“This guy really does need to be contained, because he’s got such potential for danger and violence and mayhem.”
Macon Blair is describing the antagonist of his latest movie. He’s no stranger to menacing genre fare, as evidenced by the two other films he wrote and directed: 2017’s “I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore” and 2023’s “Toxic Avenger” reimagining.
But despite pitch-black elements, “Idiots,” in theaters Friday via Independent Film Company, is a rollicking comedy. In it, two knuckleheads — the well-intentioned and religious Davis (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) and sleazy bro Mark (Dave Franco) — get a job chauffeuring troubled teens to rehab. While their first ward, Sheridan Kimberley (Mason Thames), appears to be just another troubled rich kid, he turns out to be way too dangerous for his clueless caretakers.
Having Sheridan actually be a cruel person was one of the key audience expectations the writer-director hoped to flip in the pursuit of laughs.
“It was about wanting to have the most formidable villain possible for these guys to go up against, and just play off the idea that audiences are smart and they’ve seen a lot of movies,” Blair says. “If you see a premise like this … ‘There’s two dumbbells that have a kid in the car.’ Your expectations are probably going to be that at some point along the way they will give him some advice or wisdom or a hug and he will be redeemed. He’ll get straightened out sooner or later. I really like the idea of taking the wheel in the complete opposite direction, where at a certain point you realize, ‘No, he’s actually a monster that has to be captured before more people get hurt,’ and playing off people’s expectations.”
