During a somewhat dreary day for films,” Ricky Stanicky” on Amazon Prime was a nice shock.
It first and foremost tries to get funny in a time when comedies are an endangered species in popular culture. While international markets, woke sensibilities, and changing seeing formats have largely made funny films a terrible guess,” Ricky Stanicky”, a film done in the style of” The Hangover” or” Hot Tub Time Machine“, proves there’s still a place for stories about knuckleheads getting caught up in their foolish schemes and making fools of themselves. In this situation, the plot is employing an artist to perform a fake person who three buddies have always used as a victim to avoid problems.
Additionally,” Ricky Stanicky” really has a moral information: Be truthful. Granted, it’s a simple concept, but this stands out from another new musicals that tend toward the jaded and absurd. Despite the possibility that removing the moral message would be more accurate, maintaining it makes the film happy and serves a purpose. The movie convincingly argues that even the best-kept lies can catch up with someone, which will ultimately hinder personal development and compromise relationships.
As for the movie’s namesake, John Cena’s portrayal of the fictitious” Ricky” is really funny. He basically carries the movie by portraying Rod Rimestead, a failed actor who earns his living singing lewd versions of popular songs in an Atlantic City dive bar. Despite being a hulking former professional wrestler, Cena manages to turn out to be a lovable loser who elicits sympathy as other characters half his size tease and dismiss him.
All in all,” Ricky Stanicky” is actually pretty good. It’s a welcome homage to the old comedy films, which could make audiences laugh while being silly and entertaining. This makes sense since Peter Farrelly, director and writer for” Dumb and Dumber”,” There’s Something About Mary”, and in more recent years” Loudermilk”, also directed this film. As one might imagine, there is plenty of slapstick and bawdy humor in Farrelly’s latest offering, but not to the point of being disturbingly gross or pornographic.  ,
Unfortunately, these pleasant surprises are counterbalanced by some expected drawbacks, mainly with the cast surrounding Cena. In line with current fashion, they are diverse, representative, and inoffensive, checking every box. Additionally, they are completely flat, occasionally unlikeable, and are n’t permitted to be funny. They are more or less forgettable and lack even the slightest chemistry with one another.
This sadly includes Zac Efron. It’s clear his character is supposed to be a foil to Cena’s, but he is totally outshined. His face does not emote, and his character lacks personality. Even if he has been in other comedies such as” Baywatch” and” Neighbors“, he seems better suited to dramatic roles like in the recent film” The Iron Claw“, where he put in a stellar performance.  ,
William Macy, in contrast, is hilarious as Ricky’s bumbling boss who shines. Like Cena, and unlike Efron, Macy has a good time embarrassing himself. He and Cena effectively play off one another in the few scenes they are in, which gives an idea of what might have been possible with a cast that had been chosen with humor in mind rather than diversity.
Overall, despite the drawbacks,” Ricky Stanicky” is quite watchable and comes at a good time. Hopefully, other films will follow in its stead and get today’s audiences to a better space culturally. Like Ricky Stanicky, we all could be a little more honest, down to earth, and willing to laugh at ourselves.
