I Wanna Go Fast

Good morning Consumers, this is Please Consume, The newsletter that loves movies as much as David Cross hated being in Alvin & The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked.

Taika Waititi takes a shot at a genre that has been somewhat forgotten since the early 2000s.

Sports comedies for the most part can be hit or miss.

For every Sandlot there are five Benchwarmers waiting in the wings.

We are not here to talk about the strikeouts.

We want to talk about the wins, the home runs, the slam dunks.

Okay, I’ll stop with the horrible sports puns.

Time to pass the ball to Caleb…

(Okay, im seriously done now.)

 Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)

Written by Caleb Madden

I come from a long line of mechanics and car guys. I love to watch F1. I have been to several NASCAR races in my day. I’m not sure what it is about watching cars go fast that just makes me smile, but I do love it. 

 I also have a great deal of respect for those who drive the cars. It takes an immense amount of mental fortitude and physical discipline to be a professional driver, especially in a sport like NASCAR where you are driving at insanely high speeds.

 Due to my love and respect for all things motorsport I of course chose a movie that has absolutely no respect for motorsport or its athletes: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.

I Wanna Go Fast

If you aren’t from America, or if you didn’t grow up in the South, you may not have much context for what or why NASCAR is. So let's have a quick history lesson that will greatly improve your Talladega Nights viewing experience.

 NASCAR (or National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) was born out of the prohibition era in America. Illegal moonshine runners needed cars fast enough to outrun the police so they began to modify and lighten their cars and began driving them through the woods like insane people. Soon, they began racing each other to see which drug runner had the fastest car. And just like that a new sport was born. 

 What is important to understand about NASCAR is that it’s deeply ingrained itself in the culture of the American South. Drive down the road in a midsized southern town and I promise you will see at least 5 trucks with a NASCAR sticker on the bumper. It is this deep connection that makes Talladega Nights so damn funny. The entire movie basically exists as a satire of Southern culture and it is really really funny.

Don’t You Put That Evil on Me, Ricky Bobby!

Will Ferrell is a funny man. Like kind of the funniest ever. And he is unbelievable as Ricky Bobby. He is able to embody the spirit of this redneck and southern culture so well. He has the exact same arrogance and yet genuine desire to be good that so many of the people I grew up with have. So much of this movie is forever quotable from the prayer, to the “if you ain’t first yer last,” to “I wake up every morning and piss excellence.” 

 The other performances in this film are also excellent, even Sasha Baron Cohen who can be mixed at best. I love Cohen’s over the top performance with a quiet and sensitive side.

 It is a shame that I feel this movie won't play as well to people who don’t really understand the American South. But it works so well for people who grew up in it and I highly encourage giving this film a watch.

Today’s Scene