Ricky Stanicky Review: John Cena Anchors This Uneven But Delightful Buddy Comedy

High-concept comedies that take a silly, barely plausible idea and run with it as far as they can are a rarity these days. Instead, it seems everything needs to have an undertone: a satirical view that's over-the-top, a gimmick with a hook, or a meta approach that constantly winks at the viewer ironically. Pure comedy without ties in another genre is kind of out of fashion, if you will. Films like "Tag," "Neighbors," or classics like "Wedding Crashers"  just don't get made as often as they used to. Thus, Peter Farrelly's ("Dumb and Dumber," "There's Something About Mary") return to the genre with Amazon Prime's "Ricky Stanicky" feels both welcome and refreshing. It's a movie that doesn't even try to be more than it is on the surface; it takes one bonkers idea and exhausts all of its possibilities.

The low-key brilliant idea, in this case, is incidentally created among three childhood friends. In 1999, Dean (Zac Efron), JT (Andrew Santino, who begged for the role), and Wes (Jermaine Fowler) try to pull off a Halloween prank that quickly goes wrong. To avoid taking the blame for it, in the literal heat of the moment, they come up with a name — Ricky Stanicky — and scribble it on one of the costumes they intentionally leave on the scene. When the cops arrive, they buy the lie. And with that, the three buddies began a long-lasting relationship with the friend they never had. From that point on, Ricky becomes the perfect scapegoat they use to get out of any trouble without taking responsibility for their actions.

Fast-forward to 25 years later: Dean, JT, and Wes are still the best of friends, and Ricky "grew up" with them, too. They gave him a backstory, strengths and flaws, distinct personality traits, and even a cancer he's beaten miraculously. All of this is carefully documented in a notebook they call "The Bible," which lists every lie they told about Ricky going back over two decades. Now that they all have serious relationships (and one of them is about to be a father), the three use their imaginary friend to get out of dull and uncomfortable events they don't want to attend but are too afraid to tell their partners. The latest in the line is JT's baby shower they skip with a masterfully elaborate plan to go to Atlantic City for a concert. After the gig, they meet Rock Hard Rod (John Cena) at the bar, a "trained" actor and alcoholic who sings X-rated rock 'n' roll songs as an impersonator (think of classics with a sexual spin). Since he's a freeloader and a loser, the guys try to politely bounce him, but he doesn't take the hint until JT tells him off. Since Dean feels for the guy, he goes after him to apologize and gets his business card.

Then disaster strikes: they get a text that JT's wife's in labor, and the boys need to rush back home. It's something they didn't anticipate, and the lies about Ricky get all tangled up to a point where their loved ones decide they want to meet him finally. Realizing they can't escape the situation this time, Dean suggests they should hire an actor to play the role — and they just met one that no one's ever heard of.

This is a premise that sounds slightly dumb at first but is just plausible and silly enough to work for a comedy. Once Rod gets the gig — which he treats as a lifeboat, committing to it wholeheartedly — John Cena's comedic chops and goofy charisma take over with all guns blazing. He steals the show with a performance that primarily relies on his showmanship and charm instead of his physical attributes. In fact, his enormous muscles get shoved in the backseat (he doesn't need them to shine here), and he dominates every scene with pure magnetism and humor. We already knew he could do this (see "The Suicide Squad" and "Peacemaker"), yet it's still surprising and impressive how well he can carry a movie in a lead role that doesn't require any flexing.

Naturally, it helps a great deal that the first half of the script flows smoothly with gags and jokes that land more often than not. The plot is as formulaic as it gets with such material — the guys almost getting busted, but then something happens that delays the truth coming out — yet Peter Farrelly builds on the absurdity, capitalizing on all the situational comedy that naturally presents itself and firmly holds the film together for the most part. But it's inevitable with a story like this that the madness and pretending will have to stop at some point, which is when "Ricky Stanicky" begins to lose momentum and slowly fall apart.

In the film's third act, most of the punchlines turn awkward and begin to miss the mark, and a vague drama starts to seep through the cracks. There's a well-intentioned message here about friendship, camaraderie, and honesty (especially with the arc of Zac Efron's character), but the script doesn't have a solid foundation for it to come out right in the end. Everything works itself out too conveniently without deeper emotions or consequences just so the story can quickly wrap itself up with a happy ending that's not entirely deserved — or even logical, for that matter.

Though it's somewhat disappointing that "Ricky Stanicky" can't stick the landing, its lovely ensemble cast (William H. Macy is a highlight) and consistent light-hearted tone make it hard to be truly mad at it. You can't help but admire its commitment and dedication to following through with a single idea, even if it eventually runs out of gas. Ultimately, all "Ricky Stanicky" wants to do is give the viewer a helluva good time, and it never stops aiming to do just that, even if it can't avoid a few bumps along the way.

"Ricky Stanicky" premieres on Prime Video on March 7.