Dumb yourself down and enjoy 'Talladega'

You know when events in your life have such a ridiculously high build-up that you're going to be disappointed no matter what?\nLadies and gentleman, "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."\n"Talladega Nights" is Will Ferrell's latest comedic blockbuster featuring him in the role as NASCAR's best and dumbest driver, Ricky Bobby.\nMuch of Bobby's fame in the movie stems from his trademark phrase "shake and bake," which he shares with his teammate Cal Naughton Jr., played by John C. Reilly.\nArguably the movie's funniest actor, Sacha Baron Cohen, plays Jean Girard, the homosexual French Formula 1 driver. Cohen, who is best known as Ali G, perfects an exaggerated French accent in the movie and brings new flavor to the Ferrell comedies.\n"Talladega" deserves to be included in the Ferrell comedies that have reached fame recently ("Anchorman," "Old School," etc.). The reason this movie has been received differently is Ferrell's fans have grown up.\nWhen I went to see the movie, afterward, one friend said, "Oh, well that movie was pretty dumb. Everything was so ridiculous and overboard."\nWell, duuurrr. \nWere you expecting the sequel to "The English Patient"? In order to fully appreciate this movie, you have to dumb yourself down before going to the theater. It's not that bad; I do the same thing every time I watch Fox News.\nMy modern day litmus test for comedies is based on repeatability. If I go see a comedy and can recite four to five funny lines after the movie -- it's a success. Using that test, this movie is a success. It provides the punch lines you would expect.\nThe problem though is it doesn't do much else. The movie lacks depth. I don't think they'll have any problems showing this movie on TV without commercial interruptions because of the abundance of product placement. I could only remember four or five lines from the movie, but I'm pretty sure I could free-sketch the logos for eight sponsors from the movie while blindfolded.The movie was a slight disappointment in my view, but only because I hold Ferrell in such a high regard. If I had stumbled upon this movie randomly, I would be raving about it. \nIf you are looking for some laughs (although not sophisticated ones), this movie is well worth seeing. At least until "The English Patient: The Patient Strikes Back" hits screens.