Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

McKay and Ferrell first discussed a film about a NASCAR driver while Ferrell was filming Elf. Shortly after filming of that film had completed, co-producer Jimmy Miller invited the two to a NASCAR race in Fontana, California, after which the two began initial writing of the film.[3] The two presented the idea to Sony using only a six-word pitch: "Will Ferrell as a NASCAR driver". After the proposal was picked up by Sony Pictures, NASCAR agreed to provide assistance for the film's production.[4]

Much of the film was shot in North Carolina, with one week of shooting occurring at Talladega Superspeedway in October 2005. Many of the racing scenes were filmed at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina and Rockingham Speedway also known as The Rock. Various other scenes were filmed in the Gaston County, North Carolina area, including the Pizza Delivery, DMV Driving Test, and Church Choir scenes. The Pizza Delivery sequence began in Downtown Cramerton, North Carolina and concluded at the Midtown Motor Inn in Gastonia, North Carolina. Both the DMV Driving Test and the Church Choir scenes were filmed on the campus of First Baptist Church in Cramerton, North Carolina.[5] The scenes for the Bobby residence were filmed at a mansion near Lake Norman.[6][7] The film was tentatively titled High, Wide and Handsome.

Andy Hillenburg's Fast Track Enterprises and K4 Motorsports combined to provide race cars, hauler transportation and stunt coordination. Previously, the companies had assisted in promotion for Herbie: Fully Loaded, 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story, and other stock car racing films. Within Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, K4 Motorsports created custom wrapping for specific race cars, notably Bobby's "ME" car.[8]

The film grossed US$47 million in its first week, and was the No. 1 film at the box office, which is the second largest opening for a film starring Will Ferrell behind Ferrell's Elf which grossed $173 million. The film grossed $148.2 million in the US and Canada, and $15.1 million in other territories for a total worldwide gross of $163 million.[1]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 71% based on 188 reviews, with an average rating of 6.51/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Though it occasionally stalls, Talladega Nights' mix of satire, clever gags, and excellent ensemble performances put it squarely in the winner's circle."[9] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[10] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "B" on scale of A+ to F.[11]

Robert Koehler of Variety wrote: "Simultaneously teasing and loving a subject doesn't make for easy comedy, but writer-star Will Ferrell and director/co-writer Adam McKay pull it off with good-ol'-boy good nature in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby." Koehler was surprised by the racing aspects of the film, and praised McKay's direction and Oliver Wood cinematography, saying "he gets the grit, heat and feel of NASCAR racetracks with a near-documentary sensibility."[12] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly found the film increasingly uneven as it progressed but praised the racing sequences: "The races are scorchingly shot, and they lend the movie a zest that was missing from Anchorman."[13] Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "From its pitch-perfect title through just about every detail, this sendup of sports-triumph movies maintains the right parodic pitch, if not always the highest mph on the laugh speedometer."[14] British magazine Total Film gave it a perfect five-star rating, with the following verdict: "Forget the recent blips; Ferrell is back in freewheeling form. More than just the year's funniest film, Talladega Nights is one of the best films of the year."[15] Automotive journalist Leo Parente said, "the most accurate racing film ever, trust me," while emphasizing that he was not being sarcastic.[16]

Acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan cited the film as a personal favorite of his, calling it "great".[17]

V8 Supercars team Britek Motorsport incorporated the Talladega Nights logo into the paint scheme of their Ford Falcon BAs for the 2006 Sandown 500 and the 2006 Bathurst 1000.[18]

The Supercars also featured Talladega Nights in a Drive-In Night event at Skyline Blacktown on August 2, 2018, to promote the upcoming race at Sydney Motorsport Park that weekend.

Both Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly appeared at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards in June of that year, in character, to promote the film. The two presented the award for "Best Comedic Performance".

The Blu-ray version was released on November 17, 2006. Standard DVD and PSP UMD were released on December 12, 2006. When viewing, the opening menu gives viewers choices for Super Speedway (with footage of the film used as introductions for special features, scene selection, etc.) or Short Track (without video introductions). The film is presented on standard DVD in four different configurations, giving consumers the choice between either theatrical or unrated versions and anamorphic widescreen (2.40:1 aspect ratio) or pan and scan presentations. As for the audio, each standard DVD carries Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks in English and French with optional English and French subtitles.[22]

Extras for the standard DVD editions include a retrospective "25 Years Later" commentary track featuring most of the main cast, deleted and extended scenes along with bonus race footage, features, interviews with Bobby, Naughton, and Carley, a gag reel, a 'line-o-rama' feature with alternate dialogue from the film, and DVD-ROM content. The unrated disc contains additional deleted scenes ("Cal Calls Ricky" and "What'd You Do Today?"), an interview with Girard and Gregory, and commercials. The "Unrated & Uncut" DVD omits two scenes that were in theaters: Bobby, as a child, steals his mother's station wagon and the happenings of Bobby's pit crew. The scenes are not present in the deleted scenes either.

The Blu-ray release is available on a dual-layer disc with the majority of features presented in high definition. These include: nine deleted/extended scenes, three interviews, gag reel, line-o-rama, bonus race footage, Bobby & Naughton's Commercials, Bobby & Naughton's public service announcements, Walker & Texas Ranger, Will Ferrell Returns to Talladega and a theatrical trailer. Three non-high definition extras include: Daytona 500 Spot, NASCAR Chase for the Nextel Cup Spot, and Sirius and NASCAR Spot. In terms of technical aspects, this edition carries the unrated cut and presents the film with a widescreen transfer at its 2.40:1 theatrical aspect ratio and includes Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks in English and French and an uncompressed PCM 5.1 audio track in English, along with English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, Korean and Thai subtitles.

The first one million 60GB and 20GB PlayStation 3 units included a free Blu-ray copy of the film.

In October 2016, the film was re-released on Blu-Ray to coincide with its 10th anniversary. The 2-disc set includes all new bonus features, as well as both versions of the film, marking the theatrical version's first time on Blu-Ray disc.