Role Playing with Comedy.

Danny: Pick us up in two hours.
Ronnie: Fuck you, Miss Daisy.

Wild behavior forces a pair of energy drink reps to enroll in a Big Brother program.

Seann William Scott: Wheeler

In Hollywood, there is no denying that most releases of the year follow certain formulas or structures plot-wise. When it comes to comedy, there's usually the family-pushed sugar-fest and the profane, adult-orientated kind; it seems kind of perplexing, but the two very rarely meet in the middle. Enter Role Models, which for all intents and purposes does nothing remotely new in terms of storytelling. This is straight forward, buddy movie material with little to no divergence from the typical standard expected from sappy morally toned family comedy that is given to us near enough every month in some form. Yet, working in its corner, and it's something which I'm conflicted about as to whether it truly works or not, is its adult themed characters and humour. There's no doubt about it, David Wain's movie is a lot more amusing than your average farcical comedy fare, and it has an amusing soft center story too, but it too often falls on its face because of a sense of ill-focused material; Role Models is entertaining stuff sure, but an incoherency in tone prevents the film from ever taking off and connecting with its audience.

The script here follows a rather standard three act curve. We begin the story with goof-ball Wheeler(Seann William Scott) and Danny Donahue(Paul Rudd), two spokespeople for an energy drinks company that speaks to schools about doing their drink in place of drugs. After a really bad (but hilarious) day however, the two end up with 150 hours of community service, having to look after kids from the Little Wing Foundation. What ensues from here is nothing out of the ordinary; it's material we've all seen before so many times, from putting perspective into life, cherishing friends and being an individual in the face of conforming to society. Yes, it's been done to death, yet there remains a certain sweet, well constructed charm to the way in which Role Models plays it out. Some of it has something to do with the movie's adult sense of humour, but much of it really lies in its adult sense of direction.

''Me and the judge have a special relationship... I don't wanna get too graphic but I sucked his dick for cocaine.''

Going against the grain, Role Models blends farce and caricature with modestly rounded characters and adult situations. The person who sticks out most is Rudd's character, who is given a healthy dose of development from beginning to end, fleshing him out as a compelling character that isn't afraid to get his ego diminished. Sure, it isn't anything remotely revolutionary in terms of character design, but Rudd does well with what he is given and gives the story a human quality. His on-screen buddy Wheeler, played by William Scott is less of a character and more of a walking vehicle for laughs, it's something Scott has gotten used to over the years and he does what is asked of him, bringing in the movie's biggest laughs with ease. Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who shot to stardom with his debut in Superbad here shows he's no one hit wonder either, playing a similar albeit just as amusing persona. His opposite of sorts comes in the form of Bobb'e J. Thompson as a foul mouthed delinquent with a tough shell covering a big heart. Thompson, much like his direct co-star is used mainly for comical purposes, but his performance is always laughter-inducing.

As much as I enjoyed Role Models however, there were moments in between all this great adult storytelling where I felt like I was relapsing into Daddy Day Care. This sometimes contradictory tone that Wain adopts seems out of place; with a script such as Role Models', you would think that the direction and focus would simply be on delivering an adult story, yet it seems that the movie tries to accommodate younger audiences (that won't be there of course, unless they sneak in). Nevertheless, with such a tone, the movie does achieve a sense of whimsical charm that a lack of such sometimes brings the average raunchy, profane comedy down. The problem here isn't that Wain tries to lighten things up every now and again, but that he does so far too often.
Despite this, Role Models remains a testament as to how standard Hollywood structures can be adapted to fit new breeds of storytelling. Sure, this has been done before, sure it's usually a clone of previous attempts, but it's a surprise in alot of regards. And yes, there was promise here for something quite a bit better which leaves a sour taste, but with some great laughs and heart-warming story chock full of moral, it's hard to be overly cynical; a light, fun, sporadically refreshing and well constructed adult-family hybrid comedy with decent characters and drama.

''I'm not here to service you, I'm here to service these young boys.''


6/10