It’s a big year for Zac Efron fans. Following the critical success of Iron Claw, his December release with Jeremy Allen White, Efron just announced that his next project is coming your way.
Ricky Stanicky is set to release this Spring, and while the raunchy comedy is a far cry from Efron’s last project fans are ready to see his comedic chops back in action again. Can you say range?
What is the movie about?
According to the trailer, Ricky Stanicky tells the story of three best friends who invented a fool-proof alibi to get out of trouble for their irresponsible and immature behavior. They created a fourth, fake best friend, whom they call Ricky Stanicky, that they can blame their failures on, use as an excuse to go on secret trips, and overall live a double life without their families ever knowing.
Unfortunately, their 25-year scapegoat has caught up to them as adults, and they are demanding to meet this mysterious fourth friend after a runaway trip to Atlantic City. In hopes of covering their tracks, the trio hires a struggling actor and celebrity impersonator, ‘Rock Hard’ Rod, to pose as Ricky.
Unfortunately, Rod is a bit too committed to the character and begins to infiltrate every corner of their lives as their lifelong friend Ricky. As he wins over their bosses and families, wreaking havoc on their work and personal lives, the trio begins to wish they had just been honest all those years ago and never invented Ricky Stanicky.
Who is in the cast?
High School Musical, Baywatch, and The Greatest Showman star Zac Efron plays one of the original best friend trio. He is joined by Andrew Santino, who is best known for his roles in Beef and Dave. Comedian Jermaine Fowler, known for The Blackening and Coming 2 America will round out the tall-tale-telling trio.
The cast also includes Anja Savcic of Loudermilk and Big Sky and William H. Macy, who is best known for his Emmy-nominated role in Shameless and Oscar-nominated performance in Fargo.
Ricky Stanicky himself, also known as “Rock Hard” Rod, is played by former wrestler and comedic actor John Cena, who you may have seen (or not) in the Fast and Furious franchise, The Suicide Squad, and a small cameo in the box office smash and Oscar-nominated, Barbie.
Who is the director?
The movie was directed by Academy Award-winning director Peter Farrelly. The director, writer, and producer won two Oscars for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay for his 2018 film Green Book with Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali. He also worked with comedy royalty Jim Carrey on all three Dumb and Dumber movies.
The comedy director worked with Zac Efron previously on the 2022 war comedy, The Greatest Beer Run Ever, which recounts the story of a man attempting to track down his army friends during the Vietnam War in hopes of having a beer with them.
Farrelly certainly has plenty of experience in the comedy category, and with accoladed movies like Greenbook, brings a seasoned and successful perspective to Ricky Stanicky.
Who wrote it?
According to Deadline, the screenplay for Ricky Stanicky was written by Peter Farrelly, Brian Jarvis also worked with Farrelly on Dumb and Dumber and The Greatest Beer Run Ever, and James L. Freeman.
Ricky Stanicky is produced by the same production companies and producers that brought you a diverse group of movies like Blacklight, All Quiet on The Western Front, and Ted
When and where can I watch?
Ricky Stanicky will be available to watch on March 7, 2024, and you don’t even have to go to the theaters. The movie will stream on Prime Video, which has produced movies like Red, White, & Royal Blue, Joaquin Phoenix’s You Were Never Really Here, and The Big Sick. It may be time to tune into some of those Prime Video Originals to prepare for the arrival of Ricky Stanicky.
If you’re on the search for a new comedy to look forward to are just a really big fan of Zac Efron, or have a really big crush on Zac Efron, you can stop looking. This raunchy R-rated comedy stacked with an all-star cast, writers, and production team, will be coming to your Prime Video home screen very soon.