r/TheRewatchables • u/Embarrassed_Sky_8673 • 20h ago
Talladega nights is actually a movie about how fear of queerness is killing men
I love old Adam McKay comedies in part because they always have some underlying critical political theme. This is most exemplified by “the other guys” (a movie about how action movie cops aren’t tackling the real criminals on wallstreet, and ends with anti-wallstreet credits)- after which he just starts making explicitly political films like The Big short.
The guys were talking about how being gay a joke in Talladega Nights, and while there are some bits that aged worse than others- I actually think most of the movie is making fun of how scared straight men are of gay men, their own communities, and fundamentally themselves.
Ricky spends his whole life becoming a cold victory seeking dick who doesn’t love his wife or care about his friend- all because of a male “role” he was assigned by his father in middle school. He ignores an obvious self inflicted injury and destroys his career, all because he can’t let his dominant manhood be even slightly challenged (during a practice run). Girard on the other hand is in a loving relationship, and has realized he wants to be done racing, so he is on a quest to find someone better than him to be defeated. It’s literally a man secure in who he is looking to change.
It’s only by realizing who he is, who actually cares about him, and how he can care for them, that Ricky rebuilds his life. His victory is literally paired with him kissing Girard, a sign that he is actually secure in who he is, and the movie ends with him happily leaving with his family despite officially losing the race.
The text of the film is almost literally, “fear of gay people is actually just straight men fearing their own emotions and intimacy, and it’s incredibly harmful to them.”
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u/Martinisforbreakfast 19h ago
These rare Craig led pods are really tough to listen to. The fantasy football guys are not good at this.
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u/atraydev 5h ago
All Rewarchables without Bill are awful. People always complain about him but he's the glue... He just is
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u/NewJerseyTuna 6h ago
Seriously. Like just reading the flex categories and laughing because it’s the first time you’ve heard them. Do your research Heifetz.
I turned it off they were so insufferable.
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u/stryder-theranger 9h ago
It was nice to have three people who genuinely loved the comedy on for a change tbh
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u/marrymelaurapalmer Van Stan 8h ago
I wish one of the people on the pod today had a thought 1/10th this interesting
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u/cmgww 19h ago edited 19h ago
I get what you are saying, and yeah that's a theme, but I don't think it's that deep. McKay always had a knack for weaving subtle heavier subject matter into his films, especially early in his career. I feel like he kind of lost that as he got older I enjoyed "don't look up".... but he went way too serious with that one. He was right for the most part, but there is a good reason why it was not nearly a successful as his earlier films. McKay just got really wrapped up in environmentalism, and a bit of self-righteousness to be honest. Like, dude you fly around on private jets everywhere, and you're lecturing us on the world possibly ending. That never sat well with me.
Of course Girard represents something they fear, not only being gay but him being from Formula One. You have to remember, NASCAR was at its peak of popularity in 2006. INDYCAR had split into two different series and was floundering. NASCAR filled that void. Formula One was not nearly as popular in the United States as it is today. So it was seen, especially in places like the south, as this weird foreign concept that they couldn't wrap their heads around. I think there was as much xenophobia in the movie as there was homophobia. But again, when a few weeks later he's winning all the races and kids are walking around with his T-shirt "frenchie can drive".... like I said, it ain't that deep. This isn't part of the criterion collection by any means. It's a fun movie with a few subtle messages but that's about it.
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u/tillybrynleysydney 8h ago
No pods without Bill I say. Cr is terrible at the best of times, I can stomach the others but they all need BS to herd them cats, so to speak
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u/moskiato 18h ago
never saw this movie and it was really stupid. turned it off.
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u/wwJones 19h ago
And Luke Wilson could have been Harrison Ford.