On this episode, we take a serious look at a ridiculous film in

'Talladega Nights - The Ballad of Ricky Bobby' from 2006. Being thesecond instalment in Will Ferrell's 'Mediocre American Male'film trilogy, we deconstruct the ways in which this sub-genreof comedy mocks conservative American culture, most especiallythe presidency of George W. Bush and the mainstream conservativevalue system. We also look at the 'Sabido Method' oftransposing social norms through screenplay, along with othertricks of stagecraft such as the use of comedic extremes, real-wordreferences, and self-satirical product placement. 

Topics discussed include: Talladega Nights, Will Ferrell, John

C. Reilly, Judd Apato, Adam McKay, 'Mediocre American Male',Comedic Actors, Genres of Comedy, Popular Culture, NASCAR,Anchorman, Deconstruction of Conservative Values, ContemporaryMorality Play, Risque Humour, Conservatism, Right Wing Politics,Cultural Demographics, Christianity, George W. Bush, DuPont,DynCorp, Halliburton, Carlyle Group, KFC, McDonalds, ProductPlacement, Self-Satire, Sasha Baron Cohen, Perrier, France, LGBT,Sophistication, Character Archetypes, Frontrunner vs Underdog,Debasement,  Degeneracy, Gender Roles, Denigration of theMale, Juvenile Behaviour, Drugs, Homoeroticism, SexuallyInappropriate Themes, Profanity, Sabido Method, Breaking DownPrejudices, Changing Moral Values, Comedic Technique, Lack ofJudgement, Identification with Archetypes, Stupidity, ComedicExtremes, Pushing the Envelope, Political Statements, Dialectics,Liberalism vs Conservatism, Toilet Humour, Subversive Impact ofComedies.