What do you get when you combine today’s most lovable Hollywood buffoons with a former champion of raunchy comedy? Role Models. Starring Paul Rudd and Sean William Scott, David Wain’s newest comedy is an impressive upgrade from the director’s most popular film, Wet Hot American Summer.
The film’s “role models” are Wheeler and Danny (Scott and Rudd, respectively), two guys with drastically different outlooks on life who work together at an energy drink company. Wheeler is a fun-loving dude who gets high on life (and other stuff); Danny is an asshole who hates his job and argues with everyone about everything, especially his girlfriend (played by Elizabeth Banks, who seems to be in every movie worth watching these days).
As a result of a run-in with the law, Wheeler and Danny avoid jail time by logging community service hours with a local mentoring program called Sturdy Wings. Jane Lynch plays Gayle Sweeny, Sturdy Wings’ founder and a recovering coke addict. Lynch propels the film’s comic drive with her graphic descriptions and flawless comedic delivery.
The film’s cast, perhaps its most consistent strength, also showcases young talent. Christopher Mintz-Plasse proves that he might not be pigeonholed forever, playing a somewhat different role from his debut character, Superbad’s McLovin. His squeamish gestures and awkwardly delivered one-liners complement the overt nature of Scott and Rudd’s humor.
Scott, like Mintz-Plasse, is another actor who has been typecast as a result of an early role. His portrayal of Steven Stifler in the American Pie trilogy gained him instant fame with teenage boys and simultaneously confined him to vulgar, misogynistic (though ultimately profitable) meathead roles. In Role Models, Scott plays a more mature deviant whose character reveals a depth that none of his earlier roles matched.
Rudd’s performance, as in most of his most recent comedies, is solid and dynamic. The difficulty of his role is that he must reflect the film’s theme through his character’s behavioral changes. As a co-writer of the screenplay, Rudd appears completely at ease with his lines and portrays these character shifts vividly. He also flavors the film with his distinct talent for turning boring conversations into witty banter. 
These people are only human, so the film has a few shortcomings, but not many. The script reflects Rudd’s unique speech, though some of the actors struggle to reach the bar he has set for clever modern repartee.
Role Models is undoubtedly among the comedy genre’s top offerings for 2008;
it is the only comedy guaranteed to have audiences roaring with laughter while they find meaning in the film’s simple yet philanthropic message.
