Ricky Stanicky

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.

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?

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.

This won't win awards but the script is actually pretty funny. Towards the end they really spin it into a nice redemption story, it's done well.

Cena is impressive. He truly is a good comedic actor, and his self deprecating humor gives it a nice depth.

I laughed several times.

Was fun to see stand up comedians Andrew Santino and Jeff Ross in there, both on point.

Zac Efron may ironically be the least convincing of all. Not sure what happened to his face but he lost all youthfulness and it was odd to see. He didn't do a bad job though, owing to the whole story hinging on him.

Watch the credits until the end for an epic TikTok video.

To be honest, I hadn't heard anything about this movie so I went into it with zero expectations. I've always been a big Andrew Santino fan so I gave this a shot. Boy am I glad I did! It's down right hilarious! I've never really been a fan of the big tough guy wrestler turned actor.. I.e. John cena, but I have to say: he knocks this one out of the park. Every scene he's in had me laughing until my stomach hurt.

If you came into this expecting a masterpiece, it might not be for you. However, if like me: you didn't know what to expect, you may end up pleasantly surprised. I'll definitely watch it again. Rating: 7/10.