Talladega Nights
Sweet baby Jesus, we thank you for blessing Will Ferrell and Adam McKay with the talent to create a NASCAR comedy as hilarious as
Talladega Nights. The so-called "Ballad of Ricky Bobby" is hardly flawless in fact it's not always firing on all cylinders but with comedy star Ferrell and director McKay still hot from the success of their previous comedy hit
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, most of this 108-minute spoof of oval-track racing is so knee-slappin' funny that you can't help but surrender to the stupidity.
Obviously, Ferrell's the shining star, and his portrayal of lead-footed pit-crew-member-turned-#1 NASCAR champion Ricky "I Wanna Go Fast" Bobby (how can you not love that name?) is spot-on perfect, righteously spoofing the entirety of NASCAR culture without insulting its oft-ridiculed roots in redneck bootlegging of a bygone era. You could even argue that Talladega Nights is truer to NASCAR than Tom Cruise's Days of Thunder, and it's certainly more entertaining, especially when you add John C. Reilly as Ricky's life-long pal, teammate, and eventual rival Cal Naughton, Jr. (together they're nicknamed "Shake 'n Bake"), and Sacha Baron Cohen (from Da Ali G Show and Borat) as gay French "Formula Un" driver-turned NASCAR rival Jean Girrard, to a stellar cast including Molly Shannon, Greg Germann, Amy Adams and Michael Clarke Duncan.
Sure, it's mostly a showcase for Ferrell's loud, over-the-top antics and nonsensical non sequiturs (like cameo appearances by Elvis Costello and Mos Def), but with Ferrell behind the wheel, Talladega Nights rolls into victory lane with fuel to spare, and there's one final bit of comedy (with a tip of the hat to William Faulkner) for those who sit through the credits. --Jeff Shannon
Superbad
Superbad, for many, was the surprise hit of the year. Yet when you consider the comedy pedigree sitting behind the camera, perhaps it’s not that much of a turn up. Director Greg Mottola, for instance, cut his teeth on episodes of Arrested Development and the underrated US show Undeclared. Co-writer Evan Goldberg has credits on the US Ali G show, while his partner in scribe is Seth Rogen, star of 2007’s other breakout comedy, Knocked Up. And with that film’s director, Judd Apatow, also on the production team, it’s understandable to see where Superbad gets its quality from.
Yet in spite of all of these names behind the camera, Superbad is powered by Jonah Hill, previously seen in mainly supporting roles, as the foul-mothed Seth. In conjunction with Michael Cera’s Evan, he bursts his way through a film that sees the pair of them trying to buy booze to go to a girl-filled party, before they go their separate ways to college.
Hill and Cera are strong in their lead roles, and keep Superbad motoring even through its quieter moments. But the scene stealer has to be Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fogell, or--courtesy of his fake ID--McLovin. When he encounters two cops, played by Rogen and Bill Hader, comedy gold swiftly ensues.
Superbad isn’t as consistently funny as Knocked Up, and its running time may outstay its welcome a little, but it’s still a tough film to knock. It’s simple and straightforward aim, to sit on your screen and generate plenty of laughs, is comfortably achieved, and its rewatch value is high as well. Well worth a look. --Simon Brew
Walk Hard
The Pixar-like roll of Judd Apatow (, , ) continues with another sure-fire hit. In charting the meteoric rise, catastrophic fall and Lazarus-like comeback of rocker Dewey Cox, Walk Hard parodies the classic Hollywood bio-pic, cashing in mostly on . John C. Reilly, one of Hollywood's most solid character actors, makes the most of his Golden Globe-nominated star turn as Dewey, whose road to stardom is paved with a childhood tragedy that claims the life of his prodigiously talented brother ("The wrong kid died," is his father's mantra), instant stardom (his first record is a hit just 35 minutes after it was recorded), sex and drugs, and the inevitable "dark (effen) period" that leads him to rehab.
Reilly gets solid back-up from current and former Saturday Night Live alumni, including Kirsten Wiig as his incredibly fertile first wife who has no faith in his musical aspirations ("You're never going to make it," she cheerily ends one phone call); Tim Meadows (never better) as Dewey's drummer, who, in one of the film's best scenes, does a poor job of dissuading him from trying marijuana); and Chris Parnell as his bass player. Jenna Fischer leaves Pam back at The Office as Darlene, Dewey's virtuous duet partner. Hilarious cameos give Walk Hard a great "Hey!" factor: Hey, that's Frankie Muniz as Buddy Holly. Hey, that's "Kenneth" from 30 Rock. Hey, there's Jack Black and Paul Rudd as--no kidding--Paul McCartney and John Lennon revealing "a rift in the Beatles." Some of the jokes are obvious (come on; the guy's last name is Cox), others inspired. But the decades-spanning music, echoing the styles of gritty Johnny Cash, romantic Roy Orbison, obtuse Bob Dylan, trippy Brian Wilson, and even a bit of anachronistic punk rock, is as pitch perfect and affectionately observed as in , and A Mighty Wind. Walk Hard earns its R-rating, particularly for a sure-to-be-talked-about scene of hotel-room debauchery. But: Hilarious? Outrageous? Twisted? To quote the title of one of Dewey's hit songs, "Guilty as Charged." --Donald Liebenson
Product Description
This special Blu-ray triple pack contains the three comedies:
Talladega Nights - The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,
Superbad and
Walk Hard - The Dewey Cox Story.
Talladega Nights
Comic sensation Will Ferrell (Anchorman) plays Ricky Bobby, a figure who is at once laughably ridiculous, infuriating, and loveable. Ricky Bobby, with his bleached-blonde wife, cute sons Walker and Texas Ranger, and dim sidekick Cal (award-winning actor John C. Reilly, flexing his considerable comedic muscle), has got it made. He is NASCAR's most popular driver, and nearly every aspect of his life is endorsed by a recognisable product. Yet his racetrack kingdom is not unshakeable: two formidable opponents, his unpleasable father, Reese (Gary Cole), and a flashy new opponent, the openly gay French import Jean (played by a hilarious Sasha Baron Cohen, known to millions as Borat and Ali G), threaten to hijack his crown and expose his vulnerabilities. Though it is one of America's most popular sporting events, the association of NASCAR with uneducated, backwards rednecks seems cemented into the American consciousness. So the brilliant comedy Talladega Nights - The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, is not just a side-splitting series of slapstick pratfalls and over-the-top accents, but a lens into an important part of American culture. Though many of the jokes are easy laughs (having Ferrell run around shirtless is a guaranteed guffaw-fest), the script (co-written by Farrell and Adam McKay) is nuanced and intelligent, lending its characters much more sympathy and complexity than dumber comedies are want to do. Every performer--from Ferrell to Amy Adams (as Susan, Bobby's fawning assistant)--tackles his or her part with joy and relish. A hilarious humdinger of a movie with smarts and savvy, Talladega Nights ensures Ferrell's position as one of comedy's shining talents.
Superbad
Produced by Judd Apatow and co-written by Seth Rogen--both of The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up fame--Superbad is the story of two horny teenage geeks looking to lose their virginity before college. Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) are hoping to end high school on a high note, and when one of their crushes (Emma Stone) invites them to a graduation party, the boys are ecstatic. That is, until they become responsible for supplying the party with alcohol. They hurriedly concoct a scheme to use their friend Fogell's (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) horrendously fake ID, but trouble soon arises when Fogell becomes the victim of a liquor store robbery. The cops (Rogen and Bill Hader) show up, and the evening quickly disintegrates into a hilarious mess of misunderstandings, sing-alongs, and beer mixed with laundry detergent. Hill is a riot as the wild-haired and foul-mouthed Seth, and Mintz-Plasse is great fun as the uber-geek Fogell. But Michael Cera (formerly of Arrested Development) steals the show as the sensitive and level-headed Evan. His oddball line delivery and excellent comic timing make for some of the most bizarre but best moments of the film. Yet, despite gross-out jokes, Superbad somehow manages to fly far above frat-boy, American Pie-style humour. This is partly due to the comedic skill of the actors, but also because the characters--silly and absurd though they can be--are so well-written. Watching these bungling outcasts is a vivid reminder of the horrific lows and supreme highs of high school life, and their antics rather poignantly capture how age 18 can indeed be super bad, but also super good.
Walk Hard - The Dewey Cox Story
Talladega Nights star John C. Reilly and producer Judd Apatow reunite for this film that takes comedic aim at films such as Walk the Line. Reilly stars as titular musician Dewey Cox, with Jenna Fischer (The Office) and SNL's Kristen Wiig co-starring as two of the women in the life of the troubled singer.
DVD Special Features
Director Adam McKay's Video Diaries
Audio Commentary with Director and Friends
Auditions
Bonus Race Footage
Interviews with Ricky, Cal, Jean Carley
Line-o-Rama
Ricky Cal's Commercials
Audio Commentary with Filmmakers Cast(Unrated Version)
Commentary with John C. Reilly, Judd Apatow, and Director Jake Kasdan
Deleted Extended Scenes
Full Song Performances
Full Musical Performances
Line-o-rama
Gag Reel
Cop Car Confessions
Deleted Scenes
Line-O-Rama
The Vag-tastic Voyage
Original Table Read "Seth Reads Seth"
Table Read 2006
Cast Auditions
Michael's Voice Mails from Jonah
Snakes On Jonah
Dancing Title Sequence
TV Safe Lines
Everyone Hates Michael Cera
On Set Diaries
The Music of Superbad
The Music of Walk Hard
The Real Dewey Cox (Talkin' Bout Cox)
Press Junket Meltdown
SuperMeter--Blu-ray exclusive
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