R-rated Comedy Revival Running on Empty?

We should thank Peter Farrelly, Adam McKay and Judd Apatow for making us howl over and over again.

That’s assuming we were old enough to enter a movie theater.

The directors delivered killer R-rated comedies over the past 20+ years, including “There’s Something About Mary” (Farrelly), “Anchorman” (McKay) and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” (Apatow).

Where are they now?

McKay ditched comedy for propaganda films like “Vice,” “Don’t Look Up” and “Thrash.” Apatow hasn’t directed a big-screen comedy since 2020’s “The King of Staten Island,” and that film failed to recapture his past magic.

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And Farrelly? He’s been talking a good game about bringing bawdy, R-rated comedies back, but his results are decidedly mixed.

First, he detoured into drama with the Oscar-winning “Green Book” (2018). Then, he promised a return to classic, R-rated romps with “Ricky Stanicky.” Except the film couldn’t match his previous highs like “Mary” or “Dumb and Dumber,” and the film dropped on Prime Video, not in theaters.

Now, Farrelly is back with a wacky new comedy called “Balls Up.” And, once again, it’s debuting on Prime Video.

Mark Wahlberg and Paul Walter Hauser star as squabbling co-workers trying to launch a new style of condom during the World Cup.

The film is getting hammered at Rotten Tomatoes. Critics loathe the film – witness the 27 percent “rotten” rating. Audiences hate it more – 19 percent.

Brutal.

This critic watched the first 20 minutes, stupefied by what he saw before turning it off. That’s not a full, official review, but an observation. Amateurish barely describes it, despite the resumes of all involved.

And then there’s “Busboys.” 

The independent comedy connects mainstream Hollywood (David Spade) with a new media darling, Theo Von. The two play busboys in search of a better life, which they see as graduating to full-tiime servers.

The film has gotten little media attention. The team behind the project didn’t supply screening links or theatrical previews, apparently, given the dearth of pre-release critiques.

The only official review as of Friday morning is a withering, F-rated column from respectable scribe Brian Orndorf.

If there’s a worse film than “Busboys” in 2026, I’ll be shocked.

A smattering of general audience reviews is more kind, although they’re all over the map regarding the film’s quality.

We haven’t seen any official box office figures from Thursday previews, but given the lack of media attention, it’s possible the film won’t challenge existing studio fare.

And then what?

Von and Spade are big players in the podcasting space, but if “Busboys” can’t draw a crowd, it suggests that brand of new media promotion doesn’t work at the theatrical level.

Either way, we’re still waiting for that breakout comedy to prove audiences still crave outrageous laughs.