"Role Models"

In the raunchy opening minutes of “Role Models,” Danny (Paul Rudd) and Wheeler (Seann William Scott) chug energy drinks, verbally assault a preteen, and note that their green-tinged urine looks “like Shrek’s piss.” It’s easy to assume that the rest of the movie will play out like any other flick about emotionally stunted man-children and their misadventures. Yet while “Role Models” is indeed formulaic, the film is saved by a number of hilariously memorable side characters—and by a healthy dose of heart.

As the film begins, Danny and Wheeler are working as representatives of an energy drink company called Minotaur. Despite having worked together for many years, the two men are polar opposites. Danny is a perpetually irked, cynical 35-year-old who yells at Starbucks baristas and tests the patience of his lawyer girlfriend, Beth (Elizabeth Banks). Wheeler, on the other hand, is a carefree and sex-crazed party animal.

When a sudden crisis causes Danny to act out, landing both men in trouble with the law, the two are sentenced to community service. Danny is assigned to mentor Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), an awkward teen obsessed with live-action role-playing, while Wheeler’s charge is Ronnie (Bobb’e J. Thompson), a precocious but foul-mouthed youngster.

Both young actors bring impressive energy to their roles. As the shy and socially inept Augie, Mintz-Plasse calls to mind his best-known role as McLovin’ in “Superbad.” Yet he still manages to make Augie unique and remarkably endearing. Thompson, on the other hand, challenges every notion of cuteness as he spews expletives and racial epithets with equal enthusiasm. Nonetheless, his character is surprisingly believable and ultimately winning.

Perhaps most impressive of all is Jane Lynch as the ex-con director of the mentoring program. Lynch has played wacky before in films like “Best in Show,” but she pushes the bounds of sanity with her over-the-top humor, simultaneously making the audience laugh and cringe. Lynch steals the movie in just a handful of scenes.

The leads, on the other hand, are merely passable. Rudd seems to have cornered the market on depressive, unfulfilled pessimists, having played similar roles in “Knocked Up” and “The Forty Year-Old Virgin.” His performance is, at once, comfortably familiar and perceptibly lethargic. Meanwhile, Scott is given very little material to work with, and it shows. His Wheeler is extremely one-note, and while the actor does an adequate job, his character’s lack of development is a serious flaw.

The script went through several revisions, with the help of four different writers, including Rudd and director David Wain. Nonetheless, the plot is still rather predictable. In parallel fashion, both men bond with their young charges, disappoint them, and ultimately emerge as more mature and selfless individuals. Still, the film works best when it connects with the realities of growing up—both as a teenager and as a thirty-something. Scenes with Ronnie and Augie’s parents add a meaningful amount of tenderness to the story, and “Role Models” surprises with its insight into the realities of adult-child relationships.

Quick-fire dialogue also balances out the movie’s tendency toward broad and crude humor. Rudd’s character supplies a number of clever quips, and his highly referential, sarcastic style provides ample laughs. Ronnie is also given a number of good lines—most memorably his insistence that all white people be referred to as “Ben Affleck.” Wain worked on a number of television comedies, including “Mad TV” and “Stella,” and he successfully adapts his banter for the big screen.

Ultimately, “Role Models” ends on a high note, with an exciting climax that ties together all of the film’s major elements with a hint of poignancy. The movie may not be a comedic masterpiece, but its simple message, plentiful laughs, and likable characters are surely worth the price of admission.