Idiots movie review: Blair's Franco-Jackson comedy falls flat
Slant Magazine's Charles Lyons-Burt calls the Idiots movie a low-effort buddy road comedy that struggles even as idle amusement. Macon Blair's R-rated IFC Films feature pairs Dave Franco and O'Shea Jackson Jr. as mismatched slackers whose comic chemistry never locks in, according to the August 24 review.
The verdict lands as the cast keeps selling the chaos. In an IGN roundtable, Franco, Jackson, Mason Thames, Kiernan Shipka, and Blair unpack a motel set piece they say may be the film's most talked-about beat. O'Shea Jackson Jr. also plugged the picture on NFL Network's Good Morning Football. For more celebrity headlines, see BlasterPost celebrity breaking news.
Key Takeaways
- Slant's Charles Lyons-Burt frames the Idiots movie as Blair's third feature and a buddy road comedy that fails to clear a low bar.
- Franco's Mark and Jackson's Davis lack backstory and never settle into a complementary comedic groove, the review argues.
- IGN's cast interview centers on a motel bathroom blowup Franco ranks among cinema's top "shit yourself" scenes.
- IFC Films distributes the R-rated, 98-minute film; IGN lists a theatrical bow on August 28, 2026.
- Jackson promoted the role on GMFB, calling Idiots the wildest film he has done.
What is the Idiots movie about?
Per IGN, Mark (Franco) and Davis (Jackson) are hired to move entitled teen Sheridan (Thames) to rehab. The "straightforward gig" spirals into mayhem on the road.
Slant casts Davis as a devout Christian and Mark as a drug-addled slacker who dismisses organized faith as "inane." An opening beat has Killer Mike's pastor-boss scolding Davis after kids in his care see an explicit movie moment. Supporting names listed by Slant include Shipka, Nicholas Braun, and Peter Dinklage, with Blair writing and directing.
Why did critics call the Idiots movie low-effort?
Lyons-Burt's Slant review suggests form may be meant to mirror listless characters, then says the film still struggles as idle amusement. The Killer Mike reprimand "should be a layup," he writes, but runs long without comic spark.
He pins the engine on Franco and Jackson, then says they never lock into complementary timing. Motivation, he adds, is little more than clinging to jobs neither seems to want—so the odd-couple clash stays thin.
What do Dave Franco and the cast say about the wildest scene?
IGN describes a motel stop where the trio invites stripper Irina (Shipka) and Sheridan taints Mark's drugs. What follows is a chaotic bathroom climax Franco jokes belongs in a top-three "shit yourself" hall of fame.
Franco told IGN the humor grows from bizarre characters played straight, then punctuated by "explosive" bursts. He said he called wife Alison Brie afterward and claimed it was the craziest thing he had done on camera. Thames needled Franco on the gag, urging him to tell how he "pooped" himself.
Where is O'Shea Jackson Jr. promoting Idiots?
On GMFB, Jackson walked through the newest role and previewed the trailer. He said he and Franco play two guys assigned a delivery-service mission the same day they meet, and he flagged theaters on August 28.
That promo push sits beside Slant's cooler take—buzz from the cast, skepticism from at least one major critic—as the Idiots movie heads into release.