So I watched The Ridiculous 6…

In the tradition of movies like Robin Hood: Men In Tights and Scary Movie, comes yet another parody for us to feast our eyes on. Unlike those movies though, this one isn’t all that funny or fun to watch.

Okay, basic plot: Tommy “White Knife” Stockburn (Adam Sandler) is an orphan who was raised by a Native American tribe after his mother is murdered. One day Tommy’s father, Frank – a famous outlaw – seeks Tommy out claiming that he wishes to bestow his stolen loot to his son. Soon after, Frank is kidnapped by his former gang who also wish to lay claim to the loot. Tommy, with a newfound love for his father, sets out on a journey to rescue him. Along the way he meets five men; five men whose mothers all had flings at different times with Frank and are all also his sons. Tommy and his five half-brothers band together to rescue their father and go on a harrowing quest that will rewrite history in the Ol’ West.

This film is a parody and, as such, shouldn’t be taken too seriously. I think everyone involved in making the film understood and embraced this concept. This film is silly, it pokes fun at everything and is almost everything a good parody should be. The one place it falls short is that it isn’t consistently funny. It does have moments where it forces a laugh or half-a-smile from you but these moments are spread sporadically through the film. They also aren’t grand enough. I never laughed out loud uncontrollably or felt the need to smack my knee because something was exceptionally hilarious. This movie tries but the majority of its jokes are absolute misses.

The style of humour in this film is incredibly crass. It’s toilet-humour with almost no intelligence in it. Now, I don’t mind a fart-joke or a good piece of slapstick if it’s executed properly; but the jokes in this film completely fall flat. I think the majority of actors in this film are well past their prime. There was a time when Adam Sandler and Rob Schneider just had to make a funny face and I’d be on the floor dying. Now they barely manage to make me smile throughout an entire movie. Have they changed or am I just older and no longer partial to their brand of comedy? Adam Sandler has received a lot of criticism lately (some of it deserved) but I have enjoyed a few of his recent films (Blended, Hotel Transylvania 2). I think he still has a place in the world of comedy but he needs to move away from this overly-idiotic style of comedy or execute it better in order to survive.

Have you ever had one of those nights where you and a couple of friends get together, enjoy some alcohol (or whatever stimulant you choose) and one of you comes up with a daring project that you need to undertake? “Let’s start a band!” or “Let’s open a bar!” That’s what Adam Sandler movies feel like to me. Him and his buddies get together and decide to make a movie. Now whether it’s a good idea or not to make this movie is debatable but you can see that everyone in the cast is having fun. That’s another great feature of this film – the chemistry between the cast. Everyone is kicking back and having fun and seeing that on screen gives me pleasure. There are some big name cameos with people like Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi and Nick Nolte making appearances. No one’s going to win an Oscar but you get the feeling that everyone enjoyed making this film.

Overall, The Ridiculous 6 is a film that’s lacking real comedic charm. The jokes are crass and not many of them cause laughter. In fact, most of the humour in this film is just racially and culturally insensitive. It’s a Netflix exclusive so you won’t have to leave the comfort of your home to see it but even that might be too much effort. 5/10