Role Models

The Good: Who can resist these young actor’s precious faces?!
The Bad: If you find one, let me know!
The Bottom Line: Creative blend of actors.

If you’re looking for a good laugh and a movie with excellent chemistry amongst its actors, "Role Models" will fulfill your craving. Unless your family enjoys profanity and nudity, I would recommend watching this film alone or with a group of friends. The sarcasm and boyish charm of all four of the main actors makes this movie is hilarious and it still manages to give off one of those classic life view-changing moments that are a common movie theme.

Danny (Paul Rudd) and Wheeler (Seann William Scott) play Minotaur energy drink sellers aiming at public schools, with Danny driving the car and Wheeler wearing the Minotaur costume. Wheeler is a underachieving, woman chaser. Danny is a self-loathing cynic whose girlfriend breaks up with him. When loses his mind and drives the monster truck into a public property, the two land themselves in the criminal justice system. In exchange for a jail sentence, they are offered community service in which they need to complete a 150 hours at a mentorship program called Sturdy Wings run by a psychotic ex-junkie (Jane Lynch). Wheeler is paired with Ronnie (Bobb'e J. Thompson), a 10-year-old black boy who immediately accuses the big guy of fondling his balls. Meanwhile, Danny is paired with Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), a nerd obsessed with playing medieval-knight games. While, Wheeler and Danny look at the task as simply getting to their mandated 150 hours, they learn to put others before themselves and step outside of their comfort zone.

Certain points of the movie are over the top. For instance when the guys go on a camping trip and Wheeler ends up sleep walking naked or the weirdness of Augie’s medieval battle reenactments that he forces Danny to join--fake swords, homemade capes and all. And although Danny gets Augie banned initially, meeting his family allows Danny to understand how important individuality, happiness, and standing up for what you believe in are, even if they seem odd to other people. It’s quite a charming plot and scenes like these left me with my mouth hanging open and cracking up.

The best part of this movie was the different styles of comedy that resulted from the various actors. It was a playful blend of old and newer stars backpacking off of their previous break out performances (Augie is the more commonly known as McLovin). Sean William Scott is one of my personal favorite comedy actors, but I must say that his wittiness may have met its match with Bobb’e J. Thompson’s foul mouth. The young child-actor matches the quickness of his older co-stars and his constant interest in boobies would have even feminist laughing. There’s just something hilarious about a 10-year-old with the sarcasm of a 30 year-old that appeals to me. The two are the perfect pair for each other and exhibit excellent chemistry.

Some scenes are a bit more serious than the others. This provides a good balance in the movie and I think actually makes the comic scenes even funnier! Sean William Scott’s sex-obsessed, quick-tongued, and inappropriately sarcastic role as Wheeler in this movie parallels his more commonly known character Stifler in the American Pie movies; however, his compassionate and caring side as the mentor of “Ronnie” is refreshing. One in particular which Wheeler loses Ronnie at a house party and spends days trying to earn back the young boy’s trust is a nice break from the hilarity of the movie. It’s scenes like this one and the previously mentioned scene between Danny and Augie that draw the viewers more into the plot of two selfish adults learning to step outside of their box for the benefit and happiness of someone else. "Role Models" really takes the viewer through the comical events that can unite even the most unlikely of individuals together.