Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) is a NASCAR racing sensation whose "win at all costs" approach has made him a national hero. He and his loyal racing partner and childhood friend, Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly), are a fearless duo, thrilling their fans by finishing most races in the top spots - with Ricky Bobby always leading the pack. When a flamboyant French Formula One driver, Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen), challenges him for the supremacy of NASCAR, Ricky Bobby must face his own demons and fight for his place as racing's top driver.

I have to admit going into this movie I had a quiet trepidation on whether it was going to be good or not for several reasons. The first off being that I am not much a fan of NASCAR and never could get into it as it seems boring watching a car go around a track for hours on end. I understand the appeal though which is the rare moment when you may see a crash and the ability to go out get drunk and have fun with your friends. It has the same southern charm of fishing something I am not that much of a fan of either. So going into the movie I knew it would be full of that Southern charm as well as many inside jokes that would be lost on me an unknowledgeable bystander of a sport that they are not poking fun of but rather having a hearty laugh about themselves and their fans. So that is why I found myself surprised to almost busting a gut laughing during the movie. There were moments were I was almost in the aisles due to the fact I was laughing so hard. None of the jokes really went over my head either which again was fairly surprising from the mocking of all the sponsors even to the point where Ricky Bobby must mention PowerAde when giving grace to some of race car references like sling shooting.

The second reason I was a little unwary entering the movie is because I am not that much of a fan of Will Ferrell and his brand of humor in most of his movies. He is that silly and inane cousin that everyone laughs at and then feels pity for in the end and oddly enough he fits into the shoes of a race car driver and southern cowboy with ease. It’s because most of his characters have that hillbilly redneck kind of vibe to them anyways. The kind of person you would be friends with because they amuse you and always leave you with a smile on your face. That is Will Ferrell to me never before has he had me laughing so hard my sides have hurt rather he has amused me and kept me smiling. You get both Will Ferrell’s in this movie for the first time the gut busting hilarious one and for the rest of the movie the amusing third cousin you invite over to see what he will do next. It was a nice change of pace and the movie doesn’t work without Will Ferrell.

John C. Reilly on the other hand just annoyed me. He didn’t pull off that amusing hillbilly like Ferrell did rather much like in racing he seemed to be drafting off Ferrell in an attempt to seem funny. His character is kind of crucial to the movie I just didn’t like him and didn’t find him funny at anytime in the movie. The character that caught me off guard and that I ended up liking the most was played by Amy Adams who had that sultry librarian kind of vibe going on for most of the movie. Sacha Baron Cohen was too much of a cliché for me as he seemed to be a setup for the opposite of everything Ricky Bobby was supposed to be with all his southern charm, the gay French man who is everything un-American.

In the end the movie was more charming, more funny and more enjoyable then I ever thought it would be. Sure it has its problems from predictability to clichés to an overly sappy ending but I laughed hard and smiled a lot and that’s what you should expect from a comedy.

Grade: B+