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Ricky Stanicky

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Ricky Stanicky
Release poster
Directed byPeter Farrelly
Written by
  • Jeff Bushell
  • Brian Jarvis
  • James Lee Freeman
  • Peter Farrelly
  • Pete Jones
  • Mike Cerrone
Story by
  • David Occhino
  • Jason Decker
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJohn Brawley
Edited byPatrick J. Don Vito
Music byDave Palmer
Production
companies
  • Footloose Productions
  • Rocket Science
  • VicScreen
  • Smart Entertainment
  • Blue Rider Media
  • Bright White Light
Distributed byAmazon MGM Studios
Release date
  • March 7, 2024 (2024-03-07)
Running time
113 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Ricky Stanicky is a 2024 American comedy film directed by Peter Farrelly. The film stars Zac Efron, Jermaine Fowler, Andrew Santino, Lex Scott Davis, Anja Savcic, Jeff Ross, William H. Macy, and John Cena.

Ricky Stanicky was released in the United States by Amazon MGM Studios via its streaming service Prime Video on March 7, 2024.

Plot

Three childhood friends (Dean, Wes, and JT) decide to pull a prank on one of their neighbors on Halloween Night by lighting a bag of dog feces on fire and leaving it on their doorstep. Unfortunately, the fire spreads to the neighbor's scarecrow. Failing to put out the fire, Dean takes one of their costume pieces and writes the name "Ricky Stanicky" on it. The police then believe that Ricky Stanicky was an out-of-town kid who started the prank.

Twenty years later, the trio continued to use Ricky Stanicky as their scapegoat/excuse to forego life obligations and avoid getting in trouble. Ricky has been a prankster in his youth, but has since done lots of humanitarian and charity work around the globe.

JT and his wife, Susan, are about to have a baby shower, and Dean and his girlfriend, Erin, have been setting it up. Dean gets a call from "Ricky" (who is Wes pretending to be him), claiming that his testicular cancer is back, and that he's all alone in Albany, New York. Erin and Susan encourage Dean and JT to fly from Rhode Island to New York to spend time with Ricky. In reality, JT and Dean received tickets last minute to see Marc Rebillet in Atlantic City, New Jersey. On their flight, the trio turn off their phones, post something as “Ricky”, and write in their Bible of Ricky Stanicky, detailing all of what “Ricky Stanicky” has done. They make a toast to Ricky Stanicky, the best friend they never had.

While in Atlantic City, they meet Rock-Hard Rod, an actor and impersonator who sings sex-based parodies of popular songs. Dean buys Rod some food and drink, before JT insults Rod for bothering them. Dean runs after Rod and apologizes, but Rod sees two people looking for him and hurriedly leaves, giving Dean his business card.

Shortly after, Dean pulls out his phone to take a picture of something, but when he turns it back on, he learns that Susan went into labor six weeks early, forcing Dean, JT, and Wes to hurry back.

At the hospital, the trio learn that Susan already delivered the baby, a boy named Whitaker. JT’s stubborn and suspicious mother-in-law, Leona, doesn’t believe Ricky Stanicky is real. Wes almost tells everyone the truth, but Dean pivots by saying that Ricky lied about the cancer in order to celebrate being 5 years cancer-free with his best friends. Leona tells the trio that Ricky is invited to Whitaker’s Bris, so she expects to see him there. While Wes believes that it’s time for them to come clean, Dean gets the idea about hiring an actor to play Ricky Stanicky, and hires Rod to take on the role. Rod accepts, but arrives in Rhode Island disheveled. When the trio ask, Rod tells them that he read Ricky’s Bible, and that Ricky is supposed to be 7 years sober, while Rod has only been 3 days sober, explaining his symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.

At the Bris, Rod shows up as Ricky and impresses everyone with his personality and knowledge, including Leona, Carly (Erin's cousin), and Ted Summerhayes (Dean and JT’s boss). The trio face a problem when Rod gives them the impression that he personally knows a guest at the party, Carly's ex, Gary Polisner. They decide to drug Polisner with a ketamine pill that Wes has, under the guise that they're playing a game, but the Rabbi inserts himself and eats the pill. During the circumcision, the Rabbi begins to have a reaction to the ketamine pill, leaving Whitaker half-circumcised. Ricky uses Summerhayes’ cigar cutter to complete the circumcision, causing everyone to celebrate. After the Bris, the trio thank and compensate Ricky. Carly asks Ricky to stay, but Dean says that Ricky is heading to Nairobi to help with an Ebola outbreak.

The next day, Summerhayes reveals that in preparation for their merger with World River, a new and major company from San Francisco, he has hired Ricky Stanicky to work for him. Erin also drops by, revealing that she scored a reporting gig for a local news channel’s “Hero of the Week” segment, and is pursuing a story on Ricky and his alleged humanitarian efforts.

JT suggests letting Rod’s foolishness and lack of business knowledge to get Summerhayes to fire Ricky, but it backfires, as Summerhayes decides to start a charity organization per Ricky's suggestion and makes Ricky the head of the World River merger, replacing Dean. While in this new position, Rod is unsure of himself, and starts recording Dean to ask for advice. In his anger, Dean throws himself and Rod into a closet, telling him that he is Rod, not Ricky. Rod reveals that he legally changed his name to Richard Barbara Stanicky. Ricky tells Dean that he’s thankful, as he has been given a new life, while Dean is depressed, as he is going to lose his job and relationship with Erin once Ricky is proven to be a fraud.

The next day, there is a party between Summerhayes’ company and World River, where they intend to watch the premiere of Ricky’s “Hero of the Week” segment. Erin meets with Dean, and tells him that she knows Ricky Stanicky is Rock-Hard Rod. At the party, Summerhayes introduces Dean, who confesses to all the guests that Ricky Stanicky is fake, apologizing and promptly leaving the party. JT and Wes understand that Erin found out, but Wes is surprised, as the news crew still came to film Ricky.

The “Hero of the Week” story begins playing, and Rod tells the reporter about how he met Dean, and how the Ricky Stanicky Bible made him realize that he needed to change his life, and is thankful for the trio. As Summerhayes is about to fire Dean, the World River executives approach Summerhayes and enthusiastically approve of his choice to give Stanicky a position and create the charity, ready to agree to a merger. Summerhayes asks Dean his thoughts, and they agree to the merger. After learning the truth about Ricky, Susan tells JT he has to camp in the backyard for six months as punishment, which JT accepts. Erin reveals to Dean that she decided to pursue the story about Rod becoming Ricky, and that the channel greenlit it. Dean asks if she can forgive him. Erin states it will be difficult, but hearing Ricky’s recording of Dean talking about his love and appreciation for Erin helps.

At the party, Ricky tells the trio that Carly is now his fiancée, and that they’re all going to work on cleaning the environment on the weekend. The trio then make a toast to Ricky Stanicky, the best friend they ever had. During the credits, videos and pictures are shown with Ricky and others cleaning the environment, Carly donating her hair to children, JT brushing his teeth outside near his porta-potty while Susan and Whitaker watch, everyone posing at Dean and Erin’s wedding, and a viral TikTok remix made with Summerhayes' comedic jerking motions at various conferences.

Cast

Additionally, Marc Rebillet and Stan Grant portray themselves.

Production

Development

In May 2010, it was reported that James Franco was attached to play the title role in Ricky Stanicky, with the screenplay written by David Occhino and Jason Decker, Jeffrey Bushell, and Summit Entertainment negotiating to finance the film, to be produced by Michael De Luca and John Jacobs.[2] Bushell's script had placed on the 2010 Black List of Best Unproduced Screenplays.[3] In 2012, after Franco moved on from the role, it was briefly considered by Joaquin Phoenix, according to The Hollywood Reporter.[4]

In April 2013, it was reported that, after considering the role for about a year, Jim Carrey would star in Ricky Stanicky for Summit Entertainment, with Steve Oedekerk directing, Oedekerk rewriting the screenplay with Bushell, and De Luca and Jacobs producing.[3][4][5]

Pre-production

In September 2022, it was reported that Peter Farrelly would direct Ricky Stanicky in early 2023, and that he was in talks with Zac Efron and John Cena to star.[6] The screenplay was written by Farrelly, Brian Jarvis, and James L. Freeman,[7] based on an original spec script by Bushell and Oedekerk.[8]

In February 2023, it was reported that Amazon had acquired worldwide rights to the film, which would star Efron, Cena, and Jermaine Fowler.[7] On February 7, 2023, it was reported that William H. Macy, Anja Savcic, Andrew Santino, and Lex Scott Davis had joined the cast.[9] The film is produced by Paul Currie of Footloose Productions, Michael De Luca of Michael De Luca Productions, Thorsten Schumacher of Rocket Science, and John Jacobs of Smart Entertainment.[8]

Filming

Filming took place in Melbourne, Australia, in February and March 2023, with Melbourne doubling for Providence, Rhode Island.[10][11] The film received financial support from Australia's Location Incentive and Victorian Screen Incentive programs.[10]

Release

Ricky Stanicky was released by Amazon MGM Studios through its streaming service Prime Video on March 7, 2024.[12]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 48% of 48 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "Ricky Stanicky gets some big laughs thanks to John Cena's up-for-anything performance, but they aren't enough to support the movie's thin plot and excessive runtime."[13] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 45 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[14]

References

  1. ^ "Ricky Stanicky (15)". BBFC. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  2. ^ Fleming, Mike (May 20, 2010). "James Franco Adds Summit Comedy 'Ricky Stanicky' To Varied Dance Card". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Jagernauth, Kevin (April 9, 2013). "Jim Carrey To Star In Former James Franco Project & Black List Approved Comedy 'Ricky Stanicky'". Indiewire. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Kit, Borys (April 9, 2013). "Jim Carrey to Star in Summit Comedy 'Ricky Stanicky'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  5. ^ Fleming, Mike (April 9, 2013). "After Deliberating A Year, Jim Carrey Finally Doing 'Ricky Stanicky'". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  6. ^ Fleming, Mike (September 9, 2022). "Peter Farrelly In Talks With Zac Efron, John Cena For R-Rated Comedy 'Ricky Stanicky'". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  7. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 1, 2023). "Prime Video Picks Up Peter Farrelly's 'Ricky Stanicky' Starring Zac Efron & John Cena; Jermaine Fowler Joins Cast". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Vlessing, Etan (February 1, 2023). "Prime Video Nabs Peter Farrelly Comedy 'Ricky Stanicky'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  9. ^ Cordero, Rosy (February 7, 2023). "'Ricky Stanicky' Rounds Out Cast With William H. Macy, Anja Savcic, Andrew Santino & Lex Scott Davis". Deadline. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Tulich, Katherine (February 2, 2023). "Prime Video Takes World Rights on Peter Farrelly's 'Ricky Stanicky,' Now Shooting in Melbourne". Variety. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  11. ^ Slatter, Sean (January 31, 2023). "Peter Farrelly's 'Ricky Stanicky' to commence filming in Melbourne with Zac Efron, John Cena". IF. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  12. ^ "Zac Efron Hires John Cena to Become His Best Friend in Peter Farrelly's 'Ricky Stanicky' Trailer". The Hollywood Repoter. January 26, 2024.
  13. ^ "Ricky Stanicky". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 8, 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  14. ^ "Ricky Stanicky". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
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