When three childhood best friends pull a prank that goes wrong, they invent the imaginary Ricky Stanicky to get them out of trouble. Twenty years later, they still use the nonexistent Ricky as a handy alibi for their immature behavior.
Chuck says:
Like many of the Farrelly brothers’ early movies (“Dumb and Dumber,” “There’s Something About Mary,” “Stuck on You”) “Ricky Stanicky” is tasteless, sophomoric, offensive, and ham-fisted. It’s also smart, poignant, inclusive, and one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in quite some time. Flying solo without his brother Bobby, Peter Farrelly jettisons any sense of respectability he may have garnered from his Best Picture Oscar winner “Green Book,” returning to form with this, at times, haphazard, manic comedy about a lie hatched by three desperate teens that literally takes on a life of its own.
On a fateful Halloween night Dean, J.T. and Wes (Zac Efron, Andrew Santino and Jermaine Fowler, respectfully) see a harmless prank go horribly bad. Having accidently set a neighbor’s house on fire, they hurriedly leave behind one of their jackets with a nonsensical name conjured in a panic written on its inside. Once the men in blue arrive on the scene, they believe “Rickey Stanicky” is the culprit, never understanding he doesn’t exist.
Realizing they’ve stumbled upon an alibi gold mine, the trio starts blaming every nefarious act on their imaginary scapegoat, a practice that continues into adulthood. If they want to go on a golf trip, they tell their respective partners Ricky is having cancer treatment and needs their support. If they want to take a quick trip to Vegas, they simply say Ricky’s going out of the country and they need to go wish him a fond farewell.
This goes off without a hitch for years, until the boys take a quick getaway to Atlantic City for a concert. Having turned off their phones for the show, they find a litany of messages waiting for them afterwards. Seems J.T.’s wife has given birth, six weeks early, so the boys hightail it back. All concerned want to know just why Ricky isn’t with them. Many questions are asked that can’t be answered and they realize the only way to get out of this jam is to hire someone to portray their non-existent friend. Fortunately, they have just the man for the job.
The film’s secret weapon is John Cena, a down-and-out impersonator who’s hired to play the titular character. The actor’s willingness to try anything holds him in good stead here. Whether he’s required to be overbearing, clingy, obnoxious, confident, demanding, or romantic, Cena is up to the task. While he’ll likely never give DeNiro a run for his money, he has a conviction and sincerity that draws us in. The camera loves him as well and he knows it.
The film revolves around a needlessly complicated yet clever premise, the kind rife with comic possibilities. Usually, the more writers attributed to a screenplay the worse the result. Here six are credited and I suspect each contributed a separate gag. One of the most impressive things about the film is the way Farrelly and his writers build upon a joke. On numerous occasions, a simple misunderstanding escalates to the point where the trio are backed into a corner, their secret surely to be revealed. That they can rescue themselves from the jaws of humiliation again and again is a tribute to the clever nature of the script.
The sentiment present in the Farrelly brother’s movies is often overlooked due to the ribald nature of their humor. That their optimistic messages are less than subtle doesn’t help but there’s no denying the positive intent present. Themes of inclusion, empathy and charity are front and center, Stanicky’s message of positivity coming to the fore again and again.
Again, there’s nothing subtle about any of this and it goes without saying this is not for all tastes. If the idea of seeing Cena dressed as Billy Idol, a member of Devo or Alice Cooper singing parody songs about self-love or the sight of a hallucinating mohel attempt an ill-advised circumcision is your cup of tea, “Ricky Stanicky” is for you. If not, give it a shot anyway. It just may exceed your low expectations.
3 1/2 Stars
