Ricky Stanicky - L'amico immaginario

Thanks to Cena this movie is a worth a watch. Some of the other actors had a one or two lines that were kind of funny but Cena steals the show proving he can do comedy as well as anyone and certainly better than his wrestling counterpart The Rock. Some of the jokes fall short or even seem a little lame but Cena did a good job keeping this interesting and made me want to keep watching. I will say that Zac Efron wasn't too bad either and he's come along way since that Hairspray movie proving he can do more than just sing. Don't go in with high expectations and you won't be disappointed. 6 stars.

These days, comedies like this are hard to come by. So, if you are looking for a comedy, anything that's a six and above is usually pretty good and worth your time. The movie is plain and simple, and it knows its boundaries. It doesn't try hard and go corny nor does it seem to be carelessly written. And boy did I have a few lol moments that I didn't expect, at all.

The story is about 3 friends but the star that took over was John Cena, this charismatic actor is better as a comedian than his previous image as a serious action star given that the dude is muscle bound. However, his physique actually works for him unlike The Rock. Cena has found his niche, and I didn't even like his wrestling character. I did saw his comedic potential years back when I saw the movie he was in "The Wall".

Anyway, this movie would have sucked if it wasn't for John Cena, and I know it sounds like I'm kissing his behind but wait till you see the movie because the 3 other "stars" weren't good and kind of bad actually. They have no depth and personality. Maybe if they had better lines or something the movie would have turned out better. Were their characters supposed to be normal bland people, maybe?

15 years ago this would have been your average comedy but now in the age of depressive dramedies and unfunny pc comedies it ranks as one of the best...sadly. Finally I got to actually have a few laugh-out-loud moments while watching a comedy instead of crying a few tears during some of the recent horrible comedies.

It has been some 10 years since they released a full length comedy with more than one lol scenes and to be honest this one is not even really that good when compared to the golden age of comedies from the 1980s up until late 2000s. OK, I must admit that Good Boys in 2019 was pretty funny and made for TV mockumentaries Tour de Pharmacy and 7 Days In Hell were really funny but these were huge exceptions. Sad days we live in...

Ricky Stanicky is a comedy that's undermined by its excessive length. The major luls between laughs probably wouldn't be as noticeable if it wasn't closing in on a two hour run time but just like the central trio in the film, it's saved by John Cena and his unwavering commitment. Pretty much every laugh comes from him and each one is funny enough to sustain it in between them.

Zac Efron, Jermaine Fowler, and Andrew Santino do a good job of getting the plot going whilst overcoming how unlikeable their characters initially are. John Cena is everything this film needs, especially because of how fearless he is and his God given comedic talents. Every parody song is a highlight and the outfits that accompany them only cements that he's not scared of humiliating himself for a good joke.

Director Peter Farrelly reaffirms that he's still more than willing to indulge in his old school grotesque sensibilities with a well intentioned warmth deep down, even if he's somehow an Oscar winning filmmaker now. The grossest joke comes at the very start and after that Farrelly is solely relying on Cena to deliver with every single joke that lands involving him in some way, shape or form.

Never thought that I would enjoy seeing John Cena in this raunchy comedy. I felt like he was so at par with other celebrities that oddly fit into this types of characters. His casting was a great decision to the movie because he was hilarious on this one without trying too hard. All the other characters I found a bit lame. I mean, Zac Efron was a bit bizarre to watch now because of his bulky physique that I wished he would fit into more dramatic and action roles than this one. All the other performances were lame and forgettable, and it felt like the writer was just filling-in scenes just to make the film longer.