Role Models review

If you find wisecracking, foul-mouthed kids funny, then you'll love Role Models. If, however, you require a modicum of wit and intelligence in a film, then you might want to give it a miss. To rely on the colorful vocabulary of one youngster and the nerdy propensities of another, suggests that none of the five (count ‘em) credited writers had an original idea between them. When asked, what makes comedy, the great Charlie Chaplin replied, "Stepping over a banana skin, and into a manhole." It's an ability to take an old gag, and give it a fresh twist. Role Models simply takes old gags and wears them out.

Maybe having had a dumb president for the past eight past years has been reflected in the level of humour in American movies. If so, another positive to emerge from the election of Barack Obama is that perhaps we can now look forward to smarter films. Though resolving the world's financial crisis would seem an infinitely easier task for the incoming president.

Paul Rudd, who also shares a screenwriting credit, plays Danny, an underachieving misanthrope who has spent his past ten years working for an energy drink company whose product he describes as "nuclear horse piss.'' His colleague and only friend, Wheeler (Seann William Scott) is a womanizer with a boundless energy only partially fuelled by Minotaur, the drink he promotes by visiting schools wearing a minotaur costume. When Danny's bad day gets worse with the decision of his long-time girlfriend Beth (Elizabeth Banks) to respond to his half-hearted proposal by breaking up with him, he goes on a willfully destructive drive in the company's promotional vehicle.

The outburst gets Danny and Wheeler sentenced to 150 hours community service, which they serve at Sturdy Wings, a mentoring program run by the maniacal Gayle Sweeny (Jane Lynch). Sweeny, who constantly makes reference to her drug addicted past is, in the hands of the always hilarious Lynch, the movie's only bright spot. Jeff is assigned to the uber-geek Augie (Christopher Mintz Plasse) who lives for the role-playing fantasy group he's a member of. Wheeler is burdened with the physically and verbally abusive Ronnie (Bobb'e J Thompson) who never misses an opportunity to insult his mentors. "Suck it Reindeer Games!" he barks. "I'm not Ben Affleck" defends Danny. "You white, then you Ben Affleck," snaps back Ronnie.

It seems churlish to question how a 10 year-old black kid would have ever heard of the abysmal Frankenheimer movie from 2000. But then again, applying any reason or sense to anything that happens in the movie is like trying to paint on water. It's clearly a waste of time. Just like Role Models!

Kevin Murphy