“Ricky Stanicky” is a prime example of wasted potential, featuring stupid writing, unrealistic characters, and a barrage of unfunny jokes that fall flat. Directed by Peter Farrelly, this film squanders its promising premise and talented cast on a juvenile and uninspired, off-color comedy that fails to deliver enough laughs or entertainment to justify its sad existence. This is a really, really bad movie.
Twenty years after Dean (Zac Efron), JT (Andrew Santino), and Wes (Jermaine Fowler), three childhood best friends, created an imaginary scapegoat for their pranks and shenanigans, they still find themselves using the nonexistent Ricky Stanicky as an alibi for their immature behavior. After JT misses the birth of his first child due to yet another tall tale, their families get suspicious and demand to meet Mr. Stanicky. Panicked, the guys hired “Rock Hard” Rod (John Cena), a raunchy, washed-up celebrity impersonator from Atlantic City to bring their imaginary buddy to life. Rod takes his role far too seriously, which causes a lot of shenanigans to ensue, making the best friends wish they’d never created Ricky in the first place.
It sounds like a slam dunk of a premise that would lend itself to comedy gold, but Farrelly totally blows everything about his film. While it works as a childhood prank, it feels utterly ridiculous and implausible when applied to adult characters with families and responsibilities. These are grown men, for crying out loud.
Even worse, the film’s attempts at humor largely miss the mark, with most jokes and gags landing as total duds. Whether it’s the tired trope of bawdy rewrites of classic songs or the contrived scenarios involving Ricky Stanicky’s outrageous heroics, the comedy falls flat at every turn. Even the presence of a talented and charming cast can’t salvage the abysmal writing and lackluster execution.
By: Louisa Moore / SCREEN ZEALOTS
