Ricky Stanicky has all the ingredients of a zany romp: an insane premise, a cast of well-oiled comedians, and most notably, a veteran of the game, Peter Farrelly (Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary), at the helm of it all. And yet Ricky Stanicky falls unbelievably flat. For starters, there is zero chemistry between the trio who we’re supposed to believe are lifelong friends. And despite his Rolodex of disguises, John Cena is a one-trick pony here who can’t carry this film on his own. The joke is that he’s big and scary but can act pretty soft, but it gets tiring eventually. If I were you, I’d save myself some time and watch this SNL skit where Emma Stone plays a serious actress hoping to make her big break in a porn video instead. It captures the essence of what Ricky Stanicky wants to be, but the difference is, it’s actually funny.
Synopsis
When three childhood best friends pull a prank gone wrong, they invent the imaginary Ricky Stanicky to get them out of trouble. Twenty years later, the trio still uses the nonexistent Ricky as a handy alibi for their immature behavior. But when their spouses and partners get suspicious and demand to finally meet the fabled Mr. Stanicky, the guilty trio decide to hire a washed-up actor and raunchy celebrity impersonator to bring him to life.
Storyline
When three childhood friends (Zac Efron, Andrew Santino, and Jermaine Fowler) realize they can get away with pretty much anything by blaming the fictional “Ricky Stanicky,” they continue using him well into adulthood. After a close call, however, they hire an actor (John Cena) to play Ricky and end the ruse once and for all.
TLDR
I had more fun reading the Ricky Stanicky Wikipedia article than watching the actual film.
What stands out
I know goofy comedy of errors are, like, Efron’s bread and butter, but having just seen in him in the magnificent The Iron Claw, I do hope for his sake and ours that he has more dramatic films in the pipeline. Or musicals, at least.
