Movie Review: ‘Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice’

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Review by James Lindorf

BenDavid Grabinski’s last feature film was 2021’s “Happily” starring Joel McHale and Kerry Bishé. Since then, he has worked on reimaginings of fan favorite properties like “Are You Afraid of the Dark” and “Scott Pilgrim.” In April 2023, 20th Century Studios acquired the spec script for “Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice” by Grabinski and signed him to direct. It took just over a year to nail down the details and the main cast before filming began in September of 24 with Larry Fong (Kong: Skull Island) as cinematographer. The R-rated comedy premiered at the South by Southwest Film & TV Festival on March 14th, 2026, and will be released worldwide on Disney+ and Hulu on March 27th.

Quick Draw Mike (James Marsden, X-Men) is ready to retire from his life as a trigger man for a criminal organization and run away with Alice (Eiza González, Baby Driver). There are a few problems with that plan. First, Alice is married to Nick (Vince Vaughn, Wedding Crashers), one of Mike’s “co-workers.” The second problem is that gang leader Sosa (Keith David, The Thing) thinks Mike is the rat who got his son sent to prison. The two gangsters and the woman they love will try to survive the most dangerous night of their lives, and the final wrench thrown into Mike’s plan is the most unexpected of all: a time machine. The movie also features a strong supporting cast, including Ben Schwartz (Parks and Rec), Emily Hampshire (Schitt’s Creek), Lewis Tan (Mortal Kombat), and Jimmy Tatro (Scream 7).

I am not a “Scary Movie 6” believer, so with the possible exception of Boots Riley’s “I Love Boosters,” I expect “Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice” to be my favorite R-rated comedy of the year. The movie is silly with pratfalls and jokes that could be set to Family Guy’s “Prom Night Dumpster Baby,” but it is not devoid of depth. The comedic and emotional chemistry between Vaughn, Marsden, and González is great and adds to every scene. Their performances do a lot of the heavy lifting for the themes of love, commitment, guilt, and trust. The script is here to help them bring the fun, but there is heart between the lines if you look for it. To varying degrees, all of the characters are controlled by the expectations of the world around them. The toxic tough guy trait of treating your partner like property, removing their agency because you are the one who gets to decide their future, is what sets the stage for the whole film.

For some, the tone and commitment to time-travel tropes will be too light, but I loved the quips and the balance. How many movies offer a romantic element, well-choreographed over-the-top violence, and the kind of humor that would reference “Veggie Tales” in a room full of mobsters? I think there is a good chance this is a Top 10 streaming movie on Disney+ and Hulu over the next couple of weeks, and one of their best of the year. To be fair, I am a bit of a sucker for time travel and time loop films, with “Groundhog Day” easily in my top five and multiple watches of movies like “Happy Death Day” under my belt. There are enough creative kills and rapid-fire jokes that repeat viewings could yield new favorite moments, increasing those streaming numbers.

“Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice” won’t be picking up any awards this time next year, but it is 107 minutes of fun. I was impressed by the approach to the climax, both in its action and emotional aspects. I chuckled throughout, with a few laugh-out-loud moments, which is why I give it a score of 4 out of 5.

Rating: R
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): March 27th, 2026
Runtime: 1h 47m
Director: BenDavid Grabinski
Screenwriter: BenDavid Grabinski
Producer: Andrew Lazar
Distributor: Hulu
Production Co: Mad Chance, 20th Century Studios