Heads of State Movie Review | The JB&I Show

“Welcome to the JB & I Show!” Today’s episode? We’re diving face-first into Heads of State—a movie that asks, “What if you made a buddy comedy with the world’s most unlikely politicians?” Step one: cast John Cena as the U.S. President and Idris Elba as the UK Prime Minister. Step two: drop them into an international disaster and let the mayhem unfold. 

Here’s what you’re in for: Elba’s Sam Clarke and Cena’s Will Derringer have turned their countries’ alliance into a televised roast battle. Think petty squabbles, side-eye at summits, and enough banter to make your group chat jealous. But the jokes stop when Air Force One is blasted out of the sky, stranding our frenemies in enemy territory. Now they’ve got to work together—or kiss the “special relationship” goodbye. 
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Priyanka Chopra Jonas jumps in as Noel, the MI6 agent who’s clearly too competent for this mess. She’s the glue holding this chaos together as the trio sprints across borders, dodges bullets, and tries to piece together a conspiracy that could blow up more than just their egos. 

With Ilya Naishuller (the mastermind behind all the mayhem) in the director’s chair and Peter Safran and John Rickard producing, Heads of State doesn’t waste a second of its 1 hour and 53-minute runtime. There are car chases. There’s snappy dialogue. There are explosions—so many explosions, you’ll start to wonder if fireworks safety videos were their only research. 

PG-13 means you get just enough bite without veering into “hide the kids” territory. And while the critics aren’t throwing parades (6.4 on IMDb, 68% on Rotten Tomatoes), they’re definitely not bored. It’s not gunning for Oscars, but as far as summer popcorn blockbusters go, it checks all the right boxes. 

Grab your popcorn, find a seat, and get ready for a wild ride. Heads of State lands in theaters July 2, 2025, courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios. Over-the-top? Absolutely. But that’s exactly why you’ll have a blast.