FYW Blog Week 7: Response to Talladega Nights
Will Ferrell is without a doubt a comedic genius, and although I don’t agree that Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is his best, it is still a hilarious movie. My favorite quote from the prayer scene is when Cal Naughton Jr. says, “I like to think of Jesus with like giant eagles wings and singin' lead vocals for Lynyrd Skynyrd with like an angel band, and I'm in the front row, and I'm hammered drunk.” This is just such an absurd and incongruous image of Jesus Christ, fitting perfectly with the incongruity theory, and it also falls in perfectly with the stereotypes of the rednecks in the movie. I also fits with the relief theory because it takes a serious subject and makes a funny joke of it. Also the image Cal makes of Jesus in a tuxedo t-shirt because he likes to party is hilarious as well. In my opinion, Will Ferrell is the king of incongruity, with Movies like Old School. The duo of Will Ferrell and John Reilly, who plays Cal Naughton, just amplifies the incongruity, with other classics like Step Brothers. I agree that the prayer scene though exemplifies all three theories of humor, not just incongruity and relief. A viewer can’t help but feel superior to the characters as they banter back and forth with idiotic comments about Jesus, or when Ricky Bobby’s disrespectful kids threaten his wife’s father chip. When his kids are acting up, I can’t help but be glad I wasn’t such a poorly behaved kid. I think this is part of the reason why everybody can find some humor in Talladega Nights, because it utilizes all three of the theories. Even if talladega Nights is a pretty stupid movie, I’ve never heard of anyone who doesn’t find it at all humorous.
I agree with you about the three theories of humor coming together to make Talladega Nights the classic that it is. Step Brothers is also another great movie with Ferrell and Reilly. Both of the movies are full of nonsense and quotes that can be used in so many situations. I think the ludicrousness and quotability of Ferrell have made him into the comedy giant that he is today. With that being said, he played one of the worst characters in The Office.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you that Will Ferrell is the king of incongruity. Although I have not seen very many of his movies, the ones that I have seen are very funny because of his use of absurdity. Additionally, I agree with the last two things that you said because using all three theories allows for a wider range of viewers to find something funny and that is why you never hear of someone not finding at least one thing funny about this movie.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you that while this isn't my favorite Will Ferrell movie, it's still really great. The total ridiculousness and incongruity of the film makes it memorable and liked among all ages. My parents find this movie funny, and so do people my age, which I feel like is really neat, since a lot of times a movie I think is hilarious, and my parents don't have the same opinion.
ReplyDeleteYou raise an interesting point that it's pretty stupid yet still funny. I guess I always wonder where exactly we can locate the point at which pure stupidity melts into humor. That's an interesting point about his character in the Office, Trace, who I always found genuinely unlikable unlike Michael Scott. Maybe that was the point. Ferrell was a master of making such an awful character. Why do you think he so successfully can embody unlikeable people? That's also an interesting point, Catherine, about absurdity and how it might explain the wider appeal that Ellery notes. Are classic comedies classic in part because of a universal appeal? What makes them have that appeal?
ReplyDelete