Role Model Review C+
Paul Rudd co-wrote and co-starred in this buddy comedy about two men avoiding jail through community service. After crashing a car designed like a minotaur into a stature of a horse, the begrudging, unhappy Minotaur energy drink spokesperson, Danny, and the obnoxiously positive and unambitious Wheeler are forced to connect with two children through a mentor program. Danny is stuck with Augie, an outcast who spends his time living in the fantasy world Live Action roleplaying gives him, while Wheeler is assigned to the foul-mouthed, combative youngster Ronnie. Both men, or ‘bigs’ as the program brands them, would have an easier time with their kids, or ‘littles’, is they had a bit more time to mature for themselves.
This isn’t really a new story. It’s been seen in lots of iterations. All it takes is an immature adult paired with a kid, any brand of kid, really, and the growing begins. There are the obligatory pieces of this tale: the awkward introductions, the troubled water, the heart warming bonding scenes set to a song. And even the song is familiar, by the way, if you’re familiar with Martian Child.
What is strange about this movie is the writing. In a good way. It’s tailored for an older audience, which gives it permission to drop the f-bomb as frequently as it likes. And it takes advantage of it, all of the characters having moments of sailor-reminiscent swearing. This includes the youngest of the cast who, as it turns out, is the biggest culprit. But that’s a part of his character.
So here’s where the movie falls down. Or… falls down further if you count the familiar story. The writing is very strong and witty, but the only actor who can pull it off flawlessly is Paul Rudd. It’s his brand of humor, after all, but next to that it doesn’t feel like any of the other cast members, or at least the four main males, can keep up with him. Even Elizabeth Banks, who was so cute and energetic in Zack and Miri, is flat and almost boring here. Cute, and with amazing eyes, but lacking a lot of the energy that makes her so endearing.
Seann William Scott tries really hard to fall into step with Rudd, and he succeeds in some truly funny moments, but there are some unforgivable moments of, for lack of a better term, bad acting on his part. Particularly with his flirting, which is character does shamelessly. Nothing about it seems sincere, even in the insincere way you expect of a play boy. It just feels like an awkward line reading, where he didn’t get the right feel for the line, but went with it anyway. And his chemistry with the little boy that plays Ronnie never really clicks, though, I hardly think that’s his fault.
The writing, on its own, however, is very sharp. There are some truly hilarious moments and even with weird choices as far as delivery and characterization I found myself laughing out loud. This feels like it should be one of those movies where a bunch of its lines follow the crowd around for months, popping up as colloquialisms for high schoolers and college kids alike. Like Superbad or Napoleon Dynamite did, only a little less annoying because, as I said before, it is geared toward an older audience.
There are a lot of scenes that involve Life Action Role Playing. Though, in this movie it has a different anagram than LARP. But the principal is the same: people create their own characters, in their own countries, in their own wars, all in a land that they created. They dress up as the characters, and act like them, setting them in a time and place that fits their fancy. This one is medieval in nature, with kings and crests, swords and shields. There are some hilarious battles in this setting, particularly the large one at the end. These are some of the most priceless scenes, and really let all the actors shine, because they’re allowed to have goofy, over the top fun that you can’t help but enjoy watching.
Rental Queue 5
Superbad:
Not one I’ve actually seen, but I felt obligated to recommend it considering how wildly popular it is. On top of the, the boy who plays Augie in Role Models is none other than the infamous McLovin. Should I feel bad about recommending a movie I haven’t watched yet? Probably. Do I? Not really. The way I see it, movies will always be liked and disliked, but they are meant to be viewed in order to come to that decision.I don’t have to like a movie to recommend it to others. In fact, I’m recommending this one to myself.
Final Destination:
Like watching young people die in absurd, almost funny ways? Then this is the movie for you. The great thing about the whole Final Destination series are the deaths, because they go out of their way to set up about three or four different ways for any one character to kick the bucket, and it’s interesting to see which gets them in the end. The story, too, is worth a peek. Trying to out run death, it seems, isn’t as easy as it sounds… and doesn’t even sound easy. Oh, and Seann William Scott is in it. Yay, tie ins.
The 40 Year Old Virgin:
Paul Rudd playing… I’m pretty sure he’s playing Paul Rudd. His characters aren’t all that distinguishable, but that’s what makes him charming. This movie is one of the funniest movies of its genre, and a must-see for anyone who enjoys silly, upbeat humor and sex jokes. Steve Carell is absolutely adorable, and with the release of Get Smart on DVD this week, it seems fitting to share some of his work.
Definitely, Maybe:
Another Elizabeth Banks movie, oh my. And one I reviewed for this very paper. It’s a sweet movie, and she plays a much stronger character here. I’m not sure what the difference is, but it’s definitely visible. Abigail Breslin annoys me less in this movie than some of her others, and Ryan Reynolds charms with his humor and puppy-dog facial expressions. The story could be a bit more surprising, but the ending is still warm and fuzzy, which is what you expect from a romantic comedy.
Martian Child:
I mentioned it in my review, so I need to recommend it. This movie stars John Cusack as a widower writer trying to adopt a son. This boy thinks he’s from Mars, so the adoption has its ups and downs. This movie follows a very similar formula to the one in Role Models, of a man finding himself growing through his relationship with a child, though I would brand Martian Child the more touching and profound of the two. Of course, it isn’t really fair to say that because Martian Child is the only one of the two setting out to do that. Whatever. Watch it.
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