John Cena may have the build of an action hero, and he’s played one plenty of times. However, the guy has natural comedic timing that cannot be undersold. Cena is incredibly funny on screen and has the credits to prove it. And it really becomes clear just how funny he really is when he trolls a couple of co-stars who clearly have no idea what a “guilty pleasure” movie is.
Last year, John Cena starred in the R-rated comedy film Ricky Stanicky, which critics had a lot of thoughts on. I haven’t actually seen the film but, if it’s half as funny as this interaction I just found on Twitter between Cena, Zac Efron, and other members of the cast, I’m going to need to check it out. When asked what their “guilty pleasure” movie is, Efron and Jermaine Fowler shared answers that indicate they clearly don’t understand the term. That’s what led Cena to show them what’s what — and in the most hilarious way possible:
John Cena might be the first celebrity to understand the term “guilty pleasure” pic.twitter.com/rNYYxZSxR9February 8, 2025
John Cena gets it. Efron and his co-star seem to think that being being an adult and liking a movie “meant for kids” indicates guilty pleasure status. There’s really nothing guilty about liking a movie that is generally seen as being good, whether or not it’s animated. Finding Nemo is one of Pixar’s best films and has a 99% score on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s nobody’s guilty pleasure. It’s just a pleasure.
The Emperor’s New Groove certainly isn’t quite as widely praised. It may be seen as an underrated Disney movie, but nobody would think you’re completely out of line if you say you like it. A “guilty pleasure” is a movie that you feel at least a little embarrassed admitting you like. Being a fan of the admittedly campy Highlander isn’t a guilty pleasure. Being a fan of the trainwreck that is Highlander 2: The Quickening, that’s another story entirely.
It’s a movie that’s generally seen as awful, but that you like for some reason, which may or may not make any sense to other people. Or, in John Cena’s case, it’s actual porn.
John Cena drops Behind the Green Door as a “guilty pleasure” and then waits for people to get the joke. Being only three months younger than Cena myself, and also happening to be from the same hometown as the Mitchell Brothers who directed the movie, I laughed out loud when he said this. Then I cried a little when I realized these much younger actors didn’t even get it.
To be fair, alongside Deep Throat, which was released the same year, Behind the Green Door is considered a classic of the genre and received a comparatively wide theatrical release for an adult movie. A lot of people saw Behind the Green Door back in 1972. Few of them likely talked about that at the time but, then, that’s exactly what makes it a guilty pleasure.
As you ponder over your own guilty pleasures, be sure to stream Ricky Stanicky using a Prime Video subscription.