Ten Bucks a Ticket: Role Models

[10 Nov 2008 | Monday] 

Current mood:  ecstatic Don't be so down, movie was good! If you're like me then you were probably cringing whenever you saw trailers for the newest Paul Rudd movie, Role Models. It starred that guy from American Pie, that kid from Super Bad, and looked like it was trying to cash in on 40 Year old Virgin cred. The whole production appeared to be nothing more than huge rip-off of everything before it, much the same way that every fucking comedy in the early 00's was trying to be Old School. Why is it that every time a successful comedy comes out, we have to spend the next 9 months to a year reliving it in increasingly painful, poorly conceived remakes? It's like seeing REM in concert only to be forced to sit through not one but twenty lesser talented Vegas Lounge acts covering their music with decreasing success. -But before you go running from this review thinking, "Alex hated it. At least that's one less thing to worry about", slow your roll a bit and listen to this... Ken Marino and David Wain are contributing writers (with Wain pulling double duty as the film's director). Beyond that, the film stars David Wain, Ken Marino, Kerri Kenney, and Joe Lo Truglio. Do yourself a favor and run those names through Google or IMDB and you'll find a couple of other things they have in common... MTV's The State and Wet Hot American Summer!Yes kids, the same people behind Role Models are our very dear friends who brought us such classic characters as Louie, Doug, Barry & Levon, and Blueberry Johnson. So it sort of goes without saying that Role Models is FUCKING awesome! Cast - A Absolutely everyone in Role Models is utter joy to watch! Sean William Scott shows that with the right script he is capable of playing someone other than Stifler (though the whole walking boner stigma seems to follow him where ever he goes). Paul Rudd brings his A game to the show and delivers some of the funniest limes you'ver ever heard. Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Bobb'e Thompson, who might have been throw-away characters in any other movie (the nerdy LARP kid and cussing black kid) are suprisingly human and get the proper attention they deserve. Jane Lynch is phenomenal, stealing every scene she's in with some of best left field lines in the history of left field lines. Add that to the rest of the ensemble cast and you've got yourself a winning formula! Story - B- There's really nothing new here. Rudd and Scott are two guys working for an energy drink company that panders to high school kids. When Rudd's long time girl friend dumps him, he goes a little off kilter and gets he and his friend arrested. What follows is a plea bargain which places them as Big Brothers to problem children (though why a judge would give convicted felons access to kids is beyond me). There are the usual twists and turns that you'd come to expect from a buddy flick including the buddies breaking up just to reunite when it counts. Seriously, the story is this movie's weak point, but you wouldn't notice it between all the laughs. Not great, but hardly noticeable. Buddy Factor - A+ Rudd and Scott are just plain fun to watch together. The details in their performances are what makes the movie. Expertly written and lovingly directed, Role Models becomes more than your standard buddy flick, probably because the people behind it are genuinely buddies. Overall Score - A See this fucking movie! See it and then buy it when it comes out on DVD!