'Ricky Stanicky (2024)' is a bit of an oxymoron, in that it's somehow both exactly what you expect and way better than you'd think it would be. Peter Farrelly's latest comedy is about three best friends who have been lying about a supposed fourth since childhood in order to get out of trouble by scapegoating the imaginary rascal or get some time away from their families by saying they're going to see him. When the time comes for the fake friend to finally show up to a family function, the trio hire a down-on-his-luck actor - who moonlights in Las Vegas as a crude parody lyricist - to step into the impossibly big boots of the eponymous Ricky Stanicky. Luckily for them, the guy's feet are plenty big enough - both because he's played by the enormous John Cena and because he's somehow the best, yet most overlooked method actor in the entire world. The film isn't hilarious, but it has its fair share of funny moments. Although not all of the jokes land, or even seem appropriate, most of them are decent enough to keep you entertained even when you aren't chuckling. The feature also has a somewhat strong emotional core, even if the way everything wraps up kind of undercuts it and a lot of the narrative could play as a horror if the tone was tweaked just slightly. It's an oddly paced experience, though, that feels really front-loaded. There's a lot of interesting stuff in the back half - or, rather, the potential for interesting stuff - that gets completely overlooked because of how fast the flick needs to speed towards its climax after spending so long on Stanicky's first real-life appearance. Unfortunately, it totally whiffs its third act, too. Not only does it do everything it can to excuse and absolve the bad behaviour of its heroes (a problem with a lot of male-driven comedy), most of it is dedicated to a boring news broadcast that doesn't even tell us anything we don't already know. It's a bizarre choice that really takes the steam out of the affair. To be honest, it lands with a total thud. Thankfully, the first two acts are a lot better. They're not great, and they're as generic as they come, but they're enjoyable enough. It helps that the performances are pretty solid across the board, with Zac Efron comfortably slipping back into a comedic role after his excellent dramatic work in 'The Iron Claw (2023)' (which is on another level to this, obviously) and John Cena continuing to charm with his particular brand of bumbling innocence. Ultimately, this is total fluff that lacks any real bite, but it's far more pleasant than you'd expect it to be. It's entertaining enough for what it is, despite its weak third act and general complacency, and it's often fairly amusing. It's a surprisingly solid effort.
Review of Ricky Stanicky
