Role Models (2008)

Move over Superbad and Knocked Up. The guys from The State, The Ten, and Wet Hot American Summer have outdone themselves tenfold. I saw a preview screening a little less than a month ago, going in with no expectations. Paul Rudd's never written a movie before, but I enjoy Ken Marino and David Wain's work so I knew it would at least be amusing. Wow was I wrong. From start to finish, every line was perfectly written with perfect delivery from Rudd and company.

If this movie isn't a hard R, it's going to suck big time. The movie's raunchiness is its best quality, and I can't wait to see it a couple more times on opening weekend.

Extremely recommended for everybody.

Fmovies: As a comedy this movie delivers. I review movies for my part time job and after seeing 10+ movies a week, you get pretty numb to most of the stuff out there. This is one of the few comedies I've laughed out loud at in a while. There are lots of funny scenes throughout that kept me laughing the entire movie, instead of most comedies that just have lots of hit and miss scenes. This is up there Adam McKay's stuff, and better than most Happy Madison films.

Many people have given this movie a bad review/rating based on its lack of story. Um sorry to break the news to you, but comedies are about one thing - humor. The story is only a background element to make a comedy, same as every other comedy out there. You rate a drama based on its story, not a comedy.

Just saw this tonight at an advance screening. It was very funny, and warm hearted. I suppose the humor is often crude, but, hey. The natural dialog reminded me of Superbad and 40 Year Old Virgin. Paul Rudd has developed a deadpan style of improvisational humor that seems to work better and better the more movies he makes. Christopher Mintz-Plasse from Superbad and Robb'e J. Johnson are excellent as the kids. Jane Lynch brings her signature brand of demented free association to the role of the charity-addicted leader of a kids charity. If you liked Superbad, Pineapple Express and 40 Year Old Virgin, go! If you didn't; Dude, like, don't!

Role Models fmovies. Danny (Paul Rudd) has a bad day on the job and drags his loyal but dim-witted buddy Wheeler (Sean William Scott) down with him. Danny is a 'Red Bull' style energy drink spokesman, Wheeler is the guy in the bull suit that jumps around beside him. In the same 24 hours Danny loses his girlfriend, license and job.

In reality he starts by losing the girlfriend Beth (Elizabeth Banks), and his subsequent tantrum and stupidity sees him lose both license and job and sees him teetering on the verge of imprisonment. Somehow guilt by association sees Wheeler in the same predicament.

To avoid jail Beth – who happens to be a lawyer = lucky – wrangles community service instead. Service in the form of helping disadvantaged and troubled kids for a company named 'Sturdy Wings'.

This shakiest of premises: allowing unreliable young men to mentor impressionable young boys, sets the scene for the slap dash stuff that follows. Miraculously enough though the threadbare premise is held together by enough jokes and amusing moments to make the thing worthwhile, largely due to the continued comedic stylings of one Paul Rudd, and the strength of the various supporting bit parts on display throughout.

When allotted their respective 'littles' (Danny and Wheeler are 'bigs') by Sturdy Wings boss and recovering alcoholic Sweeney (Jane Lynch) we immediately see where this is going.

Danny considers himself 'normal', but in reality he is so concerned with not being deemed 'uncool' that his disdain for cliché and obvious statements leaves everyone else bored by his constant judgment. He scores 16ish Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), a medieval-style role player who is intensely insecure when not in character, and intensely-intense when he is.

Wheeler on the other hand wants no part of responsibility of any kind. He is more than happy being the jumping around sidekick in the costume and has no thought for his own future. For now he is all about theÂ… well let's just say boobies (and everything below). Of course he is allocated troubled young 8ish Ronnie, a profane little sh*t-stirrer who wants nothing more than to not have to deal with adults.

Each kid has parental issues – but ones that don't kill the potential laughs – no abuse here, and the guys must get through to the children in their own way, and sucks; maybe learn a little about themselves on the way… What develops is a rom-com with all the associated hijinks, temporary fall-outs and hitches, only between an adult male and a kid/youth, but that's not where the laughs are born.

Role Models works best in the smaller roles, the now renowned Ken Jeong keeps his pants on this time and plays the King of the role playing game L.A.I.R.E., surrounded by his toadying minions and remaining in character even away from the game in his kingdom at the local cafe. Jane Lynch is a little OTT with the attempted mind games as the Sturdy Wings boss, but she also gets a few of the best lines in the flick, and there are numerous other bit roles – each with a couple jokes – filled by character actors that'll have you remembering them from other bit roles in other flicks.

The jokes are thrown about quick and fast, and while some don't work enough do to make Role Models a lot like I Love You, Man and Knocked Up, lightweight and amusing enough to justify your time, with occasional genuine humour (and unexpected nudity!).

Final Rating – 6 / 10. I can see the future. When

Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott are two very funny comedic actors. They prove what great chemistry they have together. Rudd and Scott star as Danny and Wheeler, two ne'er-do-wells who are sentenced to do community service. They have to serve in a Big-Brother-type program called Sturdy Wings for a total of 150 hours. Danny and Wheeler have opposite attitudes, yet they get along like they have been best friends for years. Jane Lynch (The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Talladega Nights) steals the show as the supervisor of the program that Danny and Wheeler are enrolled in. Elizabeth Banks gives a good supporting turn as Danny's girlfriend and lawyer. Another show stealer is Bobb'e J. Thompson as Ronnie, the kid Wheeler has to be a big brother to. Thompson is given some of the funniest lines and he is believable in this role.

The capsule summary of "Role Models" on Xfinity TV is, "Forced to join a mentorship program, two irresponsible men (Seann William Scott, Paul Rudd) must help a pair of impressionable boys navigate the troubled waters of youth." That description sounds like a smarmy physical comedy derivative with cheap scatological bits. Except that Xfinity gave it a rating of 3 out of 4 stars, so I decided to take a look at it.

To my pleasure, the film turned out to be a much more sophisticated movie. The two men, who are allowed to do community service instead of jail, are assigned to a big brother type program. The more intellectual of the two men, Danny, who is disillusioned with the world, is assigned to an immature teen who doesn't fit in with his peers; instead he devotes himself to participation in an on-going Dungeons and Dragons type reenactment played by a mixed group of adults and children who and his job. Wheeler, a care-free womanizer, is assigned a tough young foul-mouthed kid with whom no previous volunteer had lasted more than one day. The story shows the changes the interactions of the two "Littles" and their "Bigs"have on each other. There are a number of cheap double entendre sexual references, but they don't diminish the film too much.