'Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby' (PG-13) > (out of four)

The NASCAR world is so full of color and rabid fans it is destined to be the subject of a rollicking, laugh-out-loud movie.

"Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" is not that movie.

You probably know the common fear of moviegoers -- all of the good stuff is in the trailer. Well, that fear comes true in Will Ferrell's latest comedy. Not only is all the good stuff in the trailer, but because we have seen it a million times on TV and in previews, the scenes just don't surprise us and instead of a guffaw, we end up with a chuckle.

For crying out loud, the title promises us a ballad that puts the legend of Ricky Bobby to music, but it doesn't even deliver on that promise. Whatever original music is in the movie is instrumental. A good old story set to music could have really held "Talladega Nights" together and carried it through its numerous dead spots.

Yes, there are some funny scenes, but when Gary Cole is funnier than Will Ferrell in a movie, you know that something is out of whack.

"Talladega Nights" tells the tale of Ricky Bobby, a man who was born when his Daddy was racing his Ma to the hospital and got so carried away by speed that a quick slam on the brakes is all it took to pop little Ricky out. His Daddy takes a powder shortly after he is born, and as a result Ricky grows up with a hero worship complex and the need for speed.

An emergency at a racetrack where he works pushes Ricky behind the wheel of a NASCAR vehicle in the middle of a race and everything just clicks, including a phrase his drunken Daddy once said to him -- If you ain't first, you're last. So begins the raucous rise and fall of Ricky Bobby.

The problem with "Talladega Nights" is that its pacing is completely off. There's one big laugh and then a bunch of clunkers that aren't even groaners. And, I'm sorry, but a couple of trash talking younguns (belonging to Ricky and his trophy wife) are just not funny. Maybe the first one or two times it's disarmingly cute, but these brats wear out their welcome very quickly.

What does work is Ferrell as Ricky Bobby and John C. Reilly as Ricky's life-long "Shake and Bake" friend Cal Naughton Jr. Both actors throw out the rules of political correctness and sophisticated humor to riff on each other and improvise some bizarre notions that could only have occurred to these characters, leaving the rest of us to scratch our heads. When you see the outtakes during the credits, you can see how much of the funniest dialogue was obviously not scripted. However, I could do without seeing Ferrell in his underpants for a while.

As I mentioned before, Cole, as Ricky's no-good daddy who speeds away anytime he is faced with responsibility, steals the show, even from Ferrell. Cole is one of the most versatile actors out there today. It would be nice to see a lot more of him.

Jane Lynch, as Ricky's ma, Lucy Bobby, also leaves a lasting impression, playing both a wild pregnant teen and a wily grandma to Ricky's two boys.

The rest of the cast, however, has to eat their dust in broad, dumbed-down roles that creak with a lack of originality.

The use of real-life NASCAR drivers and announcers add a little touch of cool to the movie, but not enough. If they had seen the final product, they might not have been as eager to sign up.

At one point in the movie, Ricky -- recovering from a meltdown after a bad crash -- plows his Daddy's car into a house. In a deadpan delivery, Ricky says, "This is embarrassing."

I guess that pretty much sums up "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."