Ricky Stanicky (2024) Review!!

Synopsis – When three childhood best friends pull a prank that goes wrong, they invent the imaginary Ricky Stanicky to get them out of trouble. Twenty years later, they still use the nonexistent Ricky as a handy alibi for their immature behavior.

My Take – Though writer, producer and director Peter Farrelly, known famously as the Farrelly brothers along with his brother Bobby Farrelly, gained fame and reputation by directing and producing zany laugh-out-loud comedies like Dumb and Dumber (1994), There’s Something About Mary (1998), Me, Myself and Irene (2000), and Shallow Hal (2001), he surprised everyone by going solo with Green Book (2018).

The comedy-drama which ended up picking numerous accolades including the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. While he took his time to follow it up with the agreeable The Greatest Beer Run Ever (2022), his latest sees him return to making broad comedies in the form of a gleefully absurd film that takes a simple premise and runs wild with it.

Yes, it doesn’t hold up to the standards over his better works, but manages to find perfect middle ground between heartfelt and stupid, with its cast keeping pace and delivering the Farrelly signature brand of humor with perfect timing. This is the kind of film which doesn’t even try to be more than it is on the surface; it takes one bonkers idea and exhausts all of its possibilities.

Most importantly, it cements John Cena‘s reputation as a major comic star, who along with a dynamic cast, elevates the film beyond its conventional plot, once again highlighting director Peter Farrelly’s ability to create stories that resonate with the audience through laughter and reflection.

Indeed, it won’t win awards for originality, but it doesn’t shy away from pushing boundaries. Be prepared for some outrageous gags and plenty of cringe comedy.

Beginning in 1999, the story follows three kids Dean, JT, and Wes, who in order to cover a mischief gone awry, that includes a house set to fire they merely intended to cover with dog shit, invent an imaginary friend called Ricky Stanicky to throw the cops off their scent.

The plan works, thus the legend of Ricky Stanicky is born. 25 years later, the grown up Dean (Zac Efron), JT (Andrew Santino), and Wes (Jermaine Fowler) continue to use him as an alibi for all of the shenanigans and boys’ trips away they want to take away from wives, partners, jobs and responsibilities.

To ensure their stories stay straight, the men update the bible, which is a chronology of the Stanicky lies they crafted over the years. They set up fake social media accounts. They have a burner phone just for Stanicky. Their latest Stanicky tall tale involves cancer and a trip to Atlantic City for a concert, a trip that allows JT to skip the baby shower his wife has planned.

But when JT’s baby is born while he’s out of town and no one is able to reach him, his family wants answers on what the real deal with Ricky is. But instead of coming clean, they hire Rock Hard Rod (John Cena), a hard-raunch celebrity impersonator who specializes in masturbation-themed song parodies, to play Ricky. And it turns out Rod is way more convincing than Dean, JT, or Wes could ever have imagined, however, their success comes back to bite them when he moves his way further into their lives.

The rest of the film involves the sometimes hilarious, sometimes not, shenanigans of Rod becoming Ricky Stanicky. As with most lies, things get more complicated and convoluted with each passing moment. Mainly as “The best friend we never had” concept becomes a complex challenge that threatens to ruin all relationships and careers.

This is a premise that sounds slightly dumb at first but is just plausible and silly enough to work for a comedy. It helps a great deal that the first half of the script flows smoothly with gags and jokes that land more often than not.

The plot is as formulaic as it gets with such material which sees the guys almost getting busted, but then something happens that delays the truth coming out. Here, director Peter Farrelly builds on the absurdity, capitalizing on all the situational comedy that naturally presents itself and firmly holds the film together for the most part.

But it’s inevitable with a story like this that the madness and pretending will have to stop at some point, which is when it begins to lose momentum. In the film’s third act, most of the punchlines turn awkward and begin to miss the mark, and a vague drama starts to seep through the cracks.

There’s a well-intentioned message here about how human beings complicate their ability to be good people. Many people simply pretend it’s impossible to be better versions of themselves to avoid going through a phase of change that includes admitting past mistakes that have marked their lives.

Though it’s somewhat disappointing that the film can’t stick the landing despite the involvement of six writers, Peter Farrelly, Jeff Bushell, Brian Jarvis, James Lee Freeman, Pete Jones and Mike Cerrone, it sure manages to get a decent ensemble to make things work, even when it’s not.

If there’s anything to absolute love about the film, it’s John Cena‘s performance. The fact that he plays a character whose job is to portray another character, shockingly becoming the best actor in the world against all expectations, places the actor in an ideal position to give his all without seeming forced or irrational. It’s a complete display that demonstrates the actor’s phenomenal growth, and not only proves his exceptional comedic timing but also his underrated dramatic range.

Surprisingly, Zac Efron is stuck in his neutered role as the film’s straight man, which is frustrating because he’s such a gifted comic actor in his own right. Nevertheless, he manages to succeed within the frameworks of his character and shares fantastic chemistry with the equally captivating Andrew Santino, and Jermaine Fowler.

Also worth noting is the equally hilarious performance of William H. Macy. Lex Scott Davis and Anja Savcic provide able support. On the whole, ‘Ricky Stanicky’ is a simple raunchy comedy bolstered by John Cena‘s energetic performance.