Hold the 'Fone

'Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,' Will Ferrell's Valentine to -- and lampooning of -- NASCAR culture, sped away with $47 million at the box office this weekend, easily besting the $16 million earned by runner-up 'Barnayard: The Original Party Animals.' Here's why Ricky Bobby, with his Southern drawl, elephant-sized ego and penchant for running around in his tighty whities, can currently be found eating a celebratory meal of Domino's pizza, Taco Bell and KFC in Victory Lane ...

First, there hasn't been a big popcorn movie to appeal to a wide audience since 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' -- unless you thought that 'Miami Vice,' an R-rated flick about an '80s TV show featuring a Phil Collins remix, captured the hearts and minds of today's youth.

Second, Ferrell didn't have to go it alone in pulling in the viewers for 'Ricky Bobby.' Sacha Baron Cohen, whose star has been on the rise since making a name for himself with HBO's 'Da Ali G Show,' has quite a fledgling fan base of his own these days. And his turn as a gay French race car driver is one of the most uniquely funny performances of the year. Whether overdoing his French accent, daintily sipping a latte and reading Camus while speeding around the track, or locked in an awkward man-kiss with Ferrell, Cohen is priceless.

And finally, the film is actually funny -- in a Will Ferrell running around in his tighty whities while screaming for help from baby Jesus, Jewish God and Tom Cruise kind of way -- but funny nonetheless. It's like a  delicious Taco Bell meal for the soul, but without the gastrointestinal repercussions.

Get 'Talladega Nights' showtimes and tickets

See Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly interview each other

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• #1 Comment from simheat11 
  8/25/06 5:37 PM | Permalink

  no one has commented this so i am.
  
  i thought that it was funny