“Ricky Stanicky” is a comedy movie that revolves around a trio who from the beginning of their friendship, have made up an imaginary friend “Ricky Stanicky” to get away from things they don’t like. The movie stars John Cena, Zac Efron, Andrew Santino, and Jermaine Fowler as the main leads. Even though the movie is said to be “funny”, let’s see how it turned out to be. Read on to know if the movie is worth streaming or not.
Ricky Stanicky: An Imaginary Alibi Unraveled
Ricky Stanicky is introduced as a made-up scapegoat that three buddies pulled off during a disastrous Halloween prank. They’ve used “Stanicky did it” as an alibi for several transgressions over the years, ranging from juvenile misbehaviour to adult accidents.
The film begins with an animated sequence that follows the development of this fictional character, showing how he ends up serving as their go-to excuse for any number of problems.
However, nobody, not even the police, ever questioned this alibi. Nobody seems to figure out “Ricky Stanicky” is not a real person. It is almost laughable how this character was used and how the people in this trio’s life fell for this imaginary friend. However, as the story progresses, we have a few laughs but mostly the story is not anything out of the ordinary.
Now, the families of the trio are determined to meet the mysterious Ricky Stanicky as their adventures get more outrageous. So, they come up with a dumb place. They engage an actor Rod to play Ricky since they are desperate to keep up the illusion.
John Cena’s character Rod causes havoc at the family get-together, which sparks funny moments amid offensive jokes. However, the overall enjoyment of the movie is diminished by the film’s disrespectful statements about women and stereotypes, which dominate the occasionally funny scenes.
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John Cena’s Charisma Shines Amidst Lackluster Humor and Tired Stereotypes
As the story progresses, we see that the families like Rod (or should we call him Ricky) and Rod decides to change his name legally to Ricky. Now Rod has a job in Dean’s (Zac Efron) and JT’s (Andrew Santino) company. He impresses everyone around him.
So much so that Dean’s girlfriend decides to write a story on him and declare him “Hero Of The Month”. Now, they can’t keep lying about Rod’s reality. As the story comes to an end, it becomes flat. The plot gets too obvious and the protagonists are given a clean chit irrespective of their wrongdoings. They are, in fact, praised for “changing” Rod’s life.
At over two hours long, “Ricky Stanicky” drags on with a lot of uninteresting characters and a dull plot. The way humour and drama are blended feels haphazard and alienates viewers. Despite this, John Cena is excellent as Ricky Stanicky, adding sincere humour to the movie.
Although Cena’s bold performance brings much-needed laughter, his skill is ultimately unable to save the ending, which ultimately causes the film to falter and disappoint viewers.
Conclusion
The concept of “Ricky Stanicky” is full of potential, but in the end, it falls short of being a really funny comedy. Although John Cena’s portrayal of the title character adds humour to the story, the movie’s use of crude jokes and stale stereotypes detracts from its humorous effect.
In addition, the film’s plodding duration and formulaic storyline detract from the overall fun and leave viewers feeling let down. Even with Cena’s excellent performance, “Ricky Stanicky” is a mediocre contribution to the genre since it never quite lives up to its humorous potential. So, in our opinion, you can skip streaming this. However, if you still wish to watch it for John Cena, the movie is available on Prime Video.