Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) -vs- Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

Review by Bryce Zabel 

The Smackdown. We're talking about two Will Ferrell films, both written by Ferrell and his "Saturday Night Live" alum Adam McKay, that are preposterous, silly, and occasionally funny. Really, both are just sketch comedies with pieces strung together, some of which work, and others which bomb.

"I get one free loaf of Wonder Bread delivered to my door each week. Tell me that ain't great!"

The Challenger. That would be "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby." It's about the NASCAR driver with two first names whose motto is "If you're not first, you're last." So he always wins until one day he doesn't and then, having lost his senses, he runs crazy around the track in his tighty-whities. It's an inch deep and sometimes that's being generous.

"God, I love the smell of breaking news in the morning. Somebody should get out there and cover it!"

The Defending Champion. That would be "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy." It's a send-up of TV news, set in the 70s when apparently women were not considered fit for the anchor chair. Ferrell is the title character who he plays as a total airhead. Listen, there's nothing real here but when it gets closest, like when the promos show everybody as a big happy family when they're not, it's okay. But, for me, I thought it could have been so much sharper. Oddly, and I'm sure I'll regret this confession, I was actually a TV anchorman in the 70s with the long hair, mustache, wide tie and god-awful jacket. I will tell you this, though, every station in America had a female anchor back then, it was hardly controversial, and this movie is at least a decade off that reality. On the other hand, nobody in their right mind goes to a Will Ferrell movie for a history lesson although there are probably plenty of people out there who now believe that TV news was a closed shop for women during those days. So, for the record, that's not true, even if it was supposed to be funny which, mainly, it wasn't.

"Padded shoulders, wide tie, long hair, mustache... good to go..."

The Scorecard. Hmmm... should we go for a "legend" or a "ballad?" That's a hard call. In my view, I like Will Ferrell as an actor, but I'm not crazy about him as a writer. Both of these movies use a kind of humor that is just dumb, dumb, dumb. Stack either one up against "Little Miss Sunshine", for example, and they just aren't even competitive.

The Decision. These are two very marginal films but, given the need for a decision, I have to go with "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby." It all comes down to one simple reason. Cliched and awful as it is, Ricky Bobby is a guy trying to do the right thing by his family and his fans, as opposed to Ron Burgundy who, no matter what plot idiocies they throw at you, is still just a stupid TV talking head who doesn't deserve his fame or his fortune.