Role Models

*** Stars

Role Models is a movie that feels like a movie concept worked into something completely improvised. In this case, it works. This is another worthy selection from the familiar cast of the Judd Apatow gang (Apatow surprisingly did not produce this one) along with Sean William's Scott funniest performance since his departure from the American Pie series.

Scott plays Wheeler, a mascot for the energy drink Minotaur. Wheeler loves life and doesn't mind coasting along with barely any responsibility. His co-worker and best friend Danny (the always hilarious Paul Rudd) is the exact opposite, hates everything and is miserable 24/7. After a bad morning at work and his girlfriend Beth (the very busy Elizabeth Banks) dumps him, Danny loses it. He crashes his work truck into a statue trying to escape from his truck being towed. Both Danny and Wheeler are forced into 150 hours of community service to avoid 30 days of prison time. It will be painful, annoying, and of course, from an outside perspective, hilarious.

When Role Models explores Danny and Wheeler with their two kids, things get really funny. Danny is stuck with a fantasy world obsessed geek named Auggie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) where Wheeler has to babysit a out-of-control little punk named Ronnie (Bobb'e Thompson). Like I said, almost everything here feels improvised, so for the middle hour of the film there are little scenes that achieve very funny moments. The two kids are shown with substance and heart, aside from what the trailer shows. The climax of the film is a long battle scene surrounding all the dorks in the fantasy world Auggie belongs to. What makes the action work is how appropriately choreographed the fights during the scene actually are. Rudd and Scott are a winning combination. They riff off each other in a classical buddy comedy way that makes us feel sympathy for their awfully painful punishment, even when they act like total jerks.

Because this is a one-liner kind of film, I must say my favorite. In the conclusion when Danny is trying to win back his girlfriend by singing her a song, Danny sings a line "Like Susan Surrandon and Tim Robbins". For absolutely no reason or adding support to the plot, there's a close-up on Wheeler who grins and says "They're good actors". It doesn't need to be there, but hell, I laughed pretty damn hard. Role Models is a funny, funny movie.