Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby

Copyright Āc 2009 Ed Bagley

Wedding Crashers - 3 Stars (Good)

Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby - 2 stars (average)

There are comedies that can make you laugh are not good films because they have no sense of any substance or an interesting message. An example would be "Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby", worth a few laughs with Will Ferrell Ricky Bobby in, but not able to get emotionally involved in a lot of character.

Then, there are comedies that can make you laugh that seems to be a lack of substance, but you slowly pull on a character that you become emotionally involved with her situation. An example would be Wedding Crashers "with Owen Wilson as John Beckwith.

So what makes a good movie and another just average? The difference is in the script, direction and quality.

For openers, Talladega Nights was written by Will Farrell, who also plays the lead role, and Adam McKay, who is the director. My experience has been that when a film director also wrote the screenplay, script, direction and the movie are all suffering from the majority of the time. When the main actor of the film is also a screenwriter of the film, the location is combined, as the blind leading the deaf through a minefield.

Both Farrell and McKay try to tell a story with their comedy, but fail because not only the incredible comedy, but the character of Ricky Bobby is not friendly enough to convince us that there is human drama unfolds here.

McKay joins a long list of other writers or directors who have bombed in both roles, including Vanessa Parise (terrible rating) for Kiss the Bride, Peter Weir (average rating) for Master and Commander: The Far Side Of The World and Nancy Myers (average rating) for Something's Gotta Give, Thomas Bezucha (average rating) for The Family Stone, Michael McGowan (average rating) for Saint Ralph, Jared Hess (Note terrible) for Napoleon Dynamite, Robert Rodriguez (Note terrible) to Once Upon a Time in Mexico, and Paul Thomas Anderson (terrible rating) for Punch-Drunk Love.

Exceptions to this dual role as writer / director Kirk Jones are (excellent rating) in Waking Ned Devine, and Tim McCanlies (excellent rating) for Secondhand Lions. Both are master storytellers and McCanlies Jones in these films, and other writer / directors who have not learned much from them.

Wedding Crashers, a comedy funny is the opposite of Talladega Nights in Steve Faber and Bob Fisher can tell a good story, and David Dobkin can make a good comedy movie. Their efforts met because Owen Wilson as John Beckwith is nice and the playing style and his ability to connect emotionally with the viewer.

We can see in his situation, a life of pleasure at the expense of others, and developing a conscience that foreshadows personal growth.

After taking advantage of so many beautiful, the bridesmaids unsuspecting, it slows down enough to notice Rachel McAdams as Claire Cleary, who shares his sense of humor and lightness. The more he seeks to Claire, the more he wants to watch Claire.

Claire, however, is spoken by someone she has not yet discovered is really a selfish, bossy, manipulative, rich jerk, while John Beckwith seems to have no value, but lacks the will to change and manners.

It is interesting to note that Vince Vaughn as Jeremy Grey's character, wedding crasher Beckwith partner and best friend, is not as nice, although he also decides to marry Claire immature, sister Gloria Cleary Dippy (Isla Fisher).

I saw the unrated and uncut version of Talladega Nights, and the outlet (not rated) version of Wedding Crashers, the theatrical version was rated R with sexual contentious.