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Released by: Universal Studios
Released on: 3/10/2009
Director: David Wain
Cast: Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jane Lynch, Elizabeth Banks, Bobb'e J. Thompson
Year: 2008
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The Movie:
Wheeler (Seann William Scott) and Danny (Paul Rudd) are two thirty-something guys who travel around to schools to talk to kids about staying off drugs while promoting their company's energy drink. This requires Danny to periodically put on a bull costume. After a while, Danny starts to crack, wondering what he's doing with his life and career and what to do about the awkward romance he has with his lawyer girlfriend, Beth (Elizabeth Banks). One run in with the law later and Danny and Wheeler find themselves having to do some community service work and they're assigned to a 'Big Brother' style program where they have to help out a few kids.
Under the direction of former cocaine addict Gayle Sweeny (Jane Lynch), the pair get hooked up with their respective kids - Wheeler with a foul mouthed black kid named Ronnie Shields (Bobb'e J. Thompson) and Danny with a live action role playing fanatic named Augie Farks (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). The pair begrudgingly accept their positions in hopes that their completed community service will keep them out of jail, attempting to make the most out of it by teaching the kids about girls, the importance of KISS, and some of life's other mysteries. Of course, in completely predictable fashion, the guys initially do this out of obligation but before you know it, they take a liking to the kids… just in time for them to screw up and have them taken away from them.
Think of Role Models as The Bad News Bears meets Superbad. By taking the 'kids hook up with screwball adults' idea and filtering it through an Apatow-esque filter for rude, crude, R-rated comedy director David Wain has crafted an enjoyably low brow film that has, at its core, a fairly sweet message of acceptance and, more importantly, being yourself and doing what makes you happy in life whether that involves running around in cape with a fake sword or not. Rudd (who co-wrote with Wain) and Scott do a fine job playing the slacker/loser types. Both actors have a knack for sarcasm and they use it well here, particularly in the scenes where they interact with their respective wards. The script gives the pair plenty of good lines and interesting scenarios though many of the best one-liners from Thompson and Mintz-Plasse (who, even here, is STILL McLovin and probably always will be). While the supporting effort from Elizabeth Banks feels like nothing more than an excuse to put a cute blonde in a supporting role (through no fault of her own, her character adds very little to the story), Jane Lynch does get some ridiculously phony and often times eerie bits. Her character's phallic obsession, penchant for 'bullshit' and obviously 'not over it' former addict traits are some offer up some of the more memorable gags in the movie.
While the film works its way to an incredibly predictable see-it-coming-a-mile-away ending and at times feels like it was sponsored by Gene Simmons, Role Models still manages to pack in plenty of laughs and does so at a very quick pace. Even if you know where it's all heading about fifteen minutes into the picture, getting there is a fun ride and by the time it's all over, you'll even get some of those 'awww shucks' warm and fuzzy feelings from the movie's positive vibe. The Blu-ray release contains both the R-rated and the unrated versions of the film and there's about three minutes off added content in the unrated cut.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Universal presents Role Models in a nice 1080p 1.85.1 anamorphic widescreen presentation that for the most part looks very nice, particularly in the scenes that take place outside like the final outdoor battle towards the end of the movie. Colors are nice and bold and the blues of the ocean and the sky really look quite spectacular. Skin tones look lifelike and natural and there's plenty of detail throughout the presentation. A little bit of mild edge enhancement pops up in a couple of spots but it's far from overpowering. There aren't any problems with mpeg compression artifacts or print damage and really, the movie looks pretty good here.
The primary track is a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix in English, though standard definition French and Spanish dubs are supplied in DTS 5.l Surround Sound. The sound is quite good throughout the film, there's a lot more ambient and background noise coming at you from the rear channels, again, mostly noticeable during the outdoor battle scene or during the car crash scene towards the beginning of the movie. Dialogue stays clean and clear throughout and there are no problems with hiss or distortion to complain about. Optional subtitles are supplied in English SDH, French and Spanish.
Director/co-writer David Wain delivers a commentary track over the R-rated version of the film and while he tends to fall into 'not much to say' territory from time to time, he does share some interesting stories, the best of which is how Role Models was originally intended to play as a straight drama rather than as a screwball comedy. He talks about casting the picture, working with Rudd on the script, and working with the 'kids' in the film.
From there, check out the deleted scenes, outtakes and extended bits that weren't used in the final version of the film. Clocking in at roughly fifty-minutes in length, there's a lot of material here and a fair bit of it is as funny as what was used in the final cut. It's interesting to note that some of the bits found in this section popped up in the trailers and DVD TV spots, though not in the movie itself.
A seven minute On The Set featurette takes us to the set of the movie as it was in production and gives us a look behind the scenes. While this is fairly promotional in nature, there are some funny bits in here with the cast members that make this short bit worth watching even if it isn't exactly deep. Equally amusing is the nine minute Game On featurette that covers how the big live action role playing scenes were shot and put together. There was actually a lot more that went into getting these scenes right than you would probably first expect given how goofy they are, which makes this a surprisingly interesting bit.
Rounding out the extras is a four minute blooper reel, an interactive 'crest maker,' and a selection of three improvised bits with a few of the cast members. Universal has also included, through their U-Control technology, a Blu-ray exclusive picture-in-picture track that integrates footage from the featurettes and mixes it up with some other behind the scenes material and plays it all out, scene specific style, with the movie if you so choose.
The Final Word:
Amusing enough, Role Models looks and sounds pretty good and gets a decent array of extras as well. It isn't a new comedy classic, but it's a fun time killer with a few good gags.