This Will Ferrell NASCAR comedy is a purposeful car crash. Each scene begins with a conventional setup and then is deconstructed by the actors into improvisational chaos. The only requirement is that everyone keeps a straight face. Physically, Ferrell has the doughy indolence of the dimwits he often plays, in this case a champion NASCAR driver challenged by a French rival (Sacha Baron Cohen, equally absurd), but you can see in his eyes that he’s always looking for the joke. And if he can’t find one in the scene at hand, he’ll drag the moment and everyone in it into some ridiculous but hysterical place.
