MOVIE
REVIEW: ROLE MODELS
11/05/08
SYNOPSIS:
Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott star in
Role Models as Danny and Wheeler, two salesmen who trash a
company truck on an energy drink-fueled bender. Upon their
arrest, the court gives them a choice: do hard time or spend
150 service hours with a mentorship program. After one day
with the kids, however, jail doesn't look half bad.
REVIEW:
Wheeler: [sits down] What up, Ronnie?
Ronnie: I don't wanna take my pants off!
Wheeler: [stunned] What?
“What?” is right! This movie has kids in it and it deals
primarily with kids, but it ain’t no Sesame Street, I’ll
tell you that much. Actually, one of the kid roles, Ronnie
Shields, played by Bobb’e J. Thompson, contributes to the R
rating of this flick mainly by his dialogue. He pretty much
steals the screen whenever he is on it, and he is arguably
the funniest performer out of the entire cast beating out
laugh masters Seann William Scott and Paul Rudd. Still, they
are as good as you would expect as the two co-workers,
Wheeler and Danny, who are thrust into spending “quality
time” with a couple of youngsters in order to satisfy a
court order. What they didn’t know is how difficult that
would be when presented with two extra special youngsters.
Having to do something out of obligation is always a lot
less appealing than when you choose to do something. So even
though they lack the desire and enthusiasm, they inevitably
learn just how lacking they are as role models. Everyone
does some growing up and puts their lives in better
perspective. In this case you might wonder, who really were
the role models, the older guys or the kids themselves.
This movie was really funny and a lot of fun to watch.
However, an R rated movie that is all about relationships
with children is a bit much. It could have been a little
more clever and witty considering the subject matter, and
tamed down to a PG-13. But then again, the funniest moments
are generated by the outrageous, R rated type humor which is
amplified by the unexpected sources, such as Ronnie. It’s a
tough call. Another source of pleasantly surprising humor
comes from someone who I believe to be underrated. Jane
Lynch has played some unforgettable roles with unforgettable
lines and this movie adds to that collection. She is sharp
as can be with incredible line delivery in the role of Gayle
Sweeny, the director of the mentorship program. On the other
hand, Christopher Mintz-Plasse as the kid paired up with
Danny, Augie, is good but not quite as memorable as in his
infamous “McLovin” role in Superbad. Elizabeth Banks, who
has been pretty busy lately, doesn’t really contribute a
whole lot to this picture which disappointed me a tad. She
plays Danny’s girlfriend and lawyer.
The script, humor, and one-liners in this movie are top
shelf or least the next shelf down. It helps that this
comedy does have something of a story to it to keep you
going in between the humorous moments. Director and
Co-writer David Wain doesn’t have a huge cinematic resume so
kudos to him for a job well done with this project. Of
course when you have a talented cast to work with, some of
the pressure is alleviated.
Movie
Review By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com
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