After a brief hiatus, we're back this week with a new review of the comedic hit, Role Models (R). In the film two slackers of sort (Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott) are sentenced to 150 hours of community service involving being big-brother type role models to two kids (Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Bobb'e J. Thompson). Hilarity ensues.
Ryan: For whatever reason--maybe having no expectations to speak of--Role Models turned out to be a pleasant surprise. This film is very funny. It's even laugh-out-loud funny. Now don't let the fact that kids are in this movie lead one to believe that it's a family flick. Because it isn't. This is an adult-orientated comedy laced with strong language and adult content. But as a Rated-R comedy, it succeeds mightily as a highly entertaining movie.
Andy: Fans of the long-extinct MTV show The State will recognize some familiar faces in here. Many of the people responsible for this movie are veterans of that show, including director David Wain. The subtle humor and attention to detail that made The State so charming are present here, and it makes for a movie that is surprisingly funny. There are several big, goofy moments intended to garner laughs, but there are also several little peripheral jokes that give the movie a feeling of substance.
Ryan: Much of the comedic success of the film comes from the two leads, Rudd and William Scott. In the film it looks as if the director, David Wain, just told his two leading men to just go out there and do their “thing.” Sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn't. With Role Models, it succeeds and it succeeds very well. Rudd and William Scott garner many laughs and have a good rapport with one another. Obviously acting is more complicated than really just playing yourselves, but whether or not Rudd and William Scott are doing any heavy lifting is ultimately inconsequential as they both deliver solid performances.
Andy: Sean William Scott has carved out a nice career since he emerged on the scene as Stifler in 1999’s American Pie. Remarkably, I don’t think he’s done anything except grow a little older in that time. He’s essentially playing the same character only not in high school. The fact that this still works when used properly is remarkable. A large part of that is how well he works as a foil to Paul Rudd’s likeable everyman. As Ryan mentioned, Rudd is also doing what he almost always does. Even though it is more versatile than Sean William Scott’s shtick, it’s still nothing new. It just happens to work really well in this movie.
Ryan: Another interesting aspect of Role Models is how it does have some degree of sincerity to it. While it isn't a Judd Apatow production, it does have that combination of crudeness with heart. The film does not quite have the resonance of a lot of Apatow's films but it is definitely an above- average comedy. In a year where a lot of comedies didn't live up to their billing, Role Models definitely stands out. Granted it probably doesn't have the makings of an instant comedic classic but it's undeniable one of the funnier films of the year.
Andy: Role Models, like many of the more successful comedies of the past few years, attempts to balance crass and realistic language with an underlying humanity for its absurd characters. The film culminates with a fake medieval battle in a park staged by a group of fantasy-fic fans. While the movie takes repeated cheap shots at these characters, it is able to make fun of them while still showing them as real and valuable people. The result is a movie that ends up feeling more authentic than I think it actually is.
Role Models is nothing new, but it strikes the balance between absurd humor and a touch of heart that has proven a successful comedic formula in recent years.
Ryan: For whatever reason--maybe having no expectations to speak of--Role Models turned out to be a pleasant surprise. This film is very funny. It's even laugh-out-loud funny. Now don't let the fact that kids are in this movie lead one to believe that it's a family flick. Because it isn't. This is an adult-orientated comedy laced with strong language and adult content. But as a Rated-R comedy, it succeeds mightily as a highly entertaining movie.
Andy: Fans of the long-extinct MTV show The State will recognize some familiar faces in here. Many of the people responsible for this movie are veterans of that show, including director David Wain. The subtle humor and attention to detail that made The State so charming are present here, and it makes for a movie that is surprisingly funny. There are several big, goofy moments intended to garner laughs, but there are also several little peripheral jokes that give the movie a feeling of substance.
Ryan: Much of the comedic success of the film comes from the two leads, Rudd and William Scott. In the film it looks as if the director, David Wain, just told his two leading men to just go out there and do their “thing.” Sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn't. With Role Models, it succeeds and it succeeds very well. Rudd and William Scott garner many laughs and have a good rapport with one another. Obviously acting is more complicated than really just playing yourselves, but whether or not Rudd and William Scott are doing any heavy lifting is ultimately inconsequential as they both deliver solid performances.
Andy: Sean William Scott has carved out a nice career since he emerged on the scene as Stifler in 1999’s American Pie. Remarkably, I don’t think he’s done anything except grow a little older in that time. He’s essentially playing the same character only not in high school. The fact that this still works when used properly is remarkable. A large part of that is how well he works as a foil to Paul Rudd’s likeable everyman. As Ryan mentioned, Rudd is also doing what he almost always does. Even though it is more versatile than Sean William Scott’s shtick, it’s still nothing new. It just happens to work really well in this movie.
Ryan: Another interesting aspect of Role Models is how it does have some degree of sincerity to it. While it isn't a Judd Apatow production, it does have that combination of crudeness with heart. The film does not quite have the resonance of a lot of Apatow's films but it is definitely an above- average comedy. In a year where a lot of comedies didn't live up to their billing, Role Models definitely stands out. Granted it probably doesn't have the makings of an instant comedic classic but it's undeniable one of the funnier films of the year.
Andy: Role Models, like many of the more successful comedies of the past few years, attempts to balance crass and realistic language with an underlying humanity for its absurd characters. The film culminates with a fake medieval battle in a park staged by a group of fantasy-fic fans. While the movie takes repeated cheap shots at these characters, it is able to make fun of them while still showing them as real and valuable people. The result is a movie that ends up feeling more authentic than I think it actually is.
Role Models is nothing new, but it strikes the balance between absurd humor and a touch of heart that has proven a successful comedic formula in recent years.
Final grade: B.
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