Ricky Stanicky is a movie about three friends, Dean, Wes, and JT, who invented a fourth member of their group, the titular character, to serve as their scapegoat as mischievous children. Upon reaching adulthood, the trio used Stanicky as an excuse to get out of boring commitments and spend quality time together at theme parks, golf clubs, and electronic concerts. After hiring an alcoholic actor named Rod to play Ricky at the bris for JT’s baby, the fraud eventually comes crashing down at the end — but not in the way you might expect.
The day Rod starts his new job, Erin visits Dean at work to tell him she got her dream job by pitching Ricky’s incredible life story to a local news station for a Hero of the Week segment. Airing the segment threatens to expose the trio’s fraud and could end Erin’s career.
Dean and JT try to sabotage Ricky’s new “career” and get him fired. But somehow, Ted becomes even more infatuated with his new employee and puts him in charge of an upcoming merger. Ricky hires Wes as his assistant, as the former’s lack of gainful employment was a constant point of contention with his partner, Keith.
Why doesn’t Rod/Ricky want to go back to Atlantic City?
When plan A fails, Dean confronts Ricky in a stationary closet and demands the washed-up actor quit the job and go back to his masturbatory performances in Atlantic City. However, Rod reveals he owes money to some dangerous people, so going back to his old life could have fatal consequences.
Later that night, Dean is in a bar drinking with Wes and contemplating the end of his life. Wes advises Dean to tell Erin the truth. We also learn that Dean was raised in an abusive household, which is why he doesn’t want kids of his own.
The following day, Dean waits up until the morning for Erin. When she walks in, he tries coming clean to her, but like the good reporter she is, Erin has already figured out the elaborate con Dean’s been running for years. She realized Rod was a fraud back at the bris and was waiting to see how far Dean was willing to take his lie.
Rod even showed her the “bible” with records of all the fun things Dean, Wes, and JT did while pretending to be helping Ricky. Unsurprisingly, she ends the relationship.
Dean heads to Summerhayes’s country club merger party, where the boss plans to show Ricky’s Hero of the Week segment on a projector screen, ready to tell everyone the truth. Of course, neither JT nor Wes are particularly thrilled at the prospect.
With “Ricky” nowhere in sight to introduce his big TV moment, Dean takes the stage and openly admits to making the whole Stanicky thing up. Susan is furious, her mom feels vindicated, and Dean is fired.
Does the Hero of the Week on Nicky Stanicky air?
When the news segment does air on the big screen, it starts as an expose of Rock Hard Rod’s incredible fraud. But the story ends up an unlikely and rather touching (if you’re willing to look past the disturbing X-rated dog scene) tale of redemption about an alcoholic turning his life around thanks to his three friends, Dean, TJ, and Wes. The mini-documentary shows Ricky fell in love with and is now dating Carly. By the end of the news segment, everybody claps.
Thanks to the touching Ricky Stanicky story, the company Ted was desperate to merge with is more than willing to start working with him.
An angered Susan informs TJ he’s going to spend the next six months camping in their backyard. To be fair, TJ did allow his fake friend to circumcise their baby.
As for Dean and Erin, it seems they will try to work on their relationship. Forgiving him for all those lies won’t be easy, but she did get her big career break thanks to Ricky.
Why were the two scary men following Rod/Ricky?
When the two scary guys who’ve been tracking down Rod crash the party, Dean tries to intervene to save his new friend’s life but fails. As Rod braces himself for what’s sure to be a painful experience, the angry-looking duo serves him a cease and desist letter. That’s right, the two weren’t out to kill Rod, they just wanted him to stop performing X-rated versions of Billy Idol songs.
How does Ricky Stanicky end?
After Rod’s brush with potential legal issues, everyone gets on with the merger celebration party. The movie ends with Dean, JT, and Wes cheering for Ricky Stanicky, who’s no longer the “best friend they’ve never had,” but the “best friend they’ve ever had.”
In the social media-style epilogue, we learn that:
- Carly finally got a haircut and donated the surplus to make wigs for cancer patients.
- Susan did, in fact, make TJ live in a tent in the backyard. He even has his own porta-potty.
- Wes published a disturbingly inappropriate children’s book featuring a buff Santa.
- Dean and Erin got married. Of course, Ricky attended.
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