Mikes Film Talk

Ricky Stanicky (2024) could well be seen as a riff of Drop Dead Fred. DDF (1991) starred Phoebe Cates and the late Rik Mayall. I watched the latter film for Mayall. While Cates was still a cinematic crush I had yet to outgrow, Mayall was a comedic actor I fell hard for after seeing him in The Young Ones; 1982 – 1984.

Don’t get me wrong, Cates and her spot in Judge Reinhold’s masturbatory fantasy from Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Pretty tame by today’s standards but for a 1982 comedy, it blew the average younger male American mind.) would immediately spring to mind when I saw her in anything. That of course changed when the 1984 movie Gremlins aired in local cinemas.

We are taking the long way around the barn on this one, but hang on; We will get to Ricky Stanicky in a bit. This is, after all, an Op/Ed rather than a review proper. I watched RS last night. Twice.

I have not had the time to rewatch my old favourite Drop Dead Fred.

But.

Something about the plot line of Ricky Stanicky felt familiar. An imaginary childhood friend? It took a couple of seconds but the image of Mayall’s character in Drop Dead Fred jumped into my brain and a connection was made.

Drop Dead fred

In this film, Fred was an imaginary friend of Elizabeth. The two got up to a lot of mischief. More importantly, Fred helped the young Elizabeth to cope with a pretty stressful part of her life. As the girl got older, Fred got binned. The old pal did not completely disappear though. He returns when Elizabeth needs help. The end result is chaotic but funny.

Fred has not grown up so he initially starts helping in a “bad” way. The film itself was not overly funny but Mayall and Cates do a pretty good job regardless of certain plot holes and missteps. A true cult classic, this film was panned almost universally by critics.

Ricky stanicky

A trio of lads invent an imaginary friend; Ricky Stanicky, and blame him for every prank and screwup that they are involved in. Unlike Fred, Ricky never retires. The grown up version of this threesome still blame Stanicky for everything or use him to get what they want. Although, at the same time, they “big” him up. Stanicky is philanthropic and impressively intelligent. This adult scapegoat is just perfect.

Until.

*To borrow a phrase from Ray William Johnson.*

Ricky Stanicky drops everyone in the s***t.

As the three adults drown their sorrows, they meet Rod (John Cena) Rimestead. Rod is an out of work actor who performs adult rated sketches to a pretty un-enthusiastic audience. Dean (Zac Efron) and the others recruit Rod to be their imaginary buddy. They give the actor a “bible” with everything he needs to know about them and their jobs and family.

Rod, as Stinicky, turns up at the brit milah for JT’s (Andrew Santino) son. As the party/celebration continues, Rod shows just how much work he has put into becoming Ricky Stanicky. Dean’s boss, played by William H Macy, hires Ricky. Dean’s significant other decides to make him, Stanicky, the hero of the week on a news program.

Ricky grows up/Fred moves on

Of course the base premise of having an imaginary friend is what the two films have in common. In each one, that friend goes through changes. Just as the protagonists grow and learn from their experiences with that friend.

It goes without saying that the premise of each of these films; Ricky Stanicky and Drop Dead Fred, require a huge suspension of disbelief. We have to be able to accept a world with an imaginary friend from our childhood that returns. Or, an out of work actor becomes (Morphs?) into a friend made up to protect us from screw ups.

Both films are worth a watch. Cena steals the film as the almost X-rated has been who becomes Ricky. Mayall is funny in anything. Check out the trailers below and then watch the films and see what you think. Are they two peas in a similar pod?