Christopher Nolan Calls ‘Talladega Nights’ One of the ‘Great Comedies’

Samantha Bergeson
·2 min read
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Christopher Nolan knows if you ain’t first, you’re last.

The “Oppenheimer” director revealed that 2006 Adam McKay-directed comedy “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” is one of his favorite films during an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show.”

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When asked what movies Nolan would consider to be a “remote drop,” aka if it was playing on TV, he could not change the channel, the auteur placed “Talladega Nights” next to the classics of Stanley Kubrick.

“I haven’t heard the remote drop as a phrase, that’s fantastic,” Nolan said. “There are so many. I flip around and if there’s an old movie playing…I mean, god, anything by Kubrick is a remote drop. Some of the great comedies too. I mean, ‘Talladega Nights,’ I’m never going to be able to switch that up.”

He quoted the movie adding, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”

Host Eisen asked, “Does Will Ferrell know this? Did you just reveal that?” to which Nolan replied, “He does now.”

“Talladega Nights” was released by Sony in 2006 and was lead actor Ferrell’s second highest-grossing comedy behind “Elf” at the time. The NASCAR spoof film followed Ricky Bobby (Ferrell), a race car driver whose champion title is threatened by a French driver (Sacha Baron Cohen). John C. Reilly, Amy Adams, Jane Lynch, and Leslie Bibb also star.

Director McKay told CinemaBlend in 2008 that a sequel was discussed.

“We had an idea about [Ricky Bobby], that he goes and drives over in Europe, you know, so it could be like an international, more of an international type movie, American driver going to Formula 1,” McKay said. “We kicked it around a little bit.”

Meanwhile, Ferrell appeared in Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” which went head-to-head with Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” this summer. Ferrell is also lending his voice to summer comedy “Strays” and starring in “Quiz Lady” alongside Sandra Oh and Awkwafina, which Ferrell is producing.

While “Talladega Nights” may be a surprise inclusion among Nolan’s all-time favorites, the films praised by the “Tenet” director range from “Aftersun” to “Heat” to “The Hateful Eight” and “The Tree of Life.”

And Nolan’s dedication to viewing films in theaters as opposed to on screens at home in part led to his creative split with Warner Bros. after the streaming rollout of 2020 film “Tenet” amid the pandemic.

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