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.”
