by Samuel Nichols, Contributing Writer
Idiots is interesting because on one hand it is a cautionary tale and the other hand has jokes to spare. Director and writer Macon Blair with story aid from Alex Orr delivered an absolute banger of a road trip comedy. We follow slacker Mark (Dave Franco) and recently unemployed teacher Davis (O’Shea Jackson Jr.). In need of money, both take a job transporting Sheridan (Mason Thames) to a rehab center. Little do Mark and Davis know, Sheridan is an absolute menace and is going to make this trip an absolute hell for them. Along the way there will be drug trips, breaking and entering, freeing hostages, and lots of insults hurled by all three of our traveling companions.
I expected good jokes and shenanigans but not quite the variety of comedy that Idiots has to offer. There are plenty of witty conversation and ill-natured barbs. Thames delivers Sheridan’s insults with no filter as he drops Mark and Davis a peg or two by cleverly reminding them of their status in life. But Franco and Jackson Jr. get a few moments of their own. My personal favorite came from Jackson late in the movie when Davis finally snaps and he just lays into Sheridan.
Idiots is not just clever dialogue. It has everything from action comedy, to tripping on every drug under the sun, to the absolute cringiest of nonsense. Watching Jackson Jr. and Franco stare absently into space after partaking in some less than legal substances got a few laughs out of me. Supporting actors like Peter Dinklage and Nicholas Braun play some backwater allies of Sheridan that bring a different brand of crazy to the movie. They get a few scenes to show that Sheridan is not the only crazy person out here with dangerous ideas. Kiernan Shipka shows up for part of the movie as Irina, an exotic dancer who takes a more direct approach to dealing with Sheridan’s shenanigans.
Fundamentally this movie is about two grown men, who are losers, just trying to get a reluctant kid to rehab. Watching Franco and Jackson Jr. try to keep the squirming Thames in their grasp is great stuff. They just cannot catch him. Imagine a live action and R-rated Tom and Jerry that wasn’t a snooze-fest like that straight to streaming mess from a few years ago. Franco, Jackson, and Thames committing to the bit sells this premise and the movie. The physical comedy ended up being my favorite part of the film. Idiots wouldn’t be what it is, if the three of them weren’t willing to get knocked down, and punched out, while being held at gun point.
Jackson Jr. jumps off the screen the most for me. He got to prominence for playing a young version of his dad ten years ago in Straight Outta Compton, and it’s been clear that he has dramatic chops. He tried a few comedies with Cocaine Bear and Ingrid Goes West, but this is a transcendent comedic performance. He adopts mannerism and movements that truly bring me into this performance. For a while there I forgot this was Ice Cube’s son. Incredible work by Jackson Jr.
Another great thing about a movie like this, where our heroes are getting themselves into trouble due to their own idiocy, is that there is no pressure to add any moral messaging. We just get to follow these three around and stay alive despite their best efforts. It makes for an incredible turn-your-brain-off experience. In the dog days of summer, spending time with three idiots is a good way to spend 90 minutes.
Rating: Loved It
Idiots is currently playing in theaters.
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