Click Here For Our VIDEO Interview with Seann William Scott

Click Here For Our Feature Interview with Seann William Scott

Role Models

Movie Grade: B

DVD Features Grade: A-

Overall Grade: B+

You have to give credit where credit is due. The 40 Year Old Virgin, courtesy of the now household name Judd Apatow, began a comedy renaissance the likes of which hasn't been seen since Saturday Night Live was relevant and alumni like Chevy Chase and Dan Ayckroyd were consistently delivering works of comedic genius on the silver screen. Even the more recent Mike Meyers and Adam Sandler years can't hold a candle to the string of hits coming out of the Apatow camp, and Will Ferrell's PG-13 romps have gotten as stale as their target audience can allow.

The R-Rated comedy is back in full force, and though this film doesn't share the Apatow label, it takes a good stab at making a name for itself in what is swiftly becoming a crowded market. The real question is whether it makes enough of an impression to warrant a look.

Where has Paul Rudd been all these years? I know he got that gig in Wet Hot American Summer (which also costarred Elizabeth Banks) along with Clueless back in the day, and that he wore the supporting shoes in Anchorman, but the guy was born to be a leading man. With Role Models and I Love You, Man he has finally stepped into the limelight and become a comedic force to be reckoned with. I've literally convinced friends to see this film by explaining that "Paul Rudd acting like a goofball for 2 hours is more than worth the price of admission" and Role Models demonstrates a versatility that will prevent him from falling victim to typecasting in the foreseeable future.

And what happened to Seann William Scott? This is easily his funniest work since American Pie and The Rundown. Unfortunately, unlike Rudd, this film also goes to prove that he will indeed be playing "Stifler" for the rest of his career. Not that that's a bad thing necessarily, it would just be nice to see him stretch his legs as an actor more. Luckily for him, he's a genuinely funny guy, and even though he doesn't have the speed and cleverness of some of the other actors, he does have impeccable timing and sells the charismatic moron expression better than anybody in show business today.

The movie's charm truly comes from the talent, and it means that the story can feel a little cookie cutter at times. In a lot of ways it had to be a bit formulaic to make room for the enormous amount of improvisation that occurred during shooting. Almost the whole movie has been ad-libbed from an already funny script, and the results are very spontaneous and natural, something which is often hard to achieve in

a classical comedic structure of set-up, joke, punch line, rinse and repeat. The work is solid, by everybody involved, and two other highlights are Christopher Mintz-Plasse (McLovin from Superbad) who makes us care about the world of Live-Action Role Playing, and child actor Bobb’e J. Thompson, who is one of the funniest kids I have ever seen act in a film.

The problem with the film is that the movie has a lot of heart, and it overtakes the story to a large degree. The solid laughs are spread a little thin to make way for extended sequences of the real world inspired L.A.I.R.E. where participants dress up like knights and maidens and fight with giant foam swords. The whole movie gets a little bit too caught up in the ludicrous nature of this concept, and instead of focusing on the kids and their relationships to their two court ordered big brothers, the final act meanders off into a fantasy land that just doesn't fit quite right with the broad and inspired opening scenes. I'd still definitely recommend renting it, but you won't find yourself inspired to watch it again and again.

As for the extras, color me surprised, this single disc comes with both the R-Rated and Unrated cuts of the film (I didn't notice very many changes, mostly lines here and there that I'm sure made the MPAA choke on their porridge) as well as quite a remarkable set of extras. The Deleted Scenes and Alternate Takes are a MUST WATCH, as several of them are as funny, if not funnier, than the scenes which appear in the actual film. The Bloopers give you many of the same clips as the Deleted Scenes, except you get to find out what sort of humor truly gets to the stars as they try desperately to maintain straight faces in the face of utter ridiculousness. The behind the scenes featurette gives a nice peak behind the curtain and continues a long series of examples of just how funny these people really are and how much fun they had making this film. As though you needed any more, there are three short interviews with side characters in the film, and the actors do their best to stay in character. They're funny, but are easily the weakest feature on this jam-packed disc.

Movie Grade: B

DVD Features Grade: A-

Overall Grade: B+