Pretty much everyone, even
Kevin Smith, is trying to cash in on the success of Judd Apatow and friends. Never before have such a talented, bright group of comedians come together to produce such a collection of hilarious and heartfelt films. From Rogen to Rudd, from Hill to Segel, from Carell to Cera, Judd Apatow knows how to cast some funny and creative dudes, so naturally Hollywood would try to repeat his success and grab these dudes up. The team behind ROLE MODELS scored big, recruiting Apatow alums Paul Rudd (
The 40-Year-Old Virgin,
Knocked Up,
Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (
Superbad), along with a pretty funny guy who hasn't gotten a lot of love in the film industry recently, Seann William Scott (Stiffler from
American Pie). Despite the strong cast, the trailer collected some pretty bad jokes and stiff moments, so I thought this Apatow-copy would surely be a stinker... but surprisingly, it was really, really good. Chock full of both laughs and heart, this is definitely worth watching.
The premise is simple. Two men who spend their lives going school-to-school selling energy drinks to students wind up in court after the more-uptight dude snaps after a particularly rotten day. Instead of going to jail, the two opt to be mentors ("Bigs") to some kids ("Littles") who have been unsuccessful in keeping a mentor around thus far. The kids are hilarious and really impressed me. One of them is played by Bobb'e Jacques Thompson, a mini-twelve year old and self-described "Booby Watcher." Christopher Mintz-Plasse plays Augie Farks, a role-playing nerd who is neglected by his family. The plot, on the surface, is a straight forward dramedy in which the mentor program teaches both the mentor and the kid something important, but the ways it's done is so fantastically creative and tongue-in-cheek that you forget how traditional the arc of the story really is. Plus, Paul Rudd is basically a legend, so watching him crack jokes, get attached to Augie, and sing freestyle songs to his girlfriend on a faux-Medieval battlefield is an experience everybody deserves to have.
ROLE MODELS blew my expectations away. Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott had pretty good chemistry, but what really made this film was their relationships with the two kids. It was touching, hilarious, and really creatively done.
8/10
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