Tools for this page
Print

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

    Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version
    Not age appropriate for kids under 11, age appropriate for kids over 14; suggested age 13.

  • Is it any good?

    2.0
  • Common Sense says

    Wild, raunchy comedy about NASCAR culture.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 13–14

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Parodies NASCAR "culture" stereotypes, targeting Christianity (several Jesus jokes) and homophobia.
  • Violence:

    Slapstick falls (no blood); several car crashes are a bit harrowing (cars flip over, bang each and walls, catch on fire, with some disturbing point-of-view camerawork); Jean breaks Ricky's arm (loudly); Ricky's attacked by a cougar, who leaves bloody scratches and a ripped shirt.
  • Sex:

    Women appear in skimpy clothing; references to Ricky's daddy's sexual appetites; Ricky and Carly tongue-kiss in front of their family; Ricky's best friend sleeps with and steals his wife; frequent references to "balls"'; Jean is flamboyantly gay; graphic reference to posing for Playgirl ("spreading cheeks").
  • Language:

    One bleeped-out f-word; Ricky gives rival the finger; repeated uses of "s--t" and other obscenities.
  • Consumerism:

    Movie features racing's relentless endorsements; products named and pictured include: Wonder Bread, Coca-Cola, Power-Ade, Sunoco, Old Spice, Mountain Dew, Domino's pizza, Taco Bell, KFC, Fig Newtons, Sprint, Applebees, Lucky Charms, Perrier, Hardees, Sprint, Sony Vaio, Visa, Sunoco, QVC, Kodak, Halliburton.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    References to drugs (weed, peyote, crack); frequent drinking (team sponsor is malt liquor; champagne popped after races; race team owner's wife is always drunk) and some cigarette and cigar smoking.

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby was written by Cynthia Fuchs

Parents need to know that the movie includes relentless commercial product placements, by way of parodying professional racing's tendency to slap logos on every available surface. The film also features lots of bawdy chatter concerning a wayward father's lusty behaviors and his son's cheating wife. The hero's two young sons spend half the movie behaving badly -- talking back to elders, cursing, and damaging property -- as their father, a stereotypical "redneck" parody, encourages them. An arm-breaking scene includes loud bone-breaking noise; several car crashes are violent (cars flipping and smashing and catching on fire). The film includes gay characters who kiss each other and declare themselves married. Characters refer to drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about the terrible role models provided by the parents over subsequent generations. How is Ricky's father disappointing to him, and how does Ricky raise his own children to be lazy, selfish, and rude? What's Ricky's mother's role in the film? They can also talk about whether this parody challenges or reinforces stereotypes about NASCAR.
Did this review help you decide?

Are you going to see it?

Have you seen it? Review It!

More on Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

What’s the Story?

At an early age, Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) falls in love with speed. As an adult, Ricky goes from NASCAR pit crew member to a driving partnership with teammate Cal Naughton (John C. Reilly): They perfect a tag-teaming system they call "shake 'n' bake," by which Cal maneuvers on the track in ways that always allow Ricky to win. Ricky turns out to be an ungracious winner, though. He marries a gold-digging busty blond, Carley (Leslie Bibb), turns out a couple of obnoxious sons, and gets rich thanks to endorsement contracts. While he keeps Cal close, their relationship is premised on Ricky's superiority and his friend's abject subservience. All this ends when a challenger appears on the circuit. The French-born Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen) is everything Ricky is not: literate, witty, and openly gay. He's also a very good driver and brutally efficient: On their first encounter in a bar, Jean breaks Ricky's arm, thus putting him out of racing commission. When Ricky returns to the track, he gets in an accident so traumatizing that he believes he's paralyzed. Losing his riches, wife, and contracts, Ricky must then struggle back to the top of his heap.

Is It Any Good?

Both vulgar and cheerful, like most other Will Ferrell movies, TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY is also slightly tricky. It makes fun of multiple targets, using equally obnoxious tactics. No one is spared: It mocks stereotypically "redneck" NASCAR culture as well as other groups (gays, foreigners, and intellectuals). It's a parody, but kids may miss the point.

While this story is simple enough, the execution is often startlingly maladroit. While there is plainly an enthusiastic audience for the Anchorman school of filmmaking, this incarnation seems more a string of skits (namely, opportunities for Ferrell to act silly, which he does well) than a movie per se. In fact, the closing credits over outtakes is the funnier version of this approach. So if you go, stay through to the end.

Movie Details

Studio: Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Director: Adam McKay
Run time: 105 minutes
Theatrical release: 8/4/2006, DVD release: 12/12/2006
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, language, drug references and brief comic violence

Want more? Get Common Sense recommendations delivered to your inbox.

Our Members Say

Have you seen it? Review It!

What did you think about Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby?

or

to post a review

See all 60 member reviews

Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive consumerism
    • Negative role models

    Better for Nascar fans, But still enjoyable.

    Very good. Some LOL Moments

  2. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive consumerism
    • Negative role models

    Better for Nascar fans, But still enjoyable.

    Very good. Some LOL Moments

  3. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language

    Good Movie Not For Younger Kids

    I like this movie. It's humor is inapropriate at times but mature kids can handle it. There is language but I've heard it before and any kid 11-12 has too. There are many references to drugs, but I don't think there is very much violence.

  4. I rate this title off for age 12 and give it 2.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Excessive consumerism
    • Negative message
    • Negative role models

    Not funny, or necessarily good.

    It wasn't funny, and it was surprisingly boring. Only a few parts made me look up from what I was doing and giggle a little. I wouldn't HAVE to see it again. Pretty bad, too. Two young children are calling their parents swears and are extremely rude and talk about sex.

  5. I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Excessive consumerism
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message
    • Negative role models

    Funny for fans of NASCAR and People that aren't fans of NASCAR (like myself)

    It's pretty funny, except it has a lot of issues. The end is really good. I love Sacha Baron Cohen (he's in it near the end) and I also love Will Ferrel. Overall, watch it as an adult, but prescreen for your kids.

  6. I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Excessive consumerism
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message
    • Negative role models

    Funny for fans of NASCAR and People that aren't fans of NASCAR (like myself)

    It's pretty funny, except it has a lot of issues. The end is really good. I love Sacha Baron Cohen (he's in it near the end) and I also love Will Ferrel. Overall, watch it as an adult, but prescreen for your kids.

  7. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it 5.0

    This is one of my favorites!

    This movie kicks a--. There is a lot of crude humor, gay and lesbian jokes, some sex, jokes on Jesus, some race jokes (reffers to the French as gay), but all of the movie is hilarious. If you were to watch it, watch it unrated. There is also a commercial for tampons in the movie, which may raise some questions...

  8. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    Lives in California
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content

    awesome

    this movie was soooooo funny!!! its wayy better unrated though so watch it unrated.

  9. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 9 and give it 5.0

    Awesome Movie

    This movie is awesome. NASCAR and racing in general is cool. I love the race with Jamie McMurray (The guy who gets the finger from Ricky Bobby). It shows the classic drive-in-reverse-and-still-win-for-some-reason thing. I don't like the French guy though. How can someone enter NASCAR mid-season and become wildly popular all of a sudden? And how does he get the points lead so fast? Oh well, just enjoy the kick butt racing action.

  10. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Excessive consumerism
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use

    Great movie

    GOOD

  11. Parent Reviewer
    Lives in Massachusetts
    I rate this title pause for age 13 and give it 3.0

    Only about 20% of Americans like this movie, I am one of them

    Its nowhere near the best comedy but still something I can watch.

  12. Kid Reviewer Age 12
    Lives in Illinois
    I rate this title off for age 0 and give it 3.0

    Parents don't be fooled. Talladega Nights has a lot of raunchy humor

    Well first the sexual content is a big issue. The only reason why people say the film doesn't have sexual content as a big issue is because younger children didn't get it. There is jokes about gays, having sex, sleeping together, and more raunchy material for a PG-13. The profanity in here is a big problem. Almost every second there is a kid or adult swearing. Now the biggest issue is the social behavior. Kids talking to grandpa's tell them to shut up, be quiet, that he's an idiot. It's not good.

  13. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it 5.0

    BWAHAHA

    This movie's a classic. Totally poking fun at the NASCAR community/rednecks, but all in good fun. There are some "swear words" but nothing you wouldn't hear at the friendly neighborhood Wal-Mart. Some sexual content may concern some mothers, may excite some sons. ;) Excellent movie all in all

  14. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Tennessee
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 5.0

  15. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 4.0

  16. Adult Reviewer
    I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it 1.0

  17. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Alabama
    I rate this title off for age 0 and give it 2.0

  18. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in Washington
    I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it 4.0

    A good comedy movie.

  19. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Maryland
    I rate this title off for age 0 and give it 1.0

  20. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Texas
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 3.0

More Great Stuff For Your Kids

  • Most Popular This Week

    Percy Jackson Fever

    Percy Jackson Fever

    Read the book before you see the movie!

  • Advice for Parents

    Facebook for Parents

    Facebook for Parents

    Get info and facts to keep your kids safe and smart on Facebook.

  • Must See TV

    Life Unexpected

    Life Unexpected

    Teen-themed family drama is edgy but earnest.

  • Pick of the Week

    Bestselling Books

    Bestselling Books

    Popular new reads kids are buying today.

  • Download This

    Pickin' & Grinnin': Great Folk Songs for Kids

    Pickin' & Grinnin': Great Folk Songs for Kids

    Fantastic folk favorites perfect for family road trips.

Give Us a Minute, Get a Lot of Common Sense!
  • Age-appropriate best bets for your kids
  • Weekly email alert with the latest picks, reviews & advice
  • Post your own reviews and share them with friends

This will never be displayed to others.
Your email will never be displayed to others.
Your password should be 6-10 characters long.
A screen name protects your privacy
To post a review or comment you must become a Common Sense Member. It's easy!

Set-up your account
This will never be displayed to others.
Your email will never be displayed to others.
Your password should be 6-10 characters long.

Choose a screen name
It will appear when you post your own reviews and recommendations.
A screen name protects your privacy

Tell us your children's ages
You'll see the movies, games, books, shows, music, and sites our editors select just for them. As your children get older, our picks will grow with them!Why we ask for this
We never display your children's names, (or nicknames) to anyone, but you. Providing your children's ages allows us to personalize information on our site, so you get better information, faster.
is
until
(optional)
is
until
is
until
is
until
is
until
is
until
Add another child

We can make Common Sense just right for you. With a little info about you and your family, you'll get the most out of our site.

Set-up your account
This will never be displayed to others.
Your email will never be displayed to others.
Your password should be 6-10 characters long.

Tell us your children's ages
You'll see the movies, games, books, shows, music, and sites our editors select just for them. As your children get older, our picks will grow with them!
Why we ask for this
We never display your children's names, (or nicknames) to anyone, but you. Providing your children's ages allows us to personalize information on our site, so you get better information, faster.
is
until
is
until
is
until
is
until
is
until
is
until
Add another child

Choose a screen name
It will appear when you post your own reviews and recommendations
A screen name protects your privacy
Register to add this school to your profile. You'll be able to see and share reviews from parents, teachers, and kids at your child's school.
I'm already a Common Sense member.
Kids under 13 must use a screen name