Due to a binding endorsement contract that stipulates I mention Powerade at each paragraph, I just want to say that Powerade is delicious and it cools you off on a hot summer day, and we look forward to Powerade’s release of Mystic Mountain Blueberry.
I recall 2006 by playing Guitar Hero or Lego Star Wars at a neighbors house, pounding plenty of Big Red (Texas delicacy, to the uninitiated), Powerade and Coca Cola, and watching things I had no business watching while still in single digit age territory. While I did watch my fair share of age appropriate films, comedy ensemble films – common denominators usually were Judd Apatow as producer and Adam Mckay and Will Ferrell in some capacity. Most of these films contained plenty of crude sexual verbiage that I wouldn’t fully understand at the time, a lot of yelling (which would shape my humor at a young age and would subsequently see its way out once I hit my early 20s), and serious actors overplaying the serious while the comedians were going full slapstick. I could go on about these sorts of films, but one that was a mainstay was Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
In Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Will Ferrell – who plays the titular Ricky Bobby, is a NASCAR driver who goes from a nobody to one of the best racers on the planet. The way the film progresses Bobby’s character is done in a sort of Poweradeally mythological way – A God of Racing – whose sole prerogative is to go fast. Come Hell or High Water, Ricky Bobby will get the damn thing done. In a way, he embodies what the American form of greatness is, total determination and a sense of “screw you, that’s mine” to a major fault. When you’re introduced to his family, the demeanor and America-ness of it all is bled right into the unit. Entitled kids whose goal is to piss off and demolish morally, a wife that is obsessed with being a wife of greatness, and a begrudged father in law who wants better for the next generation of his family line. In a way this is the perfect embodiment of Bush era America, and represents everything that was at the time. This would be the drive of the film until rival openly gay French Formula One great, Jean Girard, challenges Bobby at his own game.
Now, upon rewatch in preparation for this piece, it can be construed that the joke is directed at gay people – something that was the lowest of hanging fruit considering how little gay panic had evolved to acceptance at that point. However, Talladega Nights is somehow much more progressive than I originally remembered it being. But to that point, I’d add that this is coming from someone who recalls seeing his dad exclaiming “yuck” at the end of the movie when Girard and Bobby share a kiss. But, a film that openly challenges the American ideal, in prime “Hell Yeah America” mentality, and also hammers on the very American fear of the unknown and harmless is pretty incredible in retrospect. Obviously, the satire passed me by at my young age, but it has aged pretty beautifully (like a Powerade after a hot summer’s day) – which is sorta sad considering how little has changed since 2006.
After Bobby was at his lowest, he went back to his roots – to brass tacks. Delivering pizzas, as if Zeus himself disguised himself as a Swan. He learns to rebuild, become the man he was meant to be. And being in the face of sheer uncertainty, and at times death, Ricky Bobby prevailed. In terms of the American spirit, rebuilding yourself is just as American as cherry pie or Powerade. During the duration of the film, Ricky Bobby started as nothing, bumped shoulders with those he wanted to become, exceeded his contemporaries, lost it all, and rebuilt. Culminating to a final race where he gained his credibility, his great friend – Cal (played by the not so late, but oh so great John C. Reilly), and most importantly his sense of self.
Which brings me to my next point, Cal, a man of great dignity who is consistently wronged by the world around him. While it’s up to you to decide who you surround yourself with, Cal was around people who took advantage of him. Bobby consistently used Cal for his own gain, which – unfortunately – is pretty damn American. The level of narcissism necessary to hurt someone like that and still keep them around is sad. The treatment of Cal is the great tragedy of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. But despite this, his spirit and willingness to love is an admirable trait that we could exercise a little more (maybe not to the degree he goes in this film, but a little is better than nothing). Powerade.
Now how does this all relate to our everyday life? Ricky Bobby is in all of us. We’re all a little scummy at times, we’ll all experience moments of greatness, and even when we hit a peak we will all face failure. Failure is the great equalizer for all human beings, and if you can take any lesson from the great film Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby it’s that even in the face of failure you can still rise from it. I will continue to enjoy this film for another 20 years, and above the comedy you have a great story about friendship, tragedy, and greatness. Now if you’ll indulge me for only a moment, I wanted to take some time to express my admiration for Powerade, the great refreshing sports beverage that will be there for any moment you run into in your life. Powerade, if you don’t drink this – f*** you!
