Idiots is a 2026 American comedy film written, produced, and directed by Macon Blair. The film stars Dave Franco (who also produces the film), O'Shea Jackson Jr., Mason Thames, Kiernan Shipka, Nicholas Braun, and Peter Dinklage.
The film premiered under its original title, The Shitheads, at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, and was released in the United States on August 28, 2026, by Independent Film Company. The film has received mostly positive reviews from critics.
Contents
Plot
Davis and Mark are two guys at low points in their lives. They are paired up to escort spoiled rich kid Sheridan Kimberly to a rehab clinic. What they don't know is that Sheridan is a maniac who once set a homeless man on fire and has overall psychotic tendencies.
After stopping at a motel, Sheridan convinces Mark to hire a stripper named Irina. Sheridan drugs Davis and Mark, then attacks Irina before stealing her money. She makes Davis and Mark help get her money back when they realize Sheridan never left the motel. They sneak in and get him back before Irina splits from them.
Sheridan tweets out that he's been kidnapped, which makes three thugs show up to harass the guys and take Sheridan with them under the belief that he will reward them with money for his return. When they realize he was lying, they kidnap Sheridan for real. Davis and Mark end up at the thugs' house, and after some chaos ensues, they are able to escape with Sheridan.
The guys arrive at the clinic, but the homeless man tries to shoot Sheridan in revenge. Mark gets shot, but he and Davis are hailed as heroes for protecting Sheridan. Mark becomes blind in one eye, becoming eligible for disability checks, while Davis teams up with Irina to continue transporting jobs.
Cast
Dave Franco as Mark Southard, an unbothered scumbag
O'Shea Jackson Jr. as Davis Hench, a God-loving striver
Mason Thames as Sheridan Kimberley
Peter Dinklage as Koko
Kiernan Shipka as Irina Asantas, a stripper
Nicholas Braun as Pricka Bush Da Werewoof, a lycan-obsessed SoundCloud rapper
Macon Blair as D.D., a drug dealer
Killer Mike as Pastor William Armstrong
Production
In 2017, it was announced that Macon Blair was writing and directing an original film titled The Shitheads with Luke Wilson and Tracy Morgan set to star. By May 2018, Morgan dropped out and Ron Funches took his place.
In February 2025, it was announced that Dave Franco, O'Shea Jackson Jr., and Peter Dinklage had joined the cast, with Wilson and Funches dropping out. In July of that year, Mason Thames joined the cast. The film is produced by Blair, Franco, Ford Corbett, Mark Fasano, Joshua Harris, Brandon James, Nathan Klingher, and Alex Orr.
Filming locations included areas in Paulding County, Georgia in the fall of 2025.
Release
Idiots premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2026 under its original title The Shitheads. In February 2026, Independent Film Company acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film. In April 2026, the film was retitled to Idiots and gave it a theatrical release in the United States on August 28, 2026.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 62% of 73 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "Crude, rude, and trying just a little too hard to be edgy, Idiots leaves a sour aftertaste but will satisfy those yearning for a pugnacious comedy full of inspired yucks." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 62 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Writing for RogerEbert.com, critic Brian Tallerico described the film as "a Coen-esque comedy about colossal fuck-ups who end up stuck with a spoiled rich kid who doesn’t believe in consequences [that] gets a bit too messy in the final act, but it’s still a clever flick," and noted that the "script isn’t just consistently funny; it’s also subtly sharp about what it says about class and the truly vile people who are allowed to do whatever they want within it."