Role Models (2008)

The Alchemy of Comedy troupes seems to be working this year. It seems like the Apatow touch of style and actors are combining with others of the crude male variety. There was the excellent Zack and Miri, make a prono, which combines Seth Rogan and Kevin Smith. This time you have the mostly the Apatow crowd running with the guys from the The State,One Hot American Summer, and Reno 911 crew.

Maybe you are wondering why such a stupid looking movie such as Role Models is still showing. The reason is that it is pretty good. In the tradition of the Bad News Bears, The Mighty Ducks and any other films where reluctant males have to come to the rescue of eccentric kids where the movie metamorphosizes into a family movie, Roles Models does that too but better.

Why Better? It is better because usually in these movies you have really boring intro where the dude is down on his luck and basically crabby. Here you have Paul Rudd and Stiffler from American Pie acting like some overly sexed Martin and Lewis team. There is story about their friendship and Rudd and his girlfriends. There is a movie right here without the two kids who enter their lives by Plea Bargain.

The movie easily can be retooled into a sitcom a la the Simpsons. There are enough well developed secondary character that everyone is interesting. Most of them are from Apatow films. You got the doctor from Knocked Up, the nerdy kid from Drillbit Taylor, the newly wed from Forgetting Sarah Marshall and let's not forget Paul Rudd and McLovin'.

Oh the Story? Well our heros work for an energy drink company that tries to get kids off drug and on to energy drinks. Stiffler dresses up as a Minotar Beast for the kids. Rudd is depressed that his life has amounted to this, and his girlfriend can't stand him anymore. She leaves him.

Rudd, depressed, crashed the company car, and both are in it and charged. His ex-girlfriend, a lawyer, gets them a thousand hours of community service. They entered a help the children big brother program run by an ex-crack whore. Their little Bro's are a very angry little boy and McLovin'. McLovin is a Harry Potter looking Medieval re-creationist who might not have reality that far in his hands. As you can imagine, it doesn't go so well at the start, but the guys start to love it when they realize that these kids look up to them like gods. Just when they start to enjoy it is when the get kicked out. Later, somehow they all fight as a they all fight as a team in a Medieval re-creationist war dressed liked the members of KISS, which kinda lose in the end.

What makes this movie good is all the little characterizations and quirky interactions between them.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

Like most Judd Apatow movies, this one is not so much about the main for character or story line but instead about it is all the interesting, quirky, and charming supporting characters. Like if you remember Superbad, McLovin’ with the two cops were the best part of the films. I have talked to girls who have said that they wished the movies was about them. (for McLovin fans check out funnyordie.com “McLovin’ Fund” which was has Forgetting Sarah Marshall’s Kirsten Bell). I really loved everyone in this film except for the main character Peter, played by Jason Segel; who by the way also wrote the screenplay.

The movie is basically guy loses girlfriend and is depressed. Goes to a report in Hawaii and finds his ex-girlfriend and her new guy in the same resort.

I found the Peter character to be winy, boring and complete uninteresting, which might come from the fact I never really bought into his performance. The film does spend a lot of time with him, but if you can forget about him, you are in for a bit of a treat.

There were a lot of things that I liked here. First of all, you have the Apatow regulars like Jonah Hill of SuperBad, who plays this waiter, a soften down character of what he normally does, who is in love with a British pop star Russell Brand, who is staying at the resort with Peter’s ex-girlfriend Sarah Marshall. Russell Brand is this very funny character who is a microcosm of what you think a overconfident- oversexed British pop star should be. Sort of like a cross between Sting, Chris Martin and George Michael. He has cheesy songs about saving world, is recovering from his substance abuse issues, is a sex addict, and basically a nice guy. The ex-girlfriend, played by Kirsten Bell, is surprising normal except that she is an actress from TV crime shows. The spoof of those shows is way overdue and watch to credits to see another CSI parody along with Jason Bateman. The supporting characters are so well defined and more interesting that you cheer when they appear and you really don’t want them to leave. My favorite was the young Christian couple who waited for there honeymoon, for whatever people do on their honeymoon. The woman is really excited and the guy complains to no end. It’s really funny. The cast is rounded out by Paul Rudd, being Raul Rudd, and Mila Kunis, from Family Guy and That 70’s show, basically playing her role straight as the love interest of Peter.

There are some funny musically numbers. My favorite was when Peter plays a really depressing song, then after a few bars you realize that it is the opening song to the Muppet Show.

Overall the movie is very long and the story is tired. However, there is this new comedy team. It looks like the Will Farrell, Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn crew have been supplanted with this lot and this style of humor. In summary, if you know and like the name “Apatow” this movie is for you, and if you are tagging along there are some good laughs in there when Peter isn’t crying or showing his shlong.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

Absolutely the worst movie I have seen this year. It was a waste of an hour and half of my life and I want them back! The only good part of this film was the very very small cameos from Jack White as Elvis, Paul Rudd as John Lennon, Jack Black as Paul McCartney, Jason Schwartzman as Ringo Starr, Jonah Hill, Eddie Vedder, and Tim Meadows. Frankie Muniz as Buddy Holly just didn’t make sense. The lead John C. Reilly was horrible. I am told that Walk Hard is a spoof of Ray and Walk the Line, but that doesn’t mean it works. I have seen The Simpsons do the same jokes over and over again that they try in this movie, except they are far superior and work.

The story of a Johnny Cash-like rock legend, Cox is born in the South to a broken family, finds fame and self destructive behavior, and finally redemption. It tries to mock every genre of music from the 50’s – 70’s. It is just so banal, trite, and hackneyed that just gives one a headache. I can't think of one thing original in this movie. Most of the jokes are sex jokes, which try to be so wrong to be funny, but are still flat. It was certainly the most forced movie I can remember seeing since the last Punisher film. Skip this one hard.