Wheeler and Danny being good role models.

Movie review - 'Role Models'

By: Amy Wright

Posted: 11/10/08

I'll just lay it out for you: "Role Models" is funny. You should see it.

Last week I was slightly disappointed in "Zack and Miri."

This week it's the exact opposite. I had fairly low expectations, and was very pleasantly surprised by the outrageous profanity and hilariously crude (yet excellent) cast.

"Role Models" follows Wheeler (Seann William Scott), a reckless pervert and KISS enthusiast, and Danny (Paul Rudd), his depressive, sardonic friend who hates everything.

The two peddle mildly toxic energy drinks (which turn urine a lethal-looking green) to high schoolers, marketed as a stay-off-drugs campaign. After Danny loses his cool on school property after his girlfriend (Elizabeth Banks) dumps him, he and Wheeler find themselves in a little legal trouble.

To keep out of prison, they're sentenced to 150 hours of community service as mentors for troubled kids . They meet their rather quirky "Littles", Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and Ronnie (Bobb'e J. Thompson).

While technically not the movie's leads, these two kids own the show. Mintz-Plasse (fresh off his show-stealing 'McLovin' in last year's "Superbad") is, of course, the absolute definition of a geek.

Charmingly naive but seriously strange, you can't help rooting for Augie Farks no matter how weird he is. Like when he's dressed in dungeons-and-dragons attire. Or kicking medieval butt with his role-playing friends. Or really even talking.

Ronnie is an entirely different matter. This outrageously foul-mouthed ten-year-old forms a tight bond with his "Big," (Wheeler) through their mutual love of "boobies." I couldn't help cracking up at this kid throwing multiple f-bombs in every sentence.

Don't forget a hilarious Jane Lynch as Gayle, the maniacal owner of the role models organization "Sturdy Wings." This ex-con and former drug addict who "used to eat cocaine for breakfast" plugs in perfect dead-pan drug and sexual references about the kids.

As you might have guessed, Danny and Wheeler bond with the kids who manage to teach their loser mentors some life lessons along the way. They grow up and ultimately teach the kids to "do what you love." The plot is arguably one-note and entirely formulaic, but let's remember: if done well, those formulas actually work.

Pacing stays generally strong - an obvious but challenging plus in the comedy industry - and essentially every dramatic moment is followed swiftly by ever-rolling punch lines.

The final scene - which I would hate to spoil - involves all four characters, complete KISS regalia, and a horde of medieval geeks.

Perhaps the moment goes a little overlong, but it's just so great I can imagine production having a difficult time cutting anything out.

The movie did struggle in a few places, such as an uncomfortably trite dinner scene with Augie's parents, and even a particularly weird moment when Banks appears at work in some sort of corset get-up (why is she in everything these days?).

To be fair, this movie isn't made of intellectual humor, so you geniuses out there keep your cool.

It is, however, a total riot. You'll be laughing despite yourself.

awright@unews.com