Vague Visages’ Idiots review contains minor spoilers. Macon Blair’s 2026 movie features Dave Franco, O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Mason Thames. Check out the VV home page for more film criticism, movie reviews and film essays.

If Macon Blair isn’t on your radar yet as the director of I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017) and for portraying Lloyd Garrison in Oppenheimer (2023), he now deserves your attention as the director/writer of Idiots. Following abrupt job terminations, odd couple Mark Southard (Dave Franco) and Davis Hench (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) resort to employment with Dorinda Transportation Services — a far less than stellar entity which exists to escort drug addicts to rehab. The dimwitted pair of transporters take on the mission of ensuring the safe delivery of silver-spooned entrepreneur Sheridan Kimberley (Mason Thames). What should be a simple task of taking a road trip with an incumbent patient becomes a chain of mishaps and bad decisions. Exceeding a College Humor lampooning of Hollywood, Idiots is a high octane, comedic feast of the summer. It’s almost too rich of an experience at times, but there’s never a dull moment throughout the 100-minute film.

The acting in Idiots is commendable. Franco fully embraces degeneracy as Mark; a man  who serves as an ominous reminder of the decline of office culture formalities. The actor succeeds by portraying a deeply flawed character, rather than just presenting him as an airhead. Mark’s dynamic collaboration with and resistance to Davis is critical to the film’s continuity amidst a series of surprise events. Jackson Jr. sells his character’s self-reliance and moral core, evoking sympathy as a somewhat naïve, religious and slow-witted misfit who can’t catch a break. In a few instances, Blair allows Davis to let loose, which is satisfying to watch, as the actor interjects a burst of energy into these scenes. During much of the action, Mark and Davis have the company of a very angry Russian stripper, Irina (Kiernan Shipka), who has her own reasons for getting her hands on Sheridan. She and her grandmother, Baba (Lynn Wanlass), show Mark and Davis the way at some key junctures with their grassroots grit and determination. Wanlass takes on the role with bravado, while Shipka has star presence even if her clichéd dialogue leaves little opportunity to shine. Thames’ portrayal of Sheridan is a pastiche of Jesse Eisenberg — highly obnoxious one-minute and slightly vulnerable the next but always the insecure schemer. Nothing is undercooked in the actor’s portrayal, but it’s predictable nonetheless. Even Sheridan’s smirk carries the same level of arrogance that one normally associates with Eisenberg, as Thames exhibits nervous tension intertwined with intellectual superiority.

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Sheridan’s encounters with outrageously extreme social media followers — Joe Thom Pell aka Pricka Bush da Werewolf (Nicholas Braun) and Karl “Koko” Sandoz (Peter Dinklage)– yield the most bizarre segments of Blair’s film, as the seasoned actors rise above the clichés. Always one for a slapstick brawl, Dinklage stands his ground and brings just the right amount of self-deprecation to the role. As for Braun, if Idiots were to have a spirit animal, Pricka Bush da Werewolf fits the bill. The actor’s pièce de résistance — air humping a chainsaw while chanting, “I gotta murda, murda, murda” — is truly an absurd and bewildering scene evoking the same high-octane energy of the tiger scene in Todd Phillips’ The Hangover (2009). While the introduction of the characters produces danger, drama and suspense, these elements, particularly the rap singing by Da Werewoof, may alienate some more conservative viewers who might find it all a bit too weird.

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Idiots (2026) delivers on vulgarity. Phallic and sophomoric humor serve as a cold shower to the character self-abasement. Praiseworthy is Dane McMaster’s subdued yet precise editing of Davis’ initial “tuning in” and “dropping out” experience, accompanied by the harsh red tint lighting which lingers over Hotel Q. All throughout this wanderlust excursion, Blair and cinematographer Guillermo Garza proudly bear their cinematic influences, all in great stride and gusto. The Hangover and David Gordon Green’s Pineapple Express (2009) are of clear influence, not just for casting and cinematography but for tone as well, revitalizing the essence of that stoner comedy era with ease. No sooner do Mark and Davis show up at Sheridan’s family estate than do the aesthetics of The Hangover. The nonchalant and slightly off-kilter introduction of Sheridan is reminiscent of Phillips’ presentation of Alan Garner (Zach Galifianakis) — chaos in sheep’s clothing. Yet the twist is that Sheridan is a social genius, while Alan is socially inept. The sight of Mark, Davis and Sheridan walking away from the Kimberley mansion in epic style harkens back to The Hangover’s notorious “Wolf Pack.”

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With very few sets and props, Blair achieves highly comedic moments. The best example is his use of a simple, single serving of Cheese Curls. Such an unassuming item yields great laughs in two memorable moments that bookend an outrageous scene. Music by Will Blair and Brooke Blair adds meaningful dimension to the action, with the song “A Perfect Heart” being especially relevant. The lyric “Don’t you change for me” marks a satirical contrast to the mission of transporting a delinquent addict to rehab, and the reference to “a perfect heart” captures the essence of the nearly perfect heart and soul of Davis Hench, who struggles in spite of his efforts and inherent goodness. All of these characters are in desperate need of change, but their unchanging demeanors produces ongoing humor throughout the film.

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During a post-screening Q & A at Austin Film Society on August 28, 2026, Blair stated that his initial impetus for Idiots (originally bearing the title Shitheads at its 2026 Sundance Film Festival debut) arose from a conversation with producer Alex Orr, who alluded to the illegality and corruption surrounding particular sectors of the rehab transportation business. They envisioned the movie as a spoof of The Last Detail (1973), in which a Navy “mule” escorts a young seaman to a Navy prison, albeit with a spattering of Gen Z-type humor. Blair addressed how the demands of the story meant having to rework the overall connective tissue of several set piece, and he acknowledged his team’s excellent location scouting as all the key shooting areas are within five minutes of each other, allowing for a very modest budget.

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While Idiots never quite reaches the climatic crescendo of Pineapple Express, nor the hedonistic lifestyle extremes of The  Hangover trilogy (2009-13), it offers more heart, soul and social commentary, as the spontaneity and energy in the exchanges between Franco and Jackson Jr. uplift Blair’s film. With a bit more fine tuning, the premise holds potential for sequels, akin to the FX mockery series What We Do in the Shadows (2019-2024) or The Office (2005-13) webisodes. With Idiots, Blair cements himself as an up-and-coming provocateur. Moving forward, it’s best to let go of cinematic imitations to build the voices of today while always remaining uninhibited.

Peter Bell (@PeterGBell25) is a 2016 Master of Arts – Film Studies graduate of Columbia University School of Arts in New York City. His interests include film history, film theory and film criticism. Ever since watching TCM as a child, Peter has had a passion for film, always trying to add greater context to film for others. His favorite films include Chinatown, Blade Runner, Lawrence of Arabia, A Shot in the Dark and Inception. Peter believes movie theaters are still the optimal forum for film viewing, discussion and discovering fresh perspectives on culture.

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