Eric Andre
Chris Carey
Overview
In this hidden-camera prank comedy, two best friends bond on a wild road trip to New York as they pull real people into their raunchy, raucous antics.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
3 min readThe bystanders did not audition
Hidden-camera comedy has always felt like a hustle to me. Real people become punchlines without being asked. Kitao Sakurai's Bad Trip still pulls that hustle. Then it turns the camera around, and you notice you are laughing at a stranger who never got a script.
Eric André and Lil Rel Howery play Chris and Bud, best friends driving from Florida to New York so Chris can tell his high school crush, Michaela Conlin, that he loves her. They stage stunts along the way. Some are written.
Some are not. Hidden cameras catch whoever walks into the blast radius. Those people are not extras.
They are co-stars who never signed a call sheet. Their real faces become the joke's texture.
Sakurai made The Eric André Show, which often felt like a surrealist attack on whoever was holding the remote. Bad Trip is warmer. RogerEbert.com called it a film with "a warming spirit about people" that pushes the hidden-camera subgenre forward. I buy the warmth more than I buy any claim of gentleness.
A gorilla in a cage. A drug-fueled meltdown in a nail salon. A car chase that looks like it was improvised by people who have never driven.
Audience Opinions
Audience 6.2/10
"A raunchy, hidden-camera prank comedy that delivers big laughs but struggles with pacing and coherence."
Viewers appreciate the bold, unscripted humor and the chemistry between Eric André and Lil Rel Howery, which drives much of the film’s energy. latestnetflix.com's take is that however, the plot feels thin and disjointed, with some pranks overstaying their welcome or falling flat, leaving the movie feeling uneven despite its high-energy moments.
What viewers praise
- Hilarious prank comedy The hidden-camera pranks and improvised reactions provide genuine laughs, especially in the film’s most outrageous moments.
- Strong lead chemistry Eric André and Lil Rel Howery’s dynamic and comedic timing make their characters’ friendship the heart of the movie.
- Tiffany Haddish’s performance Haddish’s over-the-top role as the wild sister adds a layer of chaotic energy that many find entertaining.
- Unique comedic style The blend of scripted scenes and real pranks creates a fresh, unpredictable viewing experience.
Common complaints
- Weak plot structure The story feels like an excuse to string pranks together, lacking depth or a satisfying narrative arc.
- Uneven pacing Some pranks drag on too long, while others feel rushed, making the film’s runtime feel inconsistent.
- Repetitive humor A few jokes and pranks rely on the same shock value, leading to diminishing returns as the movie progresses.
- Underdeveloped side characters Supporting roles, aside from Haddish, feel one-dimensional and fail to add much to the story.
Recommended for
Fans of hidden-camera comedy Eric André and Lil Rel Howery fans Lovers of raunchy, improvised humor Those who enjoy chaotic, high-energy films Tiffany Haddish enthusiasts
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsThe Hidden Chaos Behind Bad Trip: How a Fake Prank Movie Fooled Everyone
Bad Trip (2021) isn’t just a raunchy comedy—it’s a meticulously crafted illusion. Directed by Kitao Sakurai and starring Eric André, Lil Rel Howery, and Tiffany Haddish, the film masquerades as a found-footage prank show, complete with unsuspecting "real people" reacting to outrageous stunts. latestnetflix.com's read is that but the truth behind its production is almost as wild as the movie itself.
A Scripted Comedy Disguised as a Prank Show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsXyNcckpwM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-6HHDBiw-0
The film’s genius (and deception) lies in its format. Shot like a hidden-camera prank series, Bad Trip follows two friends—Chris (André) and Bud (Howery)—on a road trip from Florida to New York, where Chris plans to confess his love to his high school crush, Maria (Haddish). Along the way, they endure increasingly absurd stunts, from a car explosion to a run-in with a crazed stripper. The twist? Nearly every "bystander" was an actor, and the entire thing was scripted .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URq664NocAU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsbsK1y731w
Sakurai, known for his work on The Eric André Show, leaned into the surreal, improvisational style that made his TV work infamous. The director has described Bad Trip as a "Trojan horse" of comedy—packaged like a viral prank video but built on a foundation of tight writing and performances . André, who co-wrote the film, has said the goal was to blur the line between reality and fiction so effectively that audiences would question what they were watching .
The Real People Who Weren’t Real
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl5ySfdHfdw
One of the film’s biggest selling points was its claim to feature "real people" reacting to Chris and Bud’s antics. Trailers and marketing played up the idea that unsuspecting strangers were caught on camera, adding to the movie’s chaotic energy. But in reality, almost every non-lead character was a planted actor—including the infamous stripper who terrorizes the duo in a roadside bar .
A behind-the-scenes featurette reveals how the production team scouted locations and rehearsed scenes with background actors to sell the illusion. Some "real people" were even given loose scripts to follow, ensuring their reactions felt spontaneous while staying within the film’s tone . The result? A comedy that feels like a live prank but plays like a tightly controlled farce.
The Car Explosion: A Stunt That Almost Went Wrong
One of the film’s most talked-about moments is a scene where Chris and Bud’s car erupts in flames after a run-in with a drug dealer. The explosion was real—and according to André, it was almost a disaster. In a breakdown of the scene, he revealed that the stunt required precise timing, with the actors and crew positioned just feet away from the blast. A miscalculation could have had serious consequences .
The scene was shot in one take, with André and Howery improvising their reactions as the car went up in flames. The raw panic in their performances? That wasn’t acting—it was genuine shock at the scale of the explosion . The moment encapsulates Bad Trip’s high-risk, high-reward approach to comedy.
A Cult Hit Born from Pandemic Delays
Originally slated for a 2020 release, Bad Trip was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, finally dropping on Netflix in March 2021. The wait may have worked in its favor—by the time it arrived, audiences were hungry for chaotic, no-holds-barred comedy. While reviews were mixed (it holds a 5.8/10 on SensCritique 
), the film has since developed a cult following, thanks to its unapologetic absurdity and André’s fearless performance.
Sakurai’s background in surreal comedy—particularly his work on The Eric André Show—clearly influenced Bad Trip’s tone. The director, a Japanese-American filmmaker born in 1983, has built a career on subverting expectations, and Bad Trip is no exception . Whether audiences bought into the prank premise or not, the film’s commitment to its bit is undeniable.
The Legacy: A Blueprint for Fake Reality Comedy?
Bad Trip may not have been a mainstream blockbuster, but it proved that audiences are still hungry for comedy that pushes boundaries. Its blend of scripted storytelling and "found footage" realism has already inspired similar projects, though few have matched its level of craft. For Sakurai and André, the film was a chance to take the chaos of their TV work to the big screen—and in that, they succeeded.
The real question is whether audiences will ever know what’s real again.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
Movies
Similar Movies
Related titles ranked by rating and popularity.
