How ‘Idiots’ Director Macon Blair Conjures Big Laughs From the Year’s Cruelest Villain: ‘He’s Actually a Monster That Has to Be Captured Before More People Get Hurt’

Aug 28, 2026 10:15am PT How ‘Idiots’ Director Macon Blair Conjures Big Laughs From the Year’s Cruelest Villain: ‘He’s Actually a Monster That Has to Be Captured Before More People Get Hurt’

By William Earl

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William Earl

@beautifulbill

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Steve Swisher; Courtesy of IFC Entertainment

“This guy really does need to be contained, because he’s got such potential for danger and violence and mayhem.”

Macon Blair is describing the antagonist of his latest movie. He’s no stranger to menacing genre fare, as evidenced by the two other films he wrote and directed: 2017’s “I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore” and 2023’s “Toxic Avenger” reimagining.

But despite pitch-black elements, “Idiots,” in theaters Friday via Independent Film Company, is a rollicking comedy. In it, two knuckleheads — the well-intentioned and religious Davis (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) and sleazy bro Mark (Dave Franco) — get a job chauffeuring troubled teens to rehab. While their first ward, Sheridan Kimberley (Mason Thames), appears to be just another troubled rich kid, he turns out to be way too dangerous for his clueless caretakers.

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