John Cena makes his jump to Netflix with Little Brother, which sees the former WWE Champion deal with an unexpected figure from his past as he navigates a pivotal moment in his career.
Cena plays Rudd Landy, a real estate agent who seemingly has everything he would want in life. A successful business, loving family and an opportunity at breaking into the world of reality television. However, Rudd constantly feels overshadowed by his more successful brother Josh (Christopher Meloni). Just as he appears ready to step out of that shadow with a reality TV opportunity, Marcus Pinchel (Eric André), the “little brother” he abandoned through a childhood mentoring programme, suddenly reappears and refuses to leave. While the mismatched-buddy formula has produced plenty of memorable comedies, Little Brother never finds the chemistry or escalating absurdity needed to make its familiar story feel fresh.
Like Frank Grimes’ view of Homer in The Simpsons, Rudd seems to be the only person who finds Marcus insufferable while everyone else embraces his chaotic personality. While Rudd repeatedly tries to distance himself from Marcus, his wife Deidre (Michelle Monaghan) insists Marcus stay with the family. André’s surreal, confrontational style is an acquired taste, and Little Brother never quite finds the right balance between his anarchic energy and the more grounded tone surrounding Cena’s performance. If the film had done more to satirise the buddy-comedy tropes it borrows instead of simply recreating them, there might have been something fresher here. The only self-awareness is the mocking of reality TV and how the producers will do anything necessary for ratings.
Inevitably, Marcus quickly wins over everyone around him, only heightening Rudd’s fear of once again being overlooked. Worried he’ll once again be overshadowed by someone else, Rudd looks to get Marcus out of his life at all costs while also keeping his own life on track. Unfortunately, the relationship never evolves beyond the predictable beats audiences will expect from this type of story.
Cena delivers one of the film’s stronger performances, playing Rudd with enough sincerity to make his insecurities believable. His understated approach often works well, but he’s left carrying scenes that depend almost entirely on André’s improvisational energy. One sequence involving a parked car delivers one of the film’s few genuinely amusing moments, even if it’s hardly enough to rescue the comedy overall. There is the inevitable emotional reveal explaining Marcus’s past and why he sought out Rudd’s family, but because the film never fully earns the audience’s sympathy for him, the moment lacks the impact it clearly aims for.
When a Paris Hilton cameo and a reference to Hoobastank are among the film’s highlights, it’s clear Little Brother was never going to be Netflix’s next comedy hit. Little Brother has the ingredients of a solid buddy comedy, a charismatic lead, a chaotic wildcard and a simple emotional premise, but never develops beyond a predictable collection of familiar beats. Cena does what he can with the material, yet the uneven chemistry and inconsistent humour leave the film feeling like a throwback for all the wrong reasons.
Little Brother – Stream Or Skip?
Skip. Despite a committed performance from John Cena, Little Brother never finds the balance between heartfelt and hilarious that defines the best buddy comedies. A handful of amusing moments can’t overcome its predictable story, uneven chemistry and lack of genuine laughs.
4/10
Featured image: Netflix.
