Director: Ilya NaishullerCast: Idris Elba, John Cena, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Carla Gugino, Jack QuaidWhere to watch: Amazon Prime (Will stream from July 2)Rating: ***If world leaders ever solved crises with reverse car chases, tomato fights, and puns about surveillance tech, then this film would be a geopolitical documentary. Instead, it’s a thoroughly daft, oddly endearing caper that lands somewhere between Rush Hour and NATO fanfiction. With director Ilya Naishuller at the helm and a cast that includes John Cena, Idris Elba, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, this is a film that knows exactly what it’s not: serious.The premise is preposterous enough to sell popcorn: the US President (Cena) and UK Prime Minister (Elba), political frenemies with zero diplomatic chemistry, are forced into a buddy mission when Air Force One goes boom and they’re presumed dead. Cue mad dashes through Eastern Europe, dodgy disguises, and MI6 agent Noel Bisset (Chopra Jonas), who resurfaces post-Tomatina Festival in full action-hero mode, seemingly having rinsed off the pulped produce and regret.Naishuller, known for the leaner and meaner Nobody, dials up the chaos here with glossy set pieces that include everything short of a submarine chase. He throws logic out the plane (quite literally), making room for a globe-trotting romp filled with shootouts, quips, and the type of political buffoonery that would make even seasoned spin doctors cringe. One such absurd highlight is the Spanish La Tomatina Festival—reimagined as both a cultural pit stop and a gory metaphor for the film’s tone: juicy, overripe, and all over the place.John Cena plays Will Derringer, a former action star turned unlikely president—think if Dwayne Johnson ran for office with the slogan “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?” Cena leans into the absurdity, channelling a sunny optimism that offsets Elba’s brooding PM, Sam Clarke. The odd-couple routine carries the film even when the script runs out of steam. Their chemistry is more sitcom than statesmanlike, but there’s something undeniably fun about watching Clarke sneer while Derringer cheerfully botches another protocol.Priyanka Chopra Jonas, as MI6’s Noel, takes a while to find her rhythm. Initially shoehorned into the plot like an obligatory third wheel, she eventually settles in as the muscle-and-brain combo the duo desperately needs. A few decent puns and a solid third-act assist redeem her uneven screen time.What drags Heads of State down from zany fun to mildly exhausting is its bloat. At nearly two hours, the film overstays its welcome like a guest who brought fireworks to a dinner party. The villains are bland, the politics are cursory, and the plot twists are telegraphed like an outdated fax. But what keeps it afloat is sheer commitment to the bit—plus a knowing wink to the viewer that says, “Yes, we know this is ludicrous.”In the end, this film is the cinematic equivalent of a flaming tomato hurled at a diplomatic summit: messy, unnecessary, but weirdly satisfying. Just don’t expect nuance. Or coherence. Or physics. It’s not a film you watch with your thinking cap on. It’s one you watch with your hands full of popcorn and your brain happily switches to ‘holiday mode.’