Opinion/news

How to watch Ricky Stanicky in New Zealand

This is kind of a riff on The Importance of Being Ernest, if you think about it.

With his brother Bobby, Peter Farrelly made some of the most iconic comedies of the ’90s  and early 2000s. But he also made Green Book. Happily, he’s now back with another comedy.

How to watch Ricky Stanicky in New Zealand

Ricky Stanicky is streaming in New Zealand exclusively on Amazon Prime Video right now.

What is Ricky Stanicky about?

Three lifelong friends, Dean, Wes, and JT, have gotten away with blue murder over the years thanks to the titular Ricky Stanicky, a non-existent, always absent best friend they use as an excuse for all kinds of hijinks. When their various partners start to catch on to the ruse, in desperation they hire a failed actor to portray Ricky and shore up the charade.

The problem is the actor, Rod, really likes being Ricky: he has friends, a job, and self-respect for the first time ever. Inevitably further hijinks ensue, but that’s what we’re here for. This thing has been in development for ages; it made the Black List in 2010 and at one point or another would have starred James Franco, Joaquin Phoenix, or Jim Carrey. Now there’s three names you don’t see together too often.

The cast of Ricky Stanicky

John Cena is Rod aka Ricky Stanicky; our three childhood friends are Zac Efron as Dean, Jermaine Fowler as Wes, and Andrew Santino as JT; the great William H. Macy is their boss, Mr Summerhayes; and Lex Scott Davis and Anja Savcic round out the main cast.

Ricky Stanicky trailer

Why we’re excited about Ricky Stanicky

John Cena and Zac Efron have really proven themselves huge comic talents in recent years, and as we noted, Farrelly’s no slouch in the laughs department. Certainly, the reviews have been a bit mixed, but that’s par for the course when it comes to these high concept, low brow flicks.