Role Models
Role Models is yet another formulaic but ultimately watchable comedy with a message. Danny Donahue (Paul Rudd) is in a dead end job shilling energy drinks to school kids as an antidote to drugs. He shares this job with Wheeler (Seann William Scott) who quite to the contrary finds the gig a dream vocation. When Danny gets rejected by his upwardly mobile girlfriend Beth (Elizabeth Banks who is turning out to be this fall’s Hollywood “it” girl) he has a meltdown that leaves Danny and Wheeler facing prison time. Instead of 30 days they elect to do 150 hours of community service which turns out to be the less desirable option as their assignment is as Big Brothers to a couple of screwed up kids Augie Farks (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) a nerdy Dungeons and Dragons junkie and Ronnie Shields (Bobb'e J. Thompson) a pint sized attitude with a rapid fire potty mouth. Thompson is a standout as an 11 year old with a lot of chops and at such a young age has a much larger filmography than Mintz-Plasse who has only one very memorable role as McLovin in Superbad on his résumé but with their help and a background in the American Pie franchise plus Knocked Up Rudd and Scott can act as role models on how to make the Hollywood comedy formula work.