Little Brother (2026) is directed by Matt Spicer and features a screenplay by Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel. It stars John Cena, Eric Andre, Michelle Monaghan, Sherry Cola, Christopher Meloni, Caleb Hearon, Ego Nwodim, Bryce Gheisar, Pilot Bunch, Ben Ahlers, and Sophia Bunnell. The film follows Rudd (Cena), a stressed-out real estate agent on the verge of his big break. Much to his chagrin, his life is turned upside down with the arrival of his wild ‘little brother,’ Marcus (Andre). Because Marcus is only his little brother in the context of the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program, Rudd only resents his presence. Unfortunately for him, Marcus hits it off with nearly everyone he knows, which incrementally drives him mad. As secrets are revealed, the two are forced to find common ground before it’s too late. 

 In a complete flip from a comedy such as Ricky Stanicky (2024), John Cena is used as the ‘straight man’ and mostly helps set up the various wild sequences involving co-star Eric Andre. It’s not a difficult role and definitely isn’t something we haven’t seen from Cena in the past, but it does help showcase his underrated range as a performer. He’s equally believable as an irresponsible party animal and a straight-laced business/family man. Honestly, the only thing hard to believe about most of his characters is their physique, which never particularly feels fitting for those meant to be normal, average Joes. I respect Cena as an actor, but I truly believe he’d take the next step if he were more physically committed to his roles. I’m not saying he should stop working out and being healthy in real life; that would be an absurd expectation for someone’s career (especially when they moonlight as a professional wrestler), but I think there’s a reasonable compromise. Distinct physicality is one of the key ways to establish who a character is, but the only thing Cena’s body tells the viewer is: “Damn, that guy must work out a lot. Almost like it’s his only hobby…” I’m not saying that ordinary people don’t work out without a reason other than taking care of their bodies, but in terms of visual storytelling, it’s a clear waste of an opportunity to communicate a character’s personality. If letting us know that Rudd works out is important, then my response would be, “Why?” 

Eric Andre provides most of the film’s humor, which is often hit-or-miss but works best when it leans into the actor’s specific brand of zany, dirty physical humor. Andre isn’t afraid to implement a lot of low-brow humor, including jokes that involve things ranging from urine to wild unprotected sex on the hood of a car. Some of this relies on pure shock value, which falls flat, but other times it achieves some truly hilarious slapstick moments. What saves even some of the character’s lesser crude humor, however, is the fact that he’s also a genuinely kind, well-meaning person whose behavior is a result of his admirable ability to be completely honest and open about who he is, what he wants, and what he needs. Just like in real life, we often judge people who aren’t afraid of what others think of them, but deep down we wish we could do the same. The character brings a lot to be disgusted/turned off by, but is also balanced by traits that are likable, desirable, and rare. 

Although Rudd and Marcus aren’t true biological brothers, the film occasionally does a great job of portraying the ‘pull your hair out’ level of annoyance that a sibling can cause. Unlike just about everything else in a person’s life, you can’t choose your family, which this script seems to understand. However, it also understands that this is what makes familial relationships so unique and meaningful. Fostering these relationships and finding common ground helps us become stronger, more sympathetic individuals who understand that love should never be one-sided and is strengthened by our differences, not in spite of them. On top of this, I appreciate the film’s use of an unfinished pickup basketball game as the backdrop to their ‘sibling’ rivalry. I found myself remembering a particularly heated pickup basketball game with my own older brother that ended in maybe the closest I’ve ever been to a full-on fistfight. For me, this adds a ton of authenticity to the scenario, but I’ll admit it’s specifically due to my personal life experience. 

Overall, this is a goofy, unoriginal R-rated comedy that has a few bright spots, but not enough to earn a recommendation. Some of the emotional beats are effective, but I’m not sure how much of that is because I have an older brother and how much is just legitimately well executed. Eric Andre fans will have fun seeing his distinct humor finally translated to a narrative experience, but it never fully feels like they let him off the leash in a way that would’ve truly made it memorable. It’s not exactly more streaming service ‘sludge,’ but it’s pretty dang close. You can almost feel a board of suits at Netflix putting a Kibosh on anything that even slightly crosses a line, patting themselves on the back for essentially making their product worse. I had some decent fun with it, but it’s forgettable nonetheless. C