The first time I watched Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, I was so bored that I fell asleep. I suppose at that time I had not yet gotten used to Will Ferrell's type of humor. All I know is, after seeing the movie a second time, I absolutely loved it.
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is the story of Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) who goes up against France's #1 Formula One driver. The thing that is great about this film is that, while it is a comedy, it has very dramatic underlying elements to it. Throughout all the laughs, Ricky Bobby learns to be selfless, has to deliver pizza on a bicycle for a living, and also reconnects with his father. These are all reasons why the movie is one of this generations best comedies. The commercials that Ricky and Cal do for various products and the sequences with Ricky and his father are a couple of the best parts in the movie. In all of its greatness, however, there are some flaws. I must note that these are extremely minor flaws, and that as great as this movie is, it could have been a masterpiece if these flaws were fixed. First, I would have liked to have seen a minor wedding seen between Cal and Carley. Perhaps Ricky shows up in protest. On a related note, a minor divorce scene between Ricky and Carley would have been nice to see. I think it would have added an unexpectedly pleasant touch of drama. Also, Susan's (Amy Adams) character arc is a little predictable, but it is nice to see a supposedly minor character become such a pivotal role. Also, during the climax of the film, there is a crash. A minor scene where the track is cleared away would have provided a nice break in the action. As I said, this movie stands great as it is. However, I believe fixing these extremely minor flaws would have made this movie truly epic.
Will Ferrell plays Ricky Bobby. Ferrell's shtick is perfect for this role, providing gags that have become a trademark in his films. However, during the course of the movie Ricky Bobby gets a dose of reality, and Ferrell provides some quite serviceable dramatic moments that make you feel sympathy for his character. With all these things combined, this is one of Ferrell's best roles.
Adam McKay is the director of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. For me personally, the racing sequences are the standout of the movie. The action has lots of cuts which makes the sequences very exciting to watch, and the way that they are shot really makes you feel like you are in the car with the driver. Comedies can be very hard to make, particularly when attempting to keep up with a comedic machine like Ferrell, but McKay works the camera brilliantly, especially during scenes with Ferrell and his counterpart John C. Reilly. McKay seems to be almost one step ahead of them, knowing exactly what they are going to do before they do it. It all flows together so naturally, which is why McKay has become such a great comedy director.
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a great comedy driven by a performance from a great comedic actor. Molly Shannon even makes a stellar cameo (although it is never clear whether she is Larry Dennit's wife or mother). If you are in need of a good laugh, this is definitely the movie for you.
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Bringing Down The System
I had never seen Law Abiding Citizen until now. I had heard mixed things about it, and because of that I braced myself for the worst. I have to say that I thought this was a decent movie, and I found myself entertained by it.
Law Abiding Citizen is the story of a man who takes justice into his own hands after one of his family's killers goes free. I enjoyed this movie because of the story. This movie is not about a man who seeks revenge against the men who killed his family. This movie is about a man who wants to bring down what he believes to be a corrupt system. It is because of this that this movie is far more compelling than your generic action movie. With all this in mind, the film does have several flaws. Firstly, it is a major plot point in the film that Clyde Shelton's (Gerard Butler) family is murdered. However, we never actually see his daughter get killed. Without seeing this, there is no emotional context that would have been there otherwise. And I swear that Gerard Butler's character gets called different names throughout the movie. Also, it is said that Shelton's daughter is ten years old and yet the child actress that plays her looks about five. It also feels like Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) learns the killer's names out of nowhere. Another thing that bothered me is when Shelton is taken into custody, it feels a little forced....and why does he strip naked??? It honestly felt like one of those "good looking guy gets naked for no reason" scenes. Also, it's never really clear whether Leslie Bibb's character has broken up with her boyfriend or not. And it is also never clear whether Shelton has an accomplice or not. As I said before, this film has a great story. It just could have been executed so much better.
Jamie Foxx plays Nick Rice. Rice is a successful attorney, and because of that success he has a huge ego. This is great character for Foxx to play because we see in his scenes with Gerard Butler that he is a man who is not easily broken. It is only after Rice's closest friends are killed that we see him snap. Foxx is so good at holding back emotion, which plays great against Gerard Butler's genius, maniacal Clyde Shelton.
Gerard Butler plays Clyde Shelton. Shelton is a great character for Butler to play because he is so vicious, but also because his motives are so clear. He has you on the edge of your seat for the entire movie not just because of what he is going to do next, but how he is going to do it. Also, for being a Scotsman, Butler does a pretty good American accent.
F. Gary Gray is the director of Law Abiding Citizen. For me, what stands out in this film are the dialogue scenes between Butler and Foxx because of the way they're directed. They are slow and drawn out, which makes those scenes very tense. Also, just because it is F. Gary Gray, the action is superbly shot. The beginning of the film is also very well done because we see close-ups of the Clyde and his family as his family is being killed. This makes this scene so much more emotional, and really makes you feel for Clyde as he goes on his killing spree. No F. Gary Gray film is anything less than good, which is exactly what Law Abiding Citizen is.
I had fun watching Law Abiding Citizen. Even though it has it's share of problems, it is an entertaining film because of the story and the great acting. For those two reasons, if you have not seen this film, you should do so.
Law Abiding Citizen is the story of a man who takes justice into his own hands after one of his family's killers goes free. I enjoyed this movie because of the story. This movie is not about a man who seeks revenge against the men who killed his family. This movie is about a man who wants to bring down what he believes to be a corrupt system. It is because of this that this movie is far more compelling than your generic action movie. With all this in mind, the film does have several flaws. Firstly, it is a major plot point in the film that Clyde Shelton's (Gerard Butler) family is murdered. However, we never actually see his daughter get killed. Without seeing this, there is no emotional context that would have been there otherwise. And I swear that Gerard Butler's character gets called different names throughout the movie. Also, it is said that Shelton's daughter is ten years old and yet the child actress that plays her looks about five. It also feels like Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) learns the killer's names out of nowhere. Another thing that bothered me is when Shelton is taken into custody, it feels a little forced....and why does he strip naked??? It honestly felt like one of those "good looking guy gets naked for no reason" scenes. Also, it's never really clear whether Leslie Bibb's character has broken up with her boyfriend or not. And it is also never clear whether Shelton has an accomplice or not. As I said before, this film has a great story. It just could have been executed so much better.
Jamie Foxx plays Nick Rice. Rice is a successful attorney, and because of that success he has a huge ego. This is great character for Foxx to play because we see in his scenes with Gerard Butler that he is a man who is not easily broken. It is only after Rice's closest friends are killed that we see him snap. Foxx is so good at holding back emotion, which plays great against Gerard Butler's genius, maniacal Clyde Shelton.
Gerard Butler plays Clyde Shelton. Shelton is a great character for Butler to play because he is so vicious, but also because his motives are so clear. He has you on the edge of your seat for the entire movie not just because of what he is going to do next, but how he is going to do it. Also, for being a Scotsman, Butler does a pretty good American accent.
F. Gary Gray is the director of Law Abiding Citizen. For me, what stands out in this film are the dialogue scenes between Butler and Foxx because of the way they're directed. They are slow and drawn out, which makes those scenes very tense. Also, just because it is F. Gary Gray, the action is superbly shot. The beginning of the film is also very well done because we see close-ups of the Clyde and his family as his family is being killed. This makes this scene so much more emotional, and really makes you feel for Clyde as he goes on his killing spree. No F. Gary Gray film is anything less than good, which is exactly what Law Abiding Citizen is.
I had fun watching Law Abiding Citizen. Even though it has it's share of problems, it is an entertaining film because of the story and the great acting. For those two reasons, if you have not seen this film, you should do so.
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