Kenneth Branagh wouldn’t be the obvious choice (to me at least) to team up with Ryan Reynolds in an action comedy about being stuck behind enemy lines during the Cold War, but that is certainly what’s happening in Mayday. The Apple TV flick hit the 2026 movie calendar on September 4, and while I was pleasantly surprised at how funny Branagh is as Top Gun-obsessed, ex-KGB agent Nick, I’d agree that the weak point of Reynolds’ new buddy comedy is Reynolds himself.Mayday takes place in the ‘80s, with Ryan Reynolds playing Navy pilot Troy Kelly, who is forced to eject from his plane and falls into the Soviet wilderness. Nick takes him in and ultimately agrees to help him get to safety. Kevin Maher of The Times UK gives the movie 3 out of 5 stars, saying Kenneth Branagh proves himself as an excellent action star in what is his most audacious career reinvention yet. Reynolds, meanwhile, could use a similar rebranding, Maher says, writing:Branagh, it transpires, is a natural action brawler and dazzles in several bone-crunching set pieces. … The downside? Reynolds. His trademark sarcasm shtick has curdled into a lazy smarm and it’s just not working any more. He had a good run, from Safe House to Deadpool to The Adam Project, but he needs reinvention, and fast.I have to admit that my tolerance for Ryan Reynolds’ smug sass has waned over the past few years, and it was definitely on full display when I pulled up Mayday with my Apple TV subscription. However, while Troy’s sarcasm felt a bit heavy-handed, I still laughed out loud a lot at his interactions with Kenneth Branagh’s Nick. Hanna Ines Flint of IGN says she also enjoyed their team-up, rating Mayday a “Good” 7 out of 10:Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley evoke the ’80s buddy comedy with this effective, action-packed caper set during the Cold War. As a Navy pilot stuck behind enemy lines, Reynolds treads familiar sarcastic territory, but Branagh's kooky yet formidable ex-KGB agent elevates their oddball dynamic. Not as amusing as the action set-pieces are rousing, it's still an enjoyable take on US-Russia relations.Frank Scheck of THR says the lead actors have infectious chemistry, and Mayday is a fun (though formulaic) throwback to the ‘80s buddy comedy. Scheck specifically praises the “superbly choreographed” fight scenes and Kenneth Branagh’s commitment as the amusing ex-Soviet agent. His Mayday review reads:The real, albeit predictable fun, comes with the interplay between Branagh, delivering a superb deadpan comic performance as the heavily bearded Nick and Reynolds, displaying his usual crack timing and wisecracking screen persona. Mayday goes on too long and veers into nonsensical directions … But the popcorn film proves an entertaining diversion, thanks to the mismatched-buddy comic chemistry of the two leads. It makes you hope for the hinted-at sequel in which the pair embark on a road trip through America together.Josh Martin of InSession Film gives the movie a B+, praising writers/directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley for preventing Mayday from going too far off the rails. Ryan Reynolds settles into the role more as the movie goes on, and Branagh plays his character with confidence. Martin continues:For the first half of the film, [Reynolds is] doing his Deadpool shtick as Kelly, albeit a much more restrained version. However, during the second half of the film, it starts to recede, allowing Reynolds to make Kelly feel like an actual person. The reduction also allows for Reynolds and Branagh’s chemistry to blossom more. And speaking of the latter, as Nikolai (or Nick, as his friends call him), Branagh balances eccentricity with a level of grit and heart that is never overplayed. It would have been easy to do that, but luckily Branagh keeps it at a place where you feel as an actual three-dimensional human being.For Monica Castillo of AV Club, however, Mayday feels like a first draft from John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, resulting in a lackluster take on the “bumbling Americans abroad” subgenre. The critic gives it a D+ and says:The odd couple of Reynolds and Branagh is amusing at the start, but once it settles into its rhythm, it wears out its novelty. Reynolds does his ‘bored of this bit’ schtick, supposed to be the straight man, and it’s not particularly funny to watch someone that checked-out of a comedy pairing. Branaugh—doing his best Moscow On The Hudson impression of a Russian who loves America so much that he’s willing to go into exile to help his new friend—remains committed to the gag, getting in on the action more so than the American pilot his character is protecting.For me, it gets a little old watching Ryan Reynolds’ Troy fill every, single silence with a quip, especially when it’s low-hanging fruit of the “your face is ugly” variety. However, Kenneth Branagh’s Nick is the perfect complement, and I laughed way more than I thought I would. Critics overall seem to like it, too, as it’s Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes at 84%. If you want to give Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh’s new buddy comedy a try, it’s available to stream now with on Apple TV.