Ricky Stanicky (as played by Monsieur John Cena) might be a fun weirdo who dresses like Britney, but even his mighty arms and plastic face can’t save this trudge of a comedy.

The flick is about three childhood friends who invented a trouble maker (Ricky Stanicky) who they could blame for all their bad deeds. Now as adults, they still lean on him. But when they are cornered, they hire singer/actor/excess John Cena to be Ricky… but Ricky doesn’t want the fun to end.

I genuinely think this is a clever plot… I can’t think of anything else quite like it and that’s rare. I was rooting for the film but it kept letting me down with a lot of dumb, bad, and random humor… and a plot that kept. on. going.

John Cena has a face for comedy and arms for crushing it… and he is the only source of laughs in the film. But even they are scattered and rare. I’d rather a whole stand-up routine of him imitating famous musicians (without or without boner songs) than sit through this movie again. Even he can’t save it.

I was so intensely over this flick within the first forty minutes and it still had an hour and ten to go.

The three actors playing friends are blanks (including Zac Ephron who seemed over the movie too). Most of the supporting cast don’t add much… and god bless William H. Macy for playing along (at least his big comedy scene isn’t as embarrassing as some of the things he had to do on Shameless).

So yeah, when overgrown puppy dog John Cena can’t save your comedy, something has gone terribly wrong. But I want to encourage him to keep trying. He’s a funny dude.

Score: 69