Idiots (2026) Dir. Macon Blair

O'Shea Jackson Jr. and Dave Franco star in this new crime farce from writer-director Macon Blair, which sees a couple of inexperienced life losers attempt to make some bank escorting a young man to rehab.

After both losing their jobs, they team up and collect the wayward Sheridan (Mason Thames) to transport him to a facility. But as these things tend to go, the pair of amateur “Sober Escorts” think the cross-country trip will be an easy buck but it’s of course anything but.

The duo assume Sheridan is going to rehab for substance abuse, but the real reason is far darker and a stopover in a motel and encounter with a stripper( Kiernan Shipka as Irina) leads to the spoilt kid escaping and going on the run.

What ensues is a game of cat and mouse as the two men realise that they are liable for the money incurred and could be sued by Sheridan’s wealthy family, and desperately try to track him down.

The film is full of dark humour and silly interactions. And Jackson Jr. is good as a man desperate to get his life back on track, whilst Franco’s aimless slacker tries to blag his way through the whole process. But after Sheridan leaves, and along with Irina, the group surprisingly begin to work together on their retrieval plans.

Speaking of Franco, I’ve been quite appreciative of his recent output. Away from his earlier forgettable comedies, his directorial debut The Rental is an underseen gem, and he’s great with wife Alison Brie in horror flick Together, and provides strong support in Rose Glass’ Love Lies Bleeding (2024).

He doesn’t stretch his wings as much here but adds some humanity with Jackson Jnr matching him along the way. As their strategy to get Sheridan back starts to spiral, we get the introduction of Peter Dinklage and his gang of thugs who attempt to get to Sheridan - as the rich boy livestreams a promise to pay anyone who rescues him.

Dinklage as always is a class act, but unfortunately he enters far too late into the movie. Arriving sooner may have added more tension - and a much needed antagonist of sorts - to the whole shebang. As it is, the film is an uneven mix of domestic mixups, violence, a dollop of Americana and a surface-level look at class divides. Or something.

I have enjoyed Macon Blair’s work for a while now. I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore made my Top 20 of 2017 and he has collaborated as actor and producer with childhood friend Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room and Rebel Ridge. Two more excellent movies themselves.

Idiots circles the same genre and is a solid if slightly unremarkable crime caper. As per the other films the director has been involved in, we once again get a similar group of mismatched misfits drawn into criminal shenanigans beyond their control. I enjoyed the ride but it’s ultimately forgettable and even though I liked it, there wasn’t anything new to make me love it. 

If you enjoyed Blair’s previous work, it doesn’t do anything too different with its collection of quirky characters crossing each others’ paths, and so you’ll no doubt find this fun. But like some people these characters meet along the way, it’s quite transient and pretty unmemorable overall.

★★★

3 / 5

Michael Sales

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Idiots is on UK and Ireland digital platforms on 2 October 2026 from Vertigo Releasing