'Ricky Stanicky' Review: Prime Video's much-anticipated film falls flat despite John Cena's desperate efforts
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Amazon Prime's 'Ricky Stanicky', touted as a potential R-rated comedy banger, falls disappointingly short of expectations, failing to deliver the laughs and wit promised by its elevator pitch.
Despite the potential highlighted by John Cena's involvement, the film released on Thursday, March 6, struggles with flat jokes, weak writing, forgettable characters, and a lackluster execution of its premise.
'Ricky Stanicky's plot revolves around childhood friends Dean (Zac Efron), JT (Andrew Santino), and Wes (Jermaine Fowler), who create an imaginary scapegoat named Ricky Stanicky to evade responsibility and inconvenience throughout their lives.
As their lies spiral out of control, they are compelled to hire 'Rock-Hard Ron' (John Cena), a down-on-his-luck singer, to play the fictional Ricky Stanicky in real life.
However, the film's execution falters right from the hastily-animated opening sequence, a red flag signaling the lack of effort invested.
Even John Cena can't save Amazon Prime's 'Ricky Stanicky'
Zac Efron's performance feels phoned-in, and despite Andrew Santino's comedic background, his portrayal of JT falls flat, contributing to the overall lack of humor.
The side characters are poorly fleshed out, bland, and soulless, adding little to the film's attempts at comedy, mostly relying on a few swearwords for humor.
The standout performance comes from John Cena, who does his best to elevate the weak script. However, his efforts are undermined by the film's disjointed narrative and the delayed integration of the ensemble cast.
The movie takes over 30 minutes to fully form the cast, leaving Cena out to dry until then. The film's attempt at absurdist comedy, such as Cena dressed as Britney Spears and licking whiskey off the ground, fails to land due to the prolonged wait for the story to develop.
Legitimate stakes regarding hiring Ron as Ricky Stanicky only surface over an hour into the nearly two-hour runtime, making the viewing experience a massive slog.
The ending compounds the film's issues with hastily slapped-together resolutions for characters lacking redemption. The movie becomes an exercise in patience, with infrequent laughs and relief when it finally concludes.
Director Peter Farrelly's attempt at making a comeback with 'Ricky Stanicky' fails
Director and screenwriter Peter Farrelly, known for transitioning from gross-out comedies to sentimental tales, attempts to return to his roots with 'Ricky Stanicky'. However, the film remains tonally stuck halfway, failing to capture the comedic essence of Farrelly's earlier works.
The screenplay, floating around Hollywood for over a decade, shows signs of strain, evident in the unresolved plotlines and disjointed storytelling. Despite a star-studded cast, including William H Macy in a bizarre subplot, 'Ricky Stanicky' struggles to overcome its weak writing.
Cena, chosen for the role after a brief appearance in DC's 'Peacemaker' series, attempts to infuse his likable charisma into the film. However, the editing choices, marked by frantic cuts and lack of screen time for Cena's punchlines, hinder the potential success of his performance.
In the end, 'Ricky Stanicky' stands as an oddly assembled film with dead air, shots that don't align, and an overall lack of comedic cohesion.
Despite moments of Cena's comedic brilliance and a surprisingly accurate Owen Wilson impression, the film fails to live up to the expectations set by its initial promise.
In a landscape filled with superior R-rated comedies, this one, unfortunately, misses the mark, leaving audiences with fewer laughs than they could count on their hands and a sense of relief when the credits roll.