke Duncan, Jane Lynch, Amy Adams, Andy Richter
Running Time: 122 min.
Rating: Unrated

*** (out of ****)

If anything is ripe for movie parody, it's NASCAR. If there's any actor who should star in it it's Will Ferrell. While this may have been a better idea on paper than it ends up being in execution, it's a funny movie with many scattered laughs, and is worth seeing just to witness Ferrell being upstaged by many of his co-stars. The movie isn't quite as funny as it's hilarious title suggests, but I'm recommending it almost solely on the basis of the supporting performances. I'm sure Will Ferrell fans will enjoy it but don't trick yourself into thinking it's another Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. It may share the same writer/director in Adam McKay, but it doesn't contain as much of that movie's wit and humor. Die hard Ferrell supporters or NASCAR fans curious to see how their sport is affectionately mocked will find the most to like about it.

Will Ferrell plays Ricky Bobby, who all of his life has dreamed of nothing other than becoming a top race car driver. We find this out in the hilarious opening flashback, featuring his drunken father (Gary Cole) being thrown out of his school on "career day" after giving a wildly inappropriate speech to the kids. Years pass, his father becomes estranged from the family and Ricky Bobby has become the top stock racing champion in the country. Alongside his childhood best friend and racing partner Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly) the duo take the racing world by storm finishing number one and two in nearly every race, earning the nickname "Shake and Bake." I should mention that the two characters repeat this unfunny catchphrase nearly 200 times during the span of the two hour motion picture, hoping it will only get funnier. It doesn't.

Their friendship is threatened when Cal tires of being "Number 2" and takes it upon himself to steal Ricky's hot wife, Carley (Leslie Bibb) and claim what he feels is his rightful position as the top driver in the world after being overshadowed for years by his best friend. Complicating matters further is the arrival of gay French racing sensation Jean Girard (Borat's Sacha Baron Cohen) and the reintroduction of his deadbeat father. He must fight an uphill battle to reclaim his position as the top driver in the world, while at the same time learn more about himself.

When I say Will Ferrell is upstaged in this movie I really mean it. He did a good job and fits the role fine, but the supporting characters provide most, if not all, of the movie's laughs. There are actually a lot of funny things going on in Talladega Nights on a fairly consistent basis. At the beginning of the film there's an absolutely hilarious scene at the dinner table with the Bobby family where Ricky's brat kids, named Walker and Texas Ranger curse out and insult their grandfather while Ricky and Cal cheer them on. There's a whole feature on the DVD of deleted scenes featuring these brats insulting everyone in sight that unfortunately didn't make the cut. These kids could have their own movie they're that good, or rather bad. Then we have Ricky's very bizarre, one-sided view of Jesus he shares with everyone while saying grace.

Will Ferrell may be the star, but Sacha Baron Cohen steals the movie from underneath him as rival Jean Girard. He speaks in this intentionally inaccurate and at times totally unintelligable accent that's so ridiculous you can't help but laugh at everything he says. It also helps that everything he says is incredibly stupid. I couldn't help but wonder if I would have enjoyed the movie more if it had focused more on him than Ricky. Luckily they realized what they had and Cohen does deservedly get nearly as much screen time as Ferrell, so no complaints The pride of Jean when he introduces Gregory (Andy Richter) to the NASCAR fans at the bar as "his husband" and the reaction of the ESPN reporters who have to reveal it is priceless. It seems like the movie's making fun of gay people, but it's much smarter than that. It's making fun of southern NASCAR fans who have probably never met a gay person in their life.

The movie tries to deliver a message between Ricky's abandonment issues with his father which leads to the neglection of his own family and friends, but I was too busy laughing at all the supporting players to even notice. Gary Cole is just great as the alcoholic dad and Amy Adams (Oscar nominee last year for Junebug), in a small role as Ricky's devoted assistant has an incredible scene at Applebee's that has to be seen to be believed, and I can tell you if you're a guy you won't be able to get it out of your head for weeks. I'd recommend the movie just for her.

I've heard some complaints about all the product placement in the film, but it serves a purpose in mocking product placement in NASCAR. There's no shortage of it in this film with Wonder Bread, Old Spice, Pierre, Powerade, Applebees and many more popping up. There's also bonus fake promos and commercials starring Ricky and Cal that you can access on the special features that are pretty funny. I also give credit to the writers for not having the final race go how you would expect it to at all. When the film was over I thought it was decent, if flawed. I didn't expect to like Talladega Nights, but there's a strange goofy, charm to it that pulls you in.