PAGE 26 - KANATA KOURIER-STANDARD - NOVEMBER 14, 2008

REEL REVIEWS

Arts & Entertainment

season is far from the horizon, and teenagers with disposable incomes come to the theatres in droves, the Paul Rudd brand of comedy has instead come to us amidst dramas and sagas. Luckily, it manages to find a place. Role Models follows Danny (Rudd) and Wheeler (Seann William Scott), two underachievers working as inspirational speakers for Minotaur: a sugary, caffeinated drink they peddle to children with a dont do drugs message. When they have a run in with the law, Rudds ex-girlfriend/lawyer Beth (Elizabeth Banks) manages to cut them a deal. If they both do 150 hours of community service at Sturdy Wings, a Big Brothers-esque charity for young children, they will avoid jail time. Dont get me started on the absurdity of placing criminals in a youth mentorship program in lieu of jail. Somehow, I got over it. When they arrive, they are paired with the two most difficult children in the program: foul mouthed 10-year-old Ronnie (Bobbe J. Thompson) and teenaged nerd/outcast Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). Again, this is ridiculous, but I suppose its necessary to make the flick entertaining. Danny is cynical and frequently states he would prefer prison to babysitting a socially awkward teenaged boy, and Wheeler is plain clueless on how to handle the curse-spewing, car jacking Ronnie. But, with a little creativity and (you guessed it) heart, they manage to find a way to not only do their time, but change their lives and the lives of the kids they begrudgingly mentor. The film, while imperfect in its plot construction, is very funny. The dynamic between Rudd and MintzPlasse, Thompson and Scott, and any other combination of the four, is fantastic. Rudd, normally the wise-cracking side-kick in the seemingly endless Judd Apatow flicks, manages to play the leading role with relative ease. MintzPlasse accomplishes the near impossible and sheds his McLovin persona with what seems to be the greatest of ease. Thompson was funny merely through his constant regurgitation of extremely adult phrases, despite being a precocious little boy, and the bumbling of ladies-man Wheeler certainly helped the hilarity. In the end, director/writer David Wain provides a refreshing change from the ever-present (albeit slightly more effective) Apatow brand of buddy-comedy. While the message is clichd on the surface (maybe its the children who are the true Role Models the children are our future cue violins), it doesnt feel that way during viewing. Instead, it is light and carefree; a welcome change when epics and weep-fests seem to become the norm.

Role Models use creativity, heart to win over trouble kids

3 OUT OF 5 STARS
KATIE BRADFORD

It seems like a strange time to release a comedy such as this one. Usually flourishing in the summertime, when Oscar

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