Reckon you’ve Cena the best of John? Think again
Ricky Stanicky (16+, 114 mins)
Directed by Peter Farrelly
Reviewed by James Croot
***
He’s the best friend they never had. For 25 years, Ricky Stanicky has been getting Dean (Zac Efron), JT (Andrew Santino) and Wes (Jermaine Fowler) out of tight spots, obligations and family events.
What began as a way of avoiding a telling off for a Halloween prank gone spectacularly awry is now a regular way for the trio to do whatever the heck they like, whenever they want.
But, when their latest scheme to skip JT’s wife’s baby shower for a concert in Atlantic City results in him missing the birth of his first child, the ensuing fallout and interrogation has them speculating whether it’s finally time to kill Ricky off – or come clean.
Dean, though, suggests a third option, hire an actor to play Ricky. He knows just the guy too, the bloke they struggled to get rid of at the Golden Trident Casino’s bar.
Sure “Rock-Hard” Rod Rimestead (John Cena) might be best known as South New Jersey’s best X-rated rock’n’roll impersonator (portraying everyone from Billy Idol to Boy George, Michael Jackson and Peter Frampton, while altering the song titles and lyrics to hit songs like Beat It and White Wedding for his trademark “jizz jams”), but Dean couldn’t fault his professionalism and commitment and – besides – he felt a bit guilty about how they treated him with quite such disdain.
Having sent him their “Stanicky” bible, they await his arrival for JT’s son’s bris with a mix of excitement and trepidation, only for Rod to pull off such a con job over all the guests that they not only believe he’s “worked for Bono in Africa and built orphanages in Peru”, but JT and Dean’s boss Ted Summerhayes (William H. Macy) offers him a job.
Stunned – and more than a little perturbed – the pair now fret that “there’s no way this ends well”.
Given that statement, ironically, it’s actually the first half-hour of Ricky Stanicky that both drags and sets a low bar in terms of tone and laughs.
The central trio’s behaviour towards their significant others is reprehensible at best, while the gross-out gags and pot jokes definitely feel stale in 2024.
It makes you wonder whether director (and one of eight writers) Peter Farrelly has forgotten how to bring to life more broad comedies, having taken a turn towards more high-brow true-life tales in the form of Green Book and The Greatest Beer Run Ever.
This definitely initially feels closer to the hit-and-miss Hall Pass, Shallow Hal or Stuck on You than the comedic heights of, say, There’s Something About Mary or Kingpin.
But that’s before Cena takes centre stage (in a role originally circled by a range of actors from Nic Cage to Joaquin Phoenix, James Franco and Jim Carrey during its more than a decade-long gestation). Having already proved his comedic chops in the likes of Peacemaker and Blockers, he delivers a tour de force (or is it farce?) as the edgy Rod.
Whether it’s delivering pitch-perfect “adult” parodies of rock tunes, trying to convince the guys that “Matt Damon really bought a zoo” to prepare for a particular role, or performing a delicate religious ceremony with a flourish, he just lifts Ricky Stanicky to a much higher plane than the rather shaggy, somewhat soiled premise deserves.
Even a badly disguised Melbourne (standing in for Providence, Rhode Island) and poorly judged segue into childhood trauma doesn’t manage to spoil the fun, once Cena is in full flight.
Like me, you’ll probably find yourself laughing hysterically, despite any misgivings about the overall taste level.
Ricky Stanicky is streaming on Prime Video.