ShortList is supported by you, our amazing readers. When you click through the links on our site and make a purchase we may earn a commission. Learn more

Prime Video has a new number one movie - and it's directed by a comedy great

It's got an all-star cast, too.

Prime Video has a new number one movie - and it's directed by a comedy great
Marc Chacksfield
16 March 2024

It's taken quite the time for the top of the Prime Video charts to change. Upgraded is a movie that's been number one for a good while now, but a new movie has been released that's finally toppled it.

Ricky Stanicky is the new film from one of the great directors of comedy, Peter Farrelly. Alongside his brother Bobby, he has been involved in the likes of Dumb & Dumber, Kingpin, There's Something About Mary.

His new movie - which is ranked number one on FlixPatrol - has an all-star cast, with John Cena and Zac Efron both flexing their comedic muscles in a movie that's about a group of friends who blame all their pranking on Ricky Stanicky. The problem is, he's a completely made up character.

While Peter Farrelly has had his fair share of comedy greats, there are also a few misses on his resume, too (you can skip The Three Stooges and Movie 43), so the reviews for this one could have gone either way - and that's exactly what has happened, with the movie currently at 46% on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience score is a far more desirable 74%, though.

Prime Video's new number one movie is directed by a comedy great
Image Credit: Prime Video

The Independent notes: "Good comedies, of course, can make the tragic feel bittersweet, but Ricky Stanicky bungles its tone to the point that the whole affair comes across a little depressing."

Empire says: "Ricky Stanicky is a comedy that delivers nothing but tedium, wasting a clever idea by repeating the same jokes over and over."

Hollywood Reporter reckons: "Efron gets stuck with another slipshod script in Ricky Stanicky, a sad demonstration that what was once considered outrageous, transgressive and anarchic now just seems crass, tired and witless."

But CNN likes it, reckoning: "Ricky Stanicky might be imaginary and doesn’t measure up to its promise, but in terms of that basket within the wrestler-turned-actor’s filmography, it at least fits Cena like a glove."

Ricky Stanicky is streaming on Prime Video now - like these best Prime Video movies.