For its relatable premise and tried-and-true structure, the road movie has a rich cinematic history. Its success has spawned a number of subgenres, including the screwball escort film where opposing personalities often work against each other to reach a destination. Whether it’s getting someone to the Greek or a 3:10 train to Yuma, it’s a beloved trope that resurfaces every few years. In 2026, writer-director Macon Blair revives the formula for The Shitheads. He plots a tumultuous course for his prisoner-transport comedy that keeps the journey interesting and finds space to add depth to an otherwise broad comedy. The steady two-hander never quite soars, but is elevated by an eclectic batch of supporting roles that supply bursts of energy in the right places.
Davis (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) is a straight-laced, God-fearing, by-the-book screw-up. He loses his job at a church after unknowingly taking the youth group to a certain inappropriate film that features Willem Dafoe’s “dong.” Coincidentally, the high-energy, substance-abusing, silver-tongued Mark (Dave Franco) is laid off from his office job. As the laws of elementary school science go, these opposites attract as they converge at Dorindo Services, an agency that chaperones troubled teens to rehabilitation facilities, which is run by stripmall kingpin India Dorindo (Grace Junot).
The two are tasked with transporting Sheridan Kimberly (Mason Thames), the heir to a corporate dynasty. The odd-couple dynamic is immediately established between the fastidious Davis and unruly Mark. The Shitheads’ road-movie structure places the two in confined spaces that allow their friction to compound with the aid of the devious Sheridan tripping them up along the way. This intended screwball relationship is the weakest facet of Blair’s otherwise sturdy screenplay—the two excel at bickering but never truly get the moments of mutual respect or affection that bind them and invest us in the ebbs and flows of their relationship. Perhaps it’s due to the lack of depth in each. Both are inept dopes with an Oscar and Felix dynamic, but don’t have any greater dreams or desires––other than gainful employment––that allow for any kind of satisfying redemption arc. Jackson Jr. and Franco’s vibrant performances keep them from feeling flat, and are best when mixed with Blair’s supporting cast.
Throughout the brisk, unexpected journey, Sheridan reveals himself as a spoiled sociopath who manipulates his escorts into chaotic situations. Blair builds Sheridan as an amalgam of societal ills. His wealth only amplifies his persona, itself many of the worst parts of Internet culture distilled. His vicious pranks put Davis and Mark in league with Irina (Kiernan Shipka), a stripper trying to dig her way out from the bottom, as well as her grandmother “Baba” Anastasia (Lynn Wanlass). Flowers must be given to Wanlass as the elderly Baba, who has no problem throwing down when needed, but not before blowing shotties and dancing with Mark.
Each chapter of the adventure heightens in a satisfying manner. Sheridan slips in and out of their grasp and must be recaptured from a group of schlubby grocery retailers and, later, a memorable rag-tag group of bandits led by wannabe militia-man Koko (Peter Dinklage) and aided by—in what is perhaps Nicholas Braun’s best performance since Cousin Greg—aspiring trap rapper Pricka Bush.
Paired with that eccentric supporting cast, Blair’s social commentary bolsters this already solid road movie. As in his Toxic Avenger, the genre is woven with the reflection of a downtrodden working class exploited and disrespected by the admired elite. Sheridan is a rich influencer with an enormous online following that idolizes his rotten behavior as a bad boy role model. He makes life difficult not just for the struggling Davis, Mark, and Irina, but everyone he encounters, the destruction of his antics left for others to clean up. He’s a troll who resembles the edgelord tastes of vlogger-cum-celebrities like the Paul brothers; his entitlement is misconstrued as a devil-may-care attitude for which he is lauded by the enabling masses of the Internet. Blair puts a button on this “life isn’t fair” thesis that is both timely and timeless.
Ultimately, The Shitheads is a lot more fun than it is funny. I wasn’t cackling at every joke, but I was having a good old time watching. To those who bemoan the lack of mid-budget comedies: now’s your time to show up for the cause.
The Shitheads premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.