Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Blu-ray Movie Review

'Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby' was one of the very first Blu-ray releases and was also available bundled with early Playstation 3 game console boxes. It's taken ten years, but Sony has finally revisited the fan-favorite and issued a 'Mastered in 4K' video transfer, but only for the film's theatrical cut. The extended cut features the same dated transfer and is included here as a straight repressing of the original disc, right down to the same trailers for old Sony films like 'Little Man.' The theatrical cut contains a new DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 presentation and the disc further includes several new supplements. While it's a shame the studio couldn't remaster and reissue both cuts, the theatrical cut looks terrific and is a clear and honest step up from its predecessor. The studio has also not issued the film on UHD, marking another favorite not to make the jump after seeing a 'Mastered in 4K' release after the format's introduction to market ('Taxi Driver;' 'Jerry Maguire' is another soon-to-release 'Mastered in 4K' title not getting a 2160p release). Read on for new video, audio, and supplemental reviews.

He's fast.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sony has remastered Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and graced this 1080p Blu-ray with a "Mastered in 4K" transfer. While a UHD version of the film is mysteriously nowhere to be found, the 1080p Blu-ray is quite attractive and a healthy step up from the ten-year-old transfer of yore. The image is gorgeous, sporting a very fine grain structure that accentuates the image's best qualities and yields a striking film-quality appearance. Details are naturally sharp and finely nuanced. Skin textures are revealing to the depth 1080p allows. Race day uniforms, patches, and ball caps are appreciably dense and every material detail and stitch are revealed with ease. Pavement on the track and city streets, grasses and foliage, homes, and nicknacks inside various locations present with effortless sharpness and clarity even into the furthest background depths. A few shots push a little softer, but such are rare exceptions to the rule. Colors dazzle and represent the single biggest boost over the old Blu-ray. Appreciably more vibrant and nuanced alike, there's a literal rainbow of colors -- more than a Jeff Gordon DuPont paint job -- that explode off the screen with amazing punch and vitality, each extraordinarily well nuanced and natural. One can only imagine what the "HDR" treatment might have done in bringing out even more life from what is one of the most excitingly diverse and eye-catching palettes of the 21st century. Black levels are fine and flesh tones push only a slight bit warm. No encode issues are immediately apparent, and the print is pristine with no damage or degradation visible. A UHD would have likely been a system seller, but this 1080p reissue is itself no slouch.

Note that this review concerns only the newly remastered theatrical cut; a review for the unrated cut can be found here.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The new release's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack replaces the old release's 5.1 uncompressed presentation. Though not the revelation that is the picture, the track proves a nice complimentary piece that handles the film's wide ranging needs very well. Even without additional back or overhead speakers, there's a natural sense of engagement throughout the film, particularly on the race track but in smaller ambient moments as well. Racing is where it's at, though. Throaty engine revs spit out a healthy bit of bass, cars zip on by with an appreciable weight and speed about them, and crashes and tumbles send shocks of bass and flying debris into the stage, even as the sound of the cars rolling from one end to the other is prominent. Crowd cheers and other race day atmospherics are nicely integrated but never earn top prioritization. Smaller ambient effects in restaurants or neighborhoods are nicely engaging and effortlessly enveloping. Music is rich, widely spaced with a balanced back wraparound, and both instrumental and lyrical clarity are top notch. Dialogue is clear and detailed with natural front-center positioning, prioritization never misses a beat, and there are even a few good moments of reverberation about the stage which prove impressive, including at a press conference in chapter two and over raceway loudspeakers in chapter five.

Note that this review concerns only the track accompanying the newly remastered theatrical cut; a review for the unrated cut's LCPM track can be found here.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby contains supplements on both discs. Disc one contains all-new material. Disc two is simply a repress of the original release, the only difference being disc artwork. A UV digital copy code is included with purchase. Below is a supplemental breakdown. New material (disc one) is reviewed. For more on the vintage extras, please click here.

Disc One:

• "25 Years Later" Audio Commentary : A spoof commentary track celebrating the 25th anniversary of the film with cast and crew. Discussions include the film's impact and what the cast and crew are doing "now," with a humorous slant.
• Adam's Video Diaries (1080i, 11:46): Director Adam McKay discusses the filming process in a series of video logs with date stamps showing where in the filming process each took place.
• Line-O-Rama 2.0 (1080p, 4:45): Alternate line takes.
• Deleted & Extended Scenes (1080p, 42:36 total runtime): Included are Make Daddy Talk Normal, Men's Room Confrontation, Jean's Brunch/Attack Dogs, Applebee's Scene (Extended), Cal Calls Ricky (Hot Tub #1), Cal Calls Ricky (Hot Tub #2), Cal Calls Ricky (TV Room #1), Cal Calls Ricky (TV Room #2), Cal Calls Ricky (Golf Green), Grace Scene (Extended), Ricky Takes Station Wagon, Cal & Jean in Bar, NASCAR Nation with Bryan Wavecrey, and Cal & Carly.
• Raw Takes (1080p, 16:44 total runtime): Raw versions of 4 scenes from the film: Cal (Jenga), Jean (Pit Stop), Kyle & Glenn (Pit Stop), and Ricky & Susan (Unfriendly Possum).
• Auditions (1080i, 9:16 total runtime): Actors try out for roles. Includes Houston Tumlin & Grayson Russell, Leslie Bibb, Jack Mcbrayer, and Jane Lynch.
• Interviews (1080p, 12:28, total runtime): Fake interviews with characters. Included are Cal Interview, Ricky Interview, Jean Interview, and Ricky & Cal Interview.
• Teaser Trailer (1080p, 2:16).
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:32).

• Audio Commentary with Director and Friends
• Deleted and Extended Scenes: Going for the Win, I'm Hot, Little Sticker on Windshield, Ricky in Hospital, Gas Money, Jenga Scene (Extended), What'd You Do Today?, Cal Calls Ricky (TV Room v.1), and Return to the Garage.
• Gag Reel
• Will Ferrell Returns to Talladega Featurette
• Ricky & Cal's Commercials
• Ricky & Cal's Public Service Announcements
• Bonus Race Footage
• Line-O-Rama
• Walker & Texas Ranger
• Interviews Included are: Ricky & Cal, Jean & Gregory, and Cal & Carley.
• Theatrical Trailer
• NASCAR Page

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is hardly a classic, but the film earns more than its share of laughs thanks to another knockout performance from Will Ferrell and an awesome collection of talent around him. It's fast and funny, poking as much fun at the "inspirational sports" genre as it does NASCAR. It holds up, doesn't feel in the least bit dated after a decade in Comedy service, and should continue to please audiences for years to come. Sony's "Mastered in 4K" reissue is a mixed bag. Oh, everything's great -- video is amazing, audio is strong, the new supplements are worth the time investment -- but the studio's failure to do anything with the extended cut or issue a UHD version is both baffling and disappointing. Still, fans of the film are in for a real treat with the new video presentation and extras; they would have been in Heaven with a more thorough revamping and the option to watch in 4K. Oh well.