Directed by: David Wain
Starring:
![]() Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Paul Rudd in Role Models |
Danny and Wheeler are co-workers at an energy drink company. Danny is depressed by his stalled professional life. Wheeler is just happy to have a job. The movie opens with Wheeler holding his fingers up to Danny's nose and asking, "You know what I did last night."
In one of my favorite scenes, Danny goes off on a coffee shop clerk because they call a large coffee a "venti" instead of simply calling it a large. His embarrassed girlfriend breaks up with him. With nothing going right, Danny messes up his job and his truck tries to rape a horse statue. He and Wheeler get arrested and sentenced to community service helping at risk children.
Each guy is teamed with a child to mentor. Danny gets a fantasy loving, teenage social outcast, Augie. Danny describes him to Wheeler by saying, "I bet if I suggested a game of Quiditch, he'd cum in his pants." Augie likes to attend fantasy gatherings where, in costume, players do mock fights. At one point Danny asks Augie if he ever kissed a girl that Augie often stares at. Augie responds, "no, no...I've killed her a couple of times in battle..."
Wheeler gets matched with a foul mouth 12 year old, Ronnie. The moment Wheeler sits next to him he yells, "I don't want to take my pants off." After Wheeler drops Danny off, Danny asks him to pick him up in two hours, Ronnie yells, "Fuck you miss Daisy." Ronnie is the weakest aspect of the entire film. How can you like a kid who just needs a good ass whipping?
This movie has so many great lines. I laughed at all of the sexual innuendoes made by the fantasy nerds. "The king is unprotected. I shall approach him from the rear." "Let us raise our swords and touch our tips gingerly." One guy pretending to be a King says that he will not lower his defenses because he does not want to get penetrated again.
Lynch steals every scene she is in as the former crack whore turned counselor. "I use to eat cocaine for breakfast." "I'm not here to service you, I'm here to service these young boys." "I don't wanna get to graphic but I use to suck his dick for drug money."
Although the movie is full of great lines, it is Paul Rudd's reaction to them all that really sells the jokes. He is the best straight man since Bud Abbot. I always appreciate an actor who can work sarcasm so well, "It's not you, I just don't like having dinner with people."
Role Models is not to be missed.
![]() Role Models had a lot more heart than I epected. |
I don't know if Ronnie is really the weakest part of the movie, but he's the most unrealistic. He and Seann William Scott though are clearly there for the humor. Paul Rudd and Christopher Mintz-Plasse provide plenty of jokes, but all of the movie's heart. And Rudd is, as you say, one of the best parts of the movie. He has that slow burn down pat.
You quoted some of my favorite lines in the movie Eric. The Quidditch line made me laugh out loud. Another of my favorites is when Rudd says, in reference to the Kiss song, "No, I like to rock n' roll all night and part of every day. I usually have errands... I can only rock from like 1-3."
On the surface this movie looked like just another Judd Apatow produced Frat Boy comedy, which is mainly why I avoided it when it was released and why I doubted your review Eric. While it does feature Rudd, who occasionally appears in Apatow's movies, it has more humor and a lot more heart than anything Apatow has done lately.
Photos © Copyright Universal Pictures (2008)