Role Models
Rated: R
Runtime: 1 hour, 39 minutes
Directed by: David Wain
Starring:
Paul Rudd - Danny Donahue
Seann William Scott - Wheeler
Christopher Mintz-Plasse - Augie Farks
Bobb'e J. Thompson - Ronnie Shields
Elizabeth Banks - Beth
Jane Lynch - Gayle Sweeny
If fans of director David Wain's previous work, Wet Hot American Summer, come into his latest film, Role Models. looking for the same absurd humor and clever parody Wet Hot provided, they're going to end up disappointed. But for everyone else who wants a conventional comedy that still delivers on laughs, Role Models is a grand success.
Danny (Paul Rudd) and Wheeler (Seann William Scott) spend their days pimping energy drinks to middle schoolers. Eventually, Danny's rudderless existence and boundless misanthropy get the better of him and in trying to flee from having his vehicle towed, he only makes matters worse. For their crime, Danny and Wheeler are sentenced to community service at Sturdy Wings, a Big Brother-type program. Danny is paired with Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), a socially awkward LARPer (Live Action Role Playing), and Wheeler has to deal with Ronnie (Bobb'e J. Thompson), a foul-mouthed mischievous brat. The film takes the trajectory you expect: at first neither of these pairs get along and the guys start thinking that prison may be the better option. But the more time they spend with the kids, the more they care and eventually Danny and Wheeler become more mature.
With a different set of actors and a less creative director, Role Models would be a complete bore. But Wain has packed his supporting cast with reliable comic character actors. Most notable among them is Jane Lynch as Gayle, the director of Sturdy Wings. Lynch is pretty hilarious in almost anything she does, but she excels in the role of Gayle as she plays up the character's self-righteous street smarts and ridiculous no-nonsense attitude even though she rarely makes sense.
All the leads perform admirably. Paul Rudd's deadpan always kills me, Mintz-Plasse seems to have a reliable future playing nerds, and Thompson has a great energy that makes him lovable as he successfully plays on a negative stereotype. But I have to give special credit to Scott who I previously only recognized for his work in broad comedy. Here, he deftly adapts to Wain's dry humor and by holding his energy back, his line delivery works perfectly. Even though there's nothing particularly special about the line, I was almost crying when he quizzically replies to one of Ronnie's taunts, "Honky? That's racist."
There's nothing particularly special in Role Models and with the exception of a few moments, you'll probably forget most of the film in a couple days. But in its 99 minute run-time, it's got a wonderfully filthy set of humor delivered by strong comedic actors and directed by a man with excellent comic timing. Not every film can be a cult classic but that shouldn't disqualify flicks that can deliver on dry and foul-mouthed comedy.
Words by
Matt Goldberg
11.6.08