Idiots

The Shitheads was going to be the original title of Idiots, but they decided to go for something more toned down. After you watch, you’ll understand why they were originally going to call it shitheads.  Idiots shows how rich people get away with a lot due to money, power, and connections.  They harm people and don’t care to show remorse.

Mark and Davis must transport rich kid Sheridan, who is more unhinged than they thought. They meet a variety of people on this journey to get Sheridan to a rehab facility, but the longer they are on the road with him, the more unsettling things they learn about him.

From the get-go, I was laughing while watching this film. The opening scene was hilarious and the perfect way to start this movie. I loved how O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Franco were both down on their luck and took this job to help get back on track. I knew Mason Thames’ character was crazy, but I thought it was just that he did a lot of drugs; he genuinely scared me when he bit the stripper and hit her head. I’m glad in the end they got the kid to the place because he needed to be there, even though he still couldn’t care less about what he’d done.

Most of the film takes place on the road to this facility, and the visuals really captured the middle-of-nowhere vibes. It makes you think about what Sheridan could do out here because there are just so many opportunities to escape.

There’s a variety of music that may sound like an odd addition but somehow it worked. There was this old-sounding song in the movie that I couldn’t figure out the name of, but it just works in the scene that it’s in. There are also some random choices, like Pricka Bush Da Werewoof’s song that he forces Sheridan to listen to, which was hilarious to see.

Early in the film, we see Sheridan’s house, which shows that he definitely has money. The rest of the movie feels like we were taking a road trip through rural America. We stop in areas that would be a little poorer, which I thought did well to contrast how this rich kid didn’t care about any of those people’s livelihoods. When we find out where Irina lives, we learn it’s with her mother or grandmother, and even Koko lives in a rural area in a modest house. Everyone was just trying to survive, and Sheridan was just causing trouble.

This movie was filled with some good performances that really helped the film work. The actors did a good job selling us on the characters that they were portraying, but a few stood out.

Mason Thames plays a spoiled rich kid who is clearly insane. There was an inkling of him being crazy when he was putting on puppy dog eyes for Davis and giving a devious look to Mark. He was good at watching and attacking at the right time, like when he drugged the guys. When he bit Irina, I was like, oh, he’s crazy. We later learn he’s not going to this rehab place for drugs; it’s because he lit a homeless man on fire, which he doesn’t feel bad about. He did so well that even when he was captured, I couldn’t tell if he was worried or just playing along.

Dave Franco plays Mark, a stoner who needs work but couldn't give a damn about what actually happens to this kid. I love how he was still doing drugs even though he shouldn’t have, which made it hilarious. He’s more relaxed, so he can get Sheridan to open up more, but he doesn’t trust him. I love how he kept threatening the kid, and Davis said no, but after he drugged him, he busts into the room and throws Ajax in his eye and knocks him down. While Davis saw the good in everyone, Mark was trying to move it because he knew how devious this could be. He gets shot in the end, which made me nervous, but he makes it out and is excited now cause he can go on disability.

O’Shea Jackson Jr. is Davis, the veteran on the job. He is super religious and tries to see the best in every situation. He was making me mad because he was too nice to that demon of a kid and tried to see the best in him when there really wasn’t. I think his character worked because it was like good cop, bad cop, and of course, he’s good cop.

Nicholas Braun plays an up-and-coming rapper by the name of Pricka Bush Da Werewoof, yes, that's really his name. The scene of him coming out dressed like a werewolf was hilarious because when he asked about his transformation, I didn’t expect that.

The editing in this movie was good, but there was one part that threw me for a loop. Like, Irina was a fun addition, and when her part ended, it felt incomplete because she didn’t get all her money back, and she seemed to click with the guys. It felt like her story wasn’t complete, but it just ended. Then there’s a pivot to Koko and his crew as the next group of outsiders. It just felt like a weird transition between those two plot points.

Idiots is a comedy film that was directed by Macon Blair. It's got Pineapple Express energy: two guys just trying to survive the day, chaotic and stoned the whole way through. Similar vibes to 21 Jump Street for the co-workers-to-friends plot, and the main characters are both very different and don’t get along at first but become friends. Then there’s The Hangover because it has a simple journey that turns very complicated, and they run into a variety of characters along the way.

Idiots nailed the comedy, and it felt like one of those comedies from the 2000’s. Very straightforward mission that goes so wrong, but in a hilarious way, for the viewers, not the ones in that situation. I wouldn’t say it’s a perfect movie, but it’s a fun one that will get you laughing.

Idiots offers good commentary on how rich people get away with shit when it affects the little people. It showed how everyone who seemed to be affected negatively was just middle/lower class people.

Idiots is filled with a bunch of shitheads being tricked by one mentally ill teen. It brings the laughs but also shock as you learn more about Sheridan. It nails its comedy, and you will be rooting for Mark and Davis.