Friday
07Nov2008
Movie Review - 'Role Models'
Friday, November 7, 2008 at 12:02AM | Role Models
Starring Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse  |
Exactly how hard should slacker comedies try, anyway? Or
should they even try at all? The best of the bunch tend to come from the Judd Apatow factory these days, but there have been others over the past few years that aren’t as successful, commercially or critically. Whether that's a lack of pedigree or inspiration, the proof is in the pudding. Straddling the fence is Role Models, which features a few faces from the Apatow movies but doesn’t really have that secret ingredient that, well, makes the pudding, I guess.
Danny (Paul Rudd) and Wheeler (Seann William Scott) work event promotions for Minotaur energy drink. After a particularly dismal effort at a high school at which they parked illegally, they try to extract their Minotaur mobile from a tow truck, which leads to major property damage.
The punishment is jail or community service, so Danny and Wheeler sign up for Sturdy Wings, a kind of Big Brother program for rejects. Danny is paired with fantasy realm gamer Augie Farks (Christopher Mintz-Plasse aka McLovin) and Wheeler is assigned the foul-mouthed Ronnie (Bobb’e J. Thompson). As luck or screenplay efficiency would have it, Danny and Wheeler learn a lot about themselves, and they boys do, too.
Christopher Guest vet Jane Lynch steals her share of the movie, too, as the recovering addict who runs Sturdy Wings. She's always great, whether she's trying to seduce Steve Carell in The 40-Year-Old Virgin or dishing out lousy advice as Will Ferrell's mom in Talladega Nights. Lynch is one of those rare supporting players who always raises the property values; regardless of anything else the movie may or may not have going for it, you know she'll make you laugh at least once.
The lead performances are good, too, but maybe just a little too predictable. Scott plays a version of Stifler from American Pie, and Rudd is the too-cool-for-the-room guy. I imagine if the roles had been reversed this might have had a bit more impact.
In the end, Role Models is a little lazy, like not shaving for a job interview lazy. There are some tremendously funny scenes, and even the climax has a great surprise, but you can easily count the film’s highlights. However, if you’re going to see one movie this year with a kid who swears like Richard Pryor, you should make that movie Role Models.
Reader Comments