"Talladega Nights" 2006

“Talladega Nights”

“Second place is just the first loser.”

This is a movie that is in my library because I love my husband. We went to see this movie on a date night. I go into these movies, generally anything with Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler and some Ben Stiller, with very low expectations. The main thing I remember about this movie from seeing it in the theater was that it was one of the new digital showings and the formatting was off. Titles were missing, the top of Will Ferrell’s head was cut off. It drove me nuts. After the movie we asked for the manager to let him know to fix it. He looked at us like we were nuts.

Don’t tell anyone I said so but the movie was pretty good. I have to admit that I am a sucker for fart jokes, bathroom humor gets me every time. It is my secret shame. I pretend to be so cultured about films, knowing all the award winners, bragging about watching foreign films and all the independents. But I see these movies with my husband and suddenly Will Ferrell is running around in his underwear yelling “Help me Baby Jesus”. I am laughing so hard I almost pee my pants. It is embarrassing.

Then it starts. It comes on cable and seems to be on all the time. My husband will stop on it any time he sees it. So by osmosis, I have seen this movie about a hundred times. I don’t believe I have watched it from beginning to end since that first theater viewing. Damn you Will Ferrell.

And it has leaked into the culture. I can quote to many lines from the this movie. I can’t see an Applebee’s without turning to my husband and saying “Want to get kicked out of Applebee’s together?” It is killing me. I can’t admit that I secretly enjoy these movies. But I must.

I still watch the artsy stuff. I love to read those literary books and go see the movies based on them and despair on how they are never as good as the book. But I will also be letting my husband know that a new Will Ferrell movie is coming out and pretend I am doing him a huge favor. Of course he will give me a knowing look when I laugh because someone farted. But he loves me. And I don’t make him go to the chick flicks.

So I win.