Ricky Stanicky (2024), directed by Peter Farrelly, stars Zac Efron, John Cena, Jermaine Fowler, Andrew Santino, William H. Macy, Lex Scott Davis, Anja Savcic, Heather Mitchell, and Jackson Tozer. The film follows the (somewhat) true story of three children who create the alias of “Ricky Stanicky” so he can take the blame for their various misdeeds. As the three friends (Efron, Fowler, and Santino) grow into adulthood, they continue to use Ricky Stanicky to go on vacations and adventures that pull them away from their boring and stressful family lives. But after using Ricky Stanicky as an excuse to skip a baby shower for a Vegas trip, their families become extremely suspicious. To save themselves the embarrassment of admitting their secret, the friends hire a down-on-his-luck actor named Rod (Cena) whom they met in Vegas to pose as the real-life version of Ricky Stanicky. As the friends desperately cover their tracks, it soon becomes clear that Rod has no intention of ever abandoning the character of Ricky Stanicky, “his best role.” 

What elevates this film over the typical comedy of this kind are the heart-warming performances at its center. Cena gives one of his better comedic performances as Rock-Hard Ron. Yes, most of the comedy is pretty crude, but it remains funny simply through delivery. But this wouldn’t be impressive if he didn’t provide a character we care about. The film does a great job of setting the character up as a complete dunce and then challenging that initial impression. It signals not just an arc for the character but for us as the audience. 

As for Efron, the script doesn’t provide him with many comedic moments, but he does act as the character who regulates the often over-the-top story. As for Fowler and Santino, their performances are strong but nothing unique. They pretty much play caricatures which end up being somewhat forgettable.

Although the film has a big heart, a few of the sappy character moments feel a bit shoehorned in. The movie tries a bit too hard to teach the audience a lesson and therefore comes off as occasionally cheesy, especially with the film’s ending. That being said, even when the film is too cheesy, there’s still a certain appeal to how Ron/Ricky is able to become the friend the original trio never knew they needed. This provides the sweet (but unoriginal) theme of never judging a book by its cover. 

Although the film loses a bit of steam in the third act when it delves into typical comedic formulas, there’s still a somewhat effortless pace that I think comes from the film’s general breezy attitude about life and friends. The film never feels too serious while still conveying a strong sense of dramatic weight for the characters. 

Overall, this is a film with an implausible yet fun premise that features mostly crude or situational comedy. It feels like it could easily be 30 minutes shorter and is a bit lacking in terms of originality. That being said, there’s a huge heart that begs me to forgive its shortcomings (but I won’t). The performances are strong, the tone is light, and the jokes are worth just enough chuckles. Veteran comedy director Peter Farrelly shows that even though his comedic chops may falter, he still knows how to tell an effective emotional story. C+