I actually watched this flick a couple of weeks ago. I read pammyk's blog and found it funny that she is liking Mr. Will Ferrell. I, of course, have a deep and abiding affection for him stemming back from his portrayals of George W., Alex Trebek, and an ADHD cheerleader on SNL. While I definitely think he's cute in that goofy way, I also think his movies are so hit and miss for me.
Fortunately, this movie was a hit in my eyes. It was stupid funny like so many of his flicks, but I think I especially enjoyed it because it satirized car racing quite a bit, and there were really some very funny scenes between Ricky Bobby and his friend played by John C. Reilly. In fact, Mr. Reilly was arguably the funnier of the two, though the scene that had me rolling more than any other was when Ricky Bobby was saying Grace and insisted on praying to baby Jesus because he didn't like the adult Jesus. I think I delight in irreverent humor, but that was just so out there. I also enjoyed the best friend's attempts at getting back on Ricky Bobby's good side and the flamboyant French racer played by Sacha Baron Cohen.
This movie is not a cinematic masterpiece by any stretch, and will never come close to challenging the viewer on an intellectual level, but if you go into it expecting a certain degree of idiocy, you'll enjoy it immensely. I rate it an 8 for very good because my low expectations allowed me to enjoy the random hilarity of this movie. I don't know if it passes the test. Maybe if it was really cheap I'd buy it. I really did laugh, and that's what counts. It's definitely worth the rental.