Film Review – Balls Up (2026)

      **Balls Up, 2026.**

      **Directed by:** Peter Farrelly.

      **Starring:** Mark Wahlberg, Paul Walter Hauser, Benjamin Bratt, Eva De Dominici, Daniela Melchior, Molly Shannon, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Eric André.

      **SYNOPSIS:**

      Two marketing executives, portrayed by Mark Wahlberg and Paul Walter Hauser, get drunk and disrupt a Brazilian World Cup match, prompting a nationwide manhunt for them.

      "Balls Up" represents a classic yet uninspired Hollywood concept that would typically feature D-List actors like Pauly Shore or Adam Sandler's friends; however, due to the current cinematic climate, it has fallen into the hands of the once A-List Wahlberg, who has failed to regain his status since the pandemic’s streaming surge. The execution of this idea, given the talent involved, feels like cinematic non-existence.

      This film is Wahlberg’s third collaboration with David Ellison’s Skydance Media, a company that primarily profits from supplying content to streaming services, where revenue figures are calculated more privately. Out of Ellison’s last ten theatrical releases, seven have flopped at the box office, while two of the three successes starred Tom Cruise (the other being "Air"). With Ellison successfully acquiring Paramount and attempting to buy Warner Bros., the outlook for cinema appears bleak.

      Under the direction of two-time Academy Award winner Peter Farrelly, the movie shows a slight improvement over his previous streaming project, the terrible "Ricky Stanicky," by shifting most of the action outside of a house, though that is a low standard. Visually, the film feels overly artificial: CGI water, CGI props aside from a generic penis, and an excessive use of shallow depth of field by cinematographer John Brawley that poorly obscures its Queensland soundstage. It never convincingly portrays a genuine environment or, critically, a particularly humorous or engaging one.

      One area where the film does not completely fail is in its casting. Longtime collaborator Rick Montgomery once again assembles a competent supporting cast, continuing a partnership that dates back to "Dumb & Dumber" and even carried through the drama "Green Book." Various well-known actors appear throughout the film, adding brief bursts of energy to an otherwise lifeless script. While Benjamin Bratt, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Eric André each have their moments, none are given material that actually generates humor. The film features amusing people and talented actors but lacks the jokes to utilize them effectively.

      From a narrative standpoint, the film has trouble maintaining coherence. A second-act twist relies on a contrivance so absurd it fails to elicit even a reaction. Paul Walter Hauser's character is reluctant to accept help from a defense attorney he just met (played by Daniela Melchior) out of concern for her reputation. She only reappears at the end when her role becomes necessary to wrap up the story. It appears the writers initially considered her as a romantic interest but decided against the extra effort or expense, leaving the narrative feeling flat and devoid of momentum.

      In a rare instance reflecting human creativity, the tendency of writers Reese and Wernick towards mean-spirited scenarios does occasionally emerge, forcing characters into humiliation and discomfort, adding slight texture to the film, although “texture” may be too generous a term. One joke involving a translator app featuring Larry David’s voice delivers the film’s sole genuine laugh. There’s also an underlying theme about soccer as a unifying cultural element across various societal levels—such as fans, criminals, and institutions—but other than in "Green Book," Farrelly seems uninterested in developing themes further. The audience deserves a better experience.

      Wahlberg's performance illustrates a career in decline. Once a reliable lead in both blockbuster and acclaimed films, he now appears motivated by a hefty paycheck, ensnared in a cycle of low-effort streaming content. When he performs "Somebody That I Used to Know," gazing blankly past the camera while being held hostage, the moment feels less comedic and more like unintentional commentary. A scene featuring a CGI “piss fish” that swims up Wahlberg’s urine stream serves to highlight how far removed this material is from his respectable previous work.

      When Hauser’s character rescues Wahlberg toward the film's conclusion, it feels less like a story twist and more like a rescue from an even worse version of the same movie. Any intriguing ideas present are only conceptual. On screen, they simply do not come to life.

      **Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★**

      Will Hume