Picture Credit: Netflix
Eric André has been settling in nicely at Netflix for his original comedic content, notwithstanding his beloved Eric André Show. His other endeavors—both in standup and leading original features—have also been steadily building his presence on the platform.
The three projects he’s co-led vary in style and quality, but all share his signature wacky, obscene, and fearless antics that are guaranteed to hit your funny bone. With Little Brother seeing André crashing into John Cena’s life—yet delivering his most sincere and earnest performance to date—let’s see how his front-facing Netflix work stacks up against his latest project. And we’re talking about the projects André has led or co-led. It would be unfair to add his minor roles in Happy Gilmore 2 and The Mitchells vs. the Machines. We’re talking about the new king of surreal insanity in the spotlight.
Legalize Everything
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and Eric André’s comedy special Legalize Everything exemplifies that. If you love André’s surrealistic comedic stylings in a proper stand-up format, then this one’s for his most die-hard fans and no one else. André’s hour-long set is mostly long-winded stories of him getting high, tripping hard, getting hard off tripping, and whatever else, with no real discernible punchlines or jokes interwoven to keep you on board or intrigued. Every so often, a feat of crowdwork garners mild chuckles, but it’s broken up by him being off-puttingly loud. His loudness is amusing, but not when it calls for a stand-up environment where he does it frequently. Ultimately, Legalize Everything is an extension of an experiment in his brand that gets lost in translation.
Little Brother
As if someone turned The Eric André Show into a ’90s-style Farrelly brothers movie, Little Brother is as classic as R-rated screwball buddy comedies get. As Marcus, André anchors this familiar raunchy and rambunctious affair—about a kind-hearted orphan intruding on his Big Brother program mentor’s life (Cena)—with a resounding, uncharted sweetness that gives the film its good-heartedness, blending goofy charm with his trademark chaotic nature. Cena and André are entertaining, but it’s mostly André’s Marcus interacting with everyone that gives the film its warmth. He’s so darn charming he hooks up with the nurse who was tending to him earlier in the day while her boyfriend supportingly watches… twice. His power. While it’s nothing particularly noteworthy and the comedic writing is sporadically funny, this well-rounded found-family story carries so much big-heartedness that it sometimes overpowers its own hilarity. You know what? Maybe that’s what more R-rated comedies should do. Who needs edge when you have heart?
Bad Trip
Bad Trip is one of the funniest hidden-camera prank comedy features to date—apologies to Bad Grandpa (though director Jeff Tremaine produces, so let’s say Bad Grandpa walked so Bad Trip could run). This Netflix acquisition (after a botched SXSW premiere, a shady near-deal with Quibi, and an Amazon leak) is an absolutely hilarious joy that sees André at the height of his comedic prowess. It takes the standard road-trip comedy template with Eric André and Lil Rel Howery as best friends Chris and Bud on the road to NYC in a quest for love, and cranks it to 11. Meanwhile, Tiffany Haddish plays an escaped convict named Trina who’s on the hunt for her brother, Bud, because they took her car.
But the main draw stems from unsuspecting bystanders reacting to the madness around them. Elevated by André’s and Tiffany Haddish’s unflinching, improvisational brilliance, most of the insane gross-out or slapstick gags had me busting a gut, coupled with the strangers’ naturalistic responses. What makes it feel like more than just a prank movie is its structure and cinematography; ample dynamic shots capture the chaos like a regular studio comedy, making it feel like a genuine love letter to the genre. It’s no wonder Kitao Sakurai is helming Street Fighter (which also stars André… go figure). You’ll constantly ask, “How did they do this?” and “How do these people not know who Eric André, Lil Rel Howery, or Tiffany Haddish are? They’re not even in makeup!” Bad Trip is the best ride you can take and remains André’s finest Netflix outing to date.
