How to make a ‘Model’ comedy
Combining A-list stars with child actors is a risky maneuver. Sometimes it can pay off, like in “The Pursuit of Happyness,” “Jerry Maguire” and “Little Miss Sunshine.” More often than not they fail horribly, like “First Kid,” “Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over” or “Are We There Yet?” Luckily, “Role Models” risk it all and win big.
- Courtesy of MovieWeb.com
Seann William Scott (“The Promotion”) and Paul Rudd (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall,”) costar as Wheeler and Danny, two salesmen just trying to get by, when, after a harsh breakup, Danny gets into a car accident, resists arrest and violates public property in five minutes. The two nearly dodge a month in jail by opting for 30 days of community service instead. But much to their chagrin, the task of a role model turns out to be a handful when faced with fantasy-loving nerd Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse, “Superbad”) and trash-talking troublemaker Ronnie (Bobb’e J. Thompson, “Fred Claus”).
In what may be his first truly funny performance since “American Pie” or “Dude, Where’s My Car,” Scott shines as a KISS-loving ladies man. The currently more popular Rudd takes a back seat as a melancholy nihilist of sorts, reveling in his pathetic lifestyle. And while both of these leading men are hilarious in their own right, it’s the role-playing world of Mintz-Plasse’s character and the impulsive, crude language of Thompson’s that make this film an instant comedy classic.
From the moment Danny meets Augie, he is yanked down into the world of L.A.I.R.E., a satiric take on the real life world of live-action role-playing, or L.A.R.P. Danny’s encounters with various warriors in L.A.I.R.E. lead to awkward attempts at fantastical role-playing, inappropriate assaults on the king and a plethora of gay jokes. The renaissance fair-turned-battlefield eventually culminates in an all-out battle royale.
Danny and Augie connect on the awkwardness of the real world and how unfair life can be. The bond the two outcasts share grow as time goes on and both Wheeler and Ronnie do a great job learning to like themselves.
On the other side of the playing field, Wheeler and Ronnie connect on a more masculine basis through a common love of the female breast. By teaching Ronnie the art of booby watching, the two bad boys become quick friends. Wheeler’s love of KISS also becomes a bridge for the two troublemakers when Wheeler explains the “deep” meaning of “Love Gun.”
“See, the ‘Love Gun’ is his penis!” Wheeler so delicately states. “And he gets chicks singing about it!”
The crude, loud and sexist Scott that the “American Pie” series made us all love in high school has reemerged in “Role Models” as a slightly older Stifler with a hard-on for Paul Stanley. But it isn’t until he gets paired up with Thompson that he begins to glow. Feeding off Scott’s jerkish mentality, Thompson continuously tells off Rudd’s character, calling him “Daredevil,” “Miss Daisy” and “Reindeer Games” as a witty alternative from “honky.”
All-in-all, these four goofballs splice the adult humor of “Knocked Up” with the cutesy happy ending of “Night at the Museum” to make one of this year’s most enjoyable comedies.
‘Role Models’
Release Date: November 7
Director: David Wain
Starring: Paul Rudd, Sean William Scott, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Genre: Comedy
Rating: R for crude and sexual content, strong language and nudity.
Grade: A
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on Tuesday, November 11th, 2008 at 1:33 am and is filed under Arts & Entertainment, Film Reviews, Vibe.
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