Movie Review: ‘Little Brother’ On Netflix

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Review by Adam Courtliff

Good comedy movies have been hard to come by for what feels like an eternity, so it’s been a welcome surprise that 2026 has provided a couple of the decade’s best efforts so far in The Invite and Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie. Looking to follow in their footsteps is Netflix’s latest attempt, Little Brother, which tries to balance the humour with a touching sibling relationship and, rather surprisingly given the streamer’s previous attempts, largely succeeds.

Little Brother follows Rudd (John Cena), a successful New York realtor who, on paper, is living the dream. He has his lovely wife Deirdre (Michelle Monaghan), two kids, and thinks he’s just about to be cast in the latest hit reality show NYC Hustlers. Beneath the surface, though, he is suffering from a sibling complex caused by his well known, eccentric billionaire older brother Josh (Christopher Meloni), one that’s plaguing his very existence.

Little does Rudd know, his life is about to be flipped upside down by his “little brother” Marcus Pinchel (Eric André). Marcus is someone he believes he hasn’t seen or spoken to in 30 years after the pair were matched through a YMCA Big Brother, Little Brother charity programme. Unbeknownst to him, however, his assistant Mia (Sherry Cola) has been emailing Marcus for years as if she were Rudd, ultimately sparking Marcus’ escape from a psychiatric unit to gatecrash his life in New York City.

Brought to life by director Matt Spicer, who works from a script by screenwriters Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel, Little Brother is part comedy and part sibling drama. Undoubtedly, the movie excels in its comedic aspects. There’s a real sense of this feeling like a throwback comedy from the noughties, with the jokes often treading that fine line between being offensive and actually being funny. For the most part, Little Brother gets it right. Sure, it’s silly and at times even a little bit stupid, but it provides more than a few genuinely laugh out loud moments. Even so, it dares to tread that line when so many movies of this ilk don’t even attempt to, and for that it should be applauded.

Its dramatic elements, though, are far more hit and miss. When it comes to the relationship between Rudd and Josh, it’s great. Everyone who has either a brother or sister will be able to relate to the intense rivalry and one upmanship on display at every turn. Little Brother also excels with Marcus’ character arc, as he deals with an overwhelming feeling of abandonment, with the only constant in his life appearing to be Rudd. In that respect, Little Brother successfully evokes some genuine emotion.
On the flip side, when it comes to Rudd, unfortunately it feels as generic as it comes. As a character, he is a total asshole, so when the inevitable twists in his arc arrive, they’re not only insanely predictable, but they also feel totally unearned to the point where you’re never really rooting for him. It doesn’t quite get to the stage where you actively root against him, but because the script never gets you to care as much as it intends to, the climax feels a little lacklustre.

That said, both John Cena and Eric André are brilliant. Cena leans into Rudd’s mean streak scarily well, whilst also providing a fair few laughs along the way. André, however, arguably steals the whole show. He displays impeccable comedic timing throughout, delivering almost all of the film’s biggest laughs, but also possesses the emotional rawness needed to portray Marcus’ more vulnerable side, ensuring those moments really land.

Although the supporting cast never really get much to do outside of a handful of scenes, Michelle Monaghan makes sure she utilises every second she’s given. She successfully makes audiences feel for Deirdre in a compassionate way and is also involved in the movie’s most memorable scene, involving some antics in a Porsche 911 that will undoubtedly have jaws hitting the floor in absolute disbelief.

Ultimately, Little Brother certainly isn’t a home run, but its main goal was to be funny and get audiences laughing, something it does consistently throughout its runtime. Powered in particular by a brilliant Eric André, Little Brother proves to be a much better time than many previous straight to streaming comedies and is well worth checking out on Netflix this weekend.