‘Little Brother’

By Anna Menta

Look, I’m not saying this new raunchy Netflix comedy is amazing, but it was much more watchable than I expected. That’s thanks in large part to Eric André, who’s irresistible charm turns what could have been a tone-deaf characterization of mental illness into a hilarious, and occasionally heartwarming, romp. Director Matt Spice and co-writers Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel walked a delicate with the concept, which stars John Cena as a real estate broker named Rudd, who once participated in a “Big Brother” charity program in high school. Unbeknownst to him, his “little brother,” Marcus (André) spent the rest of his life idolizing Rudd. Decades later, Marcus decides to escape his psychiatric ward and pay his dear old “big bro” a visit. For the most part, Little Brother successfully avoids punching down. And it even got some genuine laughs out of me.

Photo: Netflix