Role Models film review

With role models like these, who needs parental guidance? This is the question begged by Universal Pictures new smash hit comedy Role Models. Starring Sean William-Scott and Paul Rudd and directed by David Wain, Role Models is hilariously funny and will have you in stitches on more than one occasion.

Role Models is based around Danny (Paul Rudd), a misanthropic energy drink salesman whose only positivity comes from telling school kids, “Don’t do drugs, drink Minotaur,” and his young colleague Wheeler (Sean William-Scott), a wannabe playboy whose only goal is to rack up as many sexual conquests as he can. The two salesman set about doing their job until Danny has a bit of a rough day which ends with him ramming their truck into public property and facing a 30 day prison sentence, the only alternative to which is 150 hours service to a mentorship program, Sturdy Wings.

After meeting Sturdy Wings ex-cocaine addict Sweeny (Jane Lynch), Danny gets assigned to his ‘little’ Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), a geek whose life revolves around a medieval fantasy role playing game, while Wheeler gets assigned to Ronnie (Bobb’e J. Thompson), a foul-mouthed 10-year-old with no father. Set with this challenge, our role models start to wonder if jail may have been the easier alternative.

Rudd and Scott’s personalities compliment each other perfectly in the film and I don’t think it could have been more ideally cast. With Danny’s dry humour and negative outlook and Wheelers lust for life (and women) the pair are a mismatch of pure hilarity, although their thunder is almost stolen by their insanely funny protégés who impart an air of slapstick humour into the film while also adding to the already hugely crude witty banter that is thrown in almost every scene of the film. I think (well, I certainly hope) we will be seeing much more from the likes of Bobb’e J. Thompson and Christopher Mintz-Plasse as they certainly earned their rights in Role Models.

Although it has a typical story line and predictable happy ending, this is not a film that needs much thought, as its main aim is to have you leaving the cinema buckled over in uncontrollable laughter and on this level it certainly delivers. If you are looking for a deep, meaningful, thought-provoking film then Role Models may not be for you, but if you like a laugh and a bit of crude humour, you’ll think you have struck gold with this flick.

7 January 2009