Peter Farrelly (Green Book) directs this script by Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese about product inventor Elijah DeBell (Paul Walter Hauser)—who dreams up a condom that fully covers male genitals, which he calls The Testicle Sentinel—and salesman Brad Lewison (Mark Wahlberg), who with Elijah is tasked with pitching the product to Brazil’s Travel Ministry as the official condom of the World Cup. (110 min.)
Balls Up
What’s it rated? R
What’s it worth, Anna? Stream it
What’s it worth, Glen? Stream it
Where’s it showing? Prime Video
Glen: Peter Farrelly is of course one half of the famed Farrelly brothers (Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary), and Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese are the writing team behind Deadpool & Wolverine and Zombieland. In addition to Wahlberg and Hauser, the cast includes Sacha Baron Cohen, Benjamin Bratt, and Molly Shannon. That’s a lot of talent amassed, so you’d think this would be much better than the result, which is occasionally chuckle-worthy but mostly repetitive and somewhat tedious—a braindead collection of vulgar gags and an improbable comedy of errors. If you’re really stoned or really bored, you might come away thinking it was worth your time, but it’s earned its 24 percent Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score. Even its audience score—people who chose to watch it and were inspired to review it—sits at a dismal 30 percent. Highlights include Elijah and Brad swallowing drug-filled Testicle Sentinels at gunpoint and Elijah having to remove a candiru fish with his teeth from Brad’s penis after Brad peed into the Amazon River and the fish followed his urine stream into his urethra. Hilarious, right? Right?
Anna: It’s the kind of film that makes you a little mad when you chuckle because it is, quite literally, so dumb. Why a condom would need to encapsulate all that doesn’t make much sense, and when you start with a premise that is built on genitalia jokes, we’re likely in for a rough ride. The film relies heavily, one might say too heavily, on its cast to make the sell, but there’s little that Wahlberg, Hauser, and Shannon can do to make this one a hit. It’s flat, not terribly funny, and wacky—but not in a very charming way. I think the audience you identified is exactly right: stoned and bored. Don’t get me wrong, the two leads aren’t bad at the buddy comedy bit, they just weren’t given a whole lot to work with, it seems. The film definitely needs all the antics to keep it rolling, but even then, it feels like a slog.
Glen: Without giving too much away, after their successful sales pitch goes south when Brad peer-pressures Brazilian executive and recovering alcoholic Senhor Santos (Bratt) into a celebratory toast, which leads to a booze-fueled debacle and public nudity, all three lose their jobs. They reunite again, however, when Elijah and Brad get an all-expenses-paid trip to the World Cup because no one thought to cancel the tickets Senhor had secured for them before getting fired. Let’s just say things go off the rails (and over the falls) and involve a drug cartel, eco-warriors, a caiman, the Brazilian army, and an Argentinian spy. It’s a lot, but quantity doesn’t equal quality.
Anna: Well said. The film doesn’t lack for things happening. It feels like an attempt at throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what will stick, but this movie isn’t going to stick with me. Even a couple of days later, I’m struggling to remember what it is that’s making me say to “stream it” and not “forget it.” I have to believe it comes down to the charm its two leads give off and the pure antics of it all. If you need a bit of dumb, grab the nearest edibles and get comfy on the couch. My guess is that’s how this film is meant to be enjoyed.
New Times Arts Editor Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Sun Screen. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.