A Return to Familiar Territory: Exploring "Ricky Stanicky" by Peter Farrelly

Before Judd Apatow dominated the comedy scene with films portraying perpetually immature men, there was Peter Farrelly. Collaborating with his brother Bobby, their movies ranged from charmingly humorous – albeit occasionally inappropriate – like "Dumb and Dumber" or "There's Something About Mary," to what some may describe as the disastrous "Movie 43." Since then, Farrelly has ventured into television, the award-winning “Green Book,” and the dramatic Vietnam War-era escapade "The Greatest Beer Run Ever." Now, he revisits the familiar territory of old-fashioned guy comedies with “Ricky Stanicky.”

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“Ricky Stanicky” feels like a throwback, but not in a warmly nostalgic way. Instead, it comes across as a rehash of tired gags and jokes lacking innovation or wit. Farrelly shares writing credits with five other writers and two others contributing to the story, making it challenging to pinpoint precisely what went awry without concluding that "it’s all wrong."

Ricky Stanicky isn't initially a character's name when the movie begins. He's an imaginary scapegoat invented to extricate three young boys from trouble after a prank involving a flaming bag of feces goes disastrously wrong. Over the years, the trio blame Ricky for various mischief and poor decisions. Even as adults, Dean (played by Zac Efron), JT (played by Andrew Santino), and Wes (played by Jermaine Fowler) still attribute their escapades to Ricky as an excuse to leave their families – though it's merely a pretext to enjoy leisure activities such as attending sports events or concerts. When their clandestine excursions become too frequent, their loved ones demand to meet the infamous reformed scapegoat, Ricky Stanicky. To maintain appearances, they enlist the help of Rod (portrayed by John Cena), a down-and-out alcoholic actor from Atlantic City, to impersonate Ricky at a family event, leading to predictable hilarity, albeit intermittently between jokes bordering on misogyny and racial insensitivity.

Much of “Ricky Stanicky” relies on juvenile and uninspired humor, featuring drawn-out gags, crude jokes, and various levels of cringe-worthy comedy. William H. Macy appears as Dean and JT’s boss, primarily to unwittingly make lewd gestures implying sexual acts during corporate meetings. Jeff Ross makes a cameo as a bumbling rabbi who accidentally ingests ketamine, rendering him incapable of completing the circumcision ceremony he's there to perform. The director of “Green Book” portrays Wes, the sole Black character in the cast, as an unemployed stoner, while Dean and JT hold white-collar jobs. This may elicit laughter from some, but I'm not among them.

To their credit, Efron and Cena make the most of the challenging material. Efron, as Dean, delivers emotional scenes with sincerity, navigating the absurd situations thrown at him and his friends by Rod-as-Ricky. Cena fully embraces the role of Rod, portraying the character with exaggerated flair, from displaying signs of alcohol withdrawal to delivering questionable rockstar impressions and casually recounting fabricated tales, all while maintaining a serious demeanor, despite the lackluster script.

As absurd as Cena's antics are, such as fleeing from what he believes are hitmen while dressed in Britney Spears’s “Hit Me Baby One More Time” attire, or Efron's pained expression when unable to halt Rod's impersonation of Ricky, the film's shortcomings prevent sustained enjoyment. Before long, the mood is disrupted by tasteless remarks or repetitive jokes losing their impact. “Ricky Stanicky” is, at best, a mixed bag, and at worst, a reminder that some childhood pastimes are best left in the past.

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