Balls Up
Mark Wahlberg and Paul Walter Hauser play two imbeciles from a condom company in Peter Farrelly’s crude and humourless action-comedy.
Stupid is as stupid does: Paul Walter Hauser and Mark Wahlberg
Image courtesy of Amazon Media.
by ELOISE BARKER
Yes, the word in the title does refer to a certain part of the male anatomy. And yes this comedy is just as ludicrous as the title. It is not a total waste of time, but should only be watched when the May showers arrive – it’s certainly not worth missing time in the sun.
This Spring, Amazon’s new “outlandish” action-comedy is completely crude and falls short of the mark. Balls Up follows two colleagues from a condom company, namely Elijah DeBell (Paul Walter Hauser), the designer or “the steak”, and Brad Lewison (Mark Wahlberg), from sales, “the sizzle.” After a certain failure in businesses and an interference in football’s World Cup final, the unlikely duo finds themselves arrested and mobbed by thousands of angry Brazilian fans.
Isabella Costa (Daniela Melchior) appears briefly as their lawyer, and her acting delivers a breath of fresh air. Subsequently, Elijah and Brad are hunted across Brazil as they flee from one scrape to another in typical comedic fashion, before encountering Pavio Curto (Sacha Baron Cohen). As a mafia-boss and short-lived ally of the protagonists, Baron Cohen does deliver some laughs, but with memories of some of his earlier performances, you would imagine he might be embarrassed by his contribution here.
Despite its great capacity for humour, with innuendos, mafia and the jungle, Peter Farrelly’s Balls Up does not induce much mirth or rarely a smile and at times one wonders whether it can even be described as a comedy. In addition, it seems to lack any purpose or direction, other than the mocking of football fans and those with big balls. Furthermore, the attempted catchphrase “no good deed goes unpunished” is not followed through and certainly does not achieve its comedic potential. The premise is actually humorous and the film is well acted, but the actors cannot move beyond the limitations of the script. As the latter was written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, known for the Zombieland and Deadpool films, one would think that it could have been much funnier. As it is, Balls Up is mildly amusing at times and sufficiently entertaining for a bored afternoon, requiring little attention or bandwidth. A certain state of inebriation and some tipsy companions should help, too.
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Paul Walter Hauser, Benjamin Bratt, Eva De Dominici, Daniela Melchior, Molly Shannon, Sacha Baron Cohen, Luciano Szafir, Chelsey Crisp, Eric André, Abe Farrelly.
Dir Peter Farrelly, Pro David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Andrew Muscato, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, Screenplay Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, Ph John Brawley, Pro Des Gary Mackay, Ed Sam Seig, Music Dave Palmer, Costumes Amelia Gebler.
Skydance Media/Reese/Wernick Productions-Amazon Media.
107 mins. USA. 2026. UK and US Rel: 15 April 2026. Cert. 15.
