In 2018, “The Real Bros of Simi Valley” began its three-season run on YouTube. It showed four grown men learning to take responsibility for their lives after being out of high school for over a decade. The series took a mockumentary approach and parodied the tropes from reality TV shows like “The Jersey Shore” and “The Real Housewives.” Now, “The Real Bros of Simi Valley: The Movie” on Roku follows the same four men trying to prove their worth in a 10-year school reunion. They are ready to do anything to win the Truck of the Year award.
Spoilers Ahead
The Real Bros of Simi Valley: The Movie (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
“The Real Bros of Simi Valley: The Movie” follows four men in their early thirties who act and dress like teenagers. On the day of their school reunion, they plan to prove their worth by winning the Truck of the Year award.
What is ‘The Real Bros of Simi Valley: The Movie’ about?
“The Real Bros of Simi Valley” followed four friends: Xander (Jimmy Tatro), Duncan (Nick Colletti), Wade (Cody Co), and Bryce (Getter) from Simi Valley, California. For three seasons, it followed their journey into adulthood as they started taking responsibility for their lives. Xan started working at a garage and married Molly (Colleen Donovan). Bryce had an accident while skateboarding. He also had a ridiculous beef with Xander’s young son. Meanwhile, Wade and Duncan tried to rebel against their fathers. Duncan started his surf shop and got dumped by two of his girlfriends, Tessa (Monette Moio) and Dani (Madeline Whitby).
All these ‘bros’ unanimously feel nostalgic about their high-school days when they were at the peak of their popularity and didn’t need to take any responsibilities. In the new movie, we see them earning for themselves while having their usual man-child issues. Xander impulsively decides to purchase a truck without asking Molly for her opinion. He calls his squad and their partners with a fake emergency warning. Then, he shows up with his new, shiny truck and impresses his mates but not their partners. Molly threatens Xander to break their relationship. But the next moment, they all hear about an upcoming 10-year school reunion and get excited.
Why does the squad want the best truck?
Xander’s squad misses their high school days and desperately wants to return to that relaxing time. However, they are stuck in their present with their problems. Duncan is simultaneously in a relationship with Tessa & Dani. But neither Tessa nor Dani know it. Wade still poses as a stoner, even if he has rarely done drugs. Xander wants to win the Truck of the Year award like his father & grandfather. While driving his new truck, he sees their old classmate, Jatthew (Tyler Posey), driving an even bigger truck. Jatthew flaunts his new, lavish lifestyle. So, Xander and his squad start feeling inferior.
Back home, Molly is still annoyed about Xander’s truck purchase. During their conversation, Dani starts talking about the power of manifestation, which annoys Lexy (Monica Sherer). Lexy knows Dani can afford to say these things because of her wealthy parents. But she doesn’t say it to Dani’s face. Johnny (Peter Gilroy) just hangs out in the garden, listening to their conversation. He helps Duncan hide that he is dating both Dani & Tessa. Meanwhile, the squad visits Jatthew and his partner, Agoura’s (Zoey Deutch) lavish house. Xander becomes speechless seeing Agoura’s physical transformation. He & Jatthew compare their manliness based on trivial matters like how much they can exercise.
What does Xander do to win the ‘best truck’ award?
At Jatthew’s house, Wade & Duncan notice Shaun White, a local celebrity, casually hanging out by the pool. They get into an argument over his presence. Back home, the squad talks about how they are nothing compared to Jatthew and his. Anyhow, they await their reunion while trying to replicate the flashy lives on social media. Wade tries out a different routine and health regimen. Xander starts feeling insecure and plans to have a bigger truck than Jatthew’s. Meanwhile, Bryce, a school teacher, asks Principal Mrs. Bundy (Retta) for a promotion to boost his ego. But she refuses to make him the vice principal.
What does Xander’s squad do to boost their egos?
In his class, Bryce rants in front of his students about his failed plan. They try to lift his spirits to get their recommendation letters for college. Bryce considers it a betrayal. So, he changes their grades from A to F. Meanwhile, Dani & Tessa realize that Duncan is dating them both, and they break up with him. Agoura meets Molly, Lexy, and Wade to sell her pyramid scheme. Molly sees it as a ‘tunnel scheme’ and agrees to be a part of it. Xander has losses in his business model of attaching ball-sacks to cars and trucks. So, he can’t afford to develop his truck to Jatthew’s truck’s level. Later, Wade realises that his college roommate, Aldis (Christian A Piece) is now dating his ex-girlfriend.
Bryce still has a beef with Xander’s son, even if the son is now old (and looks surprisingly older than them). Duncan tries to patch up his relationship with Dani & Tessa, inspired by the throple in Oliver Stone’s “Savages.” Later, Dani starts her own podcast with Wade because she ‘likes the sound of her voice!’ They call others ‘losers’ for not having unrealistic expectations. Meanwhile, Molly’s real estate company plans a broker’s open house event at Jatthew’s place. Xander uses her to spy on Jatthew’s house while he steals Jatthew’s truck. That’s how he plans to win the Truck of the Year award.
The Real Bros of Simi Valley: The Movie (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
During the open house event at Jatthew’s place, Agoura & her friends flaunt their recent sales to make Molly feel jealous and insecure. Xander’s squad sneaks into the house to steal the truck. Molly calls him to talk about selling theirs. The next moment, she sees Xander in front of her and speaks directly. He loves her plan since it will fund his truck-related expenses. But he pretends that he is only agreeing to it because she wants it. Moments later, Jatthew sees Xander in his house. So, Xander cancels the stealing plan. Wade notices Bryce making out with Tessa.
Since his father refuses to help, Xander builds his dream truck with his co-worker and shows up at the reunion with his squad. They bump into their old classmates and flaunt their lives after high school. Then, the classmates talk about theirs and make Xander’s squad regret their life choices. Mrs. Bundy tries to throw Wade out of the party. But Lexy kisses him and pretends to be his date. Then, Wade tells his squad about Bryce & Tessa. Duncan makes peace with Dani and gets back into a relationship with her while secretly feeling jealous of Bryce for being with Tessa.
Does Xander’s squad win the Truck of the Year award?
After the heartbreaks and patch-ups, Xander’s squad shares an emotional moment and feels like they should not worry about the useless award. But then, the award goes to Jatthew’s truck, which shocks them. Jatthew shows up in his big truck and exposes Xander’s squad’s plan of stealing it. When their squads are about to get into a fight, the cops show up to arrest Jatthew & Agoura for their fraudulent businesses. Since Jatthew gets arrested, the Truck of the Year award goes to Xander’s squad. At the film’s end, Xander’s squad gets back together for his son’s death. Even then, Wade doesn’t forget about their beef.
The Real Bros of Simi Valley: The Movie (2024) Movie Review:
The 2000s were dominated by movies led by man-child characters. Be it Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, Kevin James, or Mark Wahlberg, they gained popularity through this done-to-death trope. Later, films like “21 Jump Street” and its sequel satirized these tropes. Billy Eichner also ridiculed their arrested development through his street talk show with a few fake ‘gym-bros.’ Now, “The Real Bros of Simi Valley: The Movie” parodies these tropes. But it is far more referential and specific, which can affect someone’s experience if they haven’t seen the reality TV shows it borrows from.
However, its silly tropes are fairly distinguishable because they are also overused in the other mediums. You see men flaunting their ridiculous assets and considering women their trophies. Women are also a representation of stereotypical male gaze shows, where they mostly act like toys for these men and relish gossip and jealousy. It makes sense in the context of its parody, which presents similar real-life people trying to present themselves like the zeitgeist from their teenage years. They remain stuck in those versions and refuse to grow up.
The Parody
“The Real Bros of Simi Valley: The Movie” isn’t intellectual, and neither does it try to be. It is a silly parody of man-child & trophy-wife/silly-girlfriend tropes that acknowledges its silliness. For some viewers, the tropes might be inherently annoying. So, the movie can be unbearable. Yet, if you are open to its silliness, it is great fun. It wears its tomfoolery on its sleeve like a badge of honor. It mocks the heightened drama from reality TV shows by replicating them with self-awareness. So it won’t make the fans of those reality TV shows feel disrespected. Instead, it will keep them and the other viewers only acquainted with its format, chuckling and laughing for much of its duration.
