John Cena is a best friend for hire in Prime Video's raunchy comedy Ricky Stanicky.
Directed by Peter Farrelly, the film follows Dean (Zac Efron) and his two lifelong friends who invent an imaginary pal named Ricky Stanicky as a go-to alibi for their immature, childish antics. But when their families demand to meet this supposed "friend" in the flesh, they are forced to hire a struggling actor to fill the illusive shoes.
Enter "Rock Hard" Rod (Cena).
The film's just-released trailer gives us a small taste of the high-energy excitement of the hard R-rated comedy, marking Farrelly's much-anticipated return to his genre roots.
His last two films, The Greatest Beer Run Ever and the Oscar-winning Green Book, didn't center around the laughs. But Farrelly is responsible for such classics as There's Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber, Me, Myself & Irene, and Kingpin.
Ricky Stanicky, in all its blaze and glory, appears to fully accept its raunchy descriptor, especially as the trio of friends introduces their fourth wheel. As Rod, fully committed to the role, embraces the numerous perks of the job, he begins to impede on his employers, over-indexing himself into their lives. Now they must reel in his presence without blowing their decades-long cover.
Ricky Stanicky has undergone a long development. Originally featured on the Black List in 2010, the project has had numerous stars attached, including a version with James Franco and Jim Carrey.
Neither Efron nor Cena are strangers to the R-rated comedy space. Efron previously starred in Neighbors, Baywatch, and Dirty Grandpa, while Cena excelled in Trainwreck and Blockers. It will be interesting to see how the two pair up.
Check out the trailer below and prepare for Ricky Stanicky to hit Prime Video on March 7.
