Rated R

Directed by David Wain

Starring Seann William Scott, Paul Rudd, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jane Lynch, Elizabeth Banks

Heidi’s Illustrious Rating: 4.5

Word of Warning: Not one for the kiddos. Some nudity and a lot of sexual innuendos and tons of words your mother would make you wash your mouth out with soap for using.

Note worthy: Fans of KISS must see this movie - just see it and you’ll understand.

My hopes for this movie were rather low. It was one of those movie previews I’d been watching at the theater for months and I figured all the funny parts were used up on the preview clips. I was so, so wrong. This movie is genuinely funny. I think the last movie to make me laugh this much was “The 40-year-old Virgin.” The crowd at our theater proved I wasn’t the only one getting the jokes. Chuckles, giggles and outright cackles burst out around us. 

The plot isn’t deep. Two guys, Danny (Paul Rudd) and Wheeler (Seann William Scott) work as salesmen for an energy drink company. They drive around in a monster truck selling a “just say no to drugs, but yes to this energy drink” motto to schoolchildren, despite the fact the drink turns their pee green. 

Thirty-five year old Danny has been with the company for ten years and is reaching an early mid-life crisis. His girlfriend, played by Elizabeth Banks, who seems to be in every movie lately, has tired of his bad attitude. When she dumps him, he goes a little crazy. Danny and happy-go-lucky Wheeler end up in a sticky situation with jail or community service as their only options.

They opt for community service and are assigned to be role models in an adult-child mentoring program. Enter, Jean Sweeney, a recovered alcoholic, drug addict and mentor program founder. Comedian, writer and actress, Jane Lynch, plays Sweeney. Lynch was a writer and actor in one of my favorite comedies, “Best in Show”, and her addition to this cast was brilliant. She provides some of the most oddly funny scenes in this movie, just as she did in “The 40-year-old Virgin.”

Danny is paired with Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), a sword-wielding sixteen-year-old, who belongs to a live-action, fantasy/medieval role-playing group. Wheeler is matched up with a ten-year-old delinquent who has already gone through eight mentors since he joined the program. Wheeler, who is little more than a kid in a grown up body, and Danny, a self-absorbed pessimist, know nothing about children and have only agreed to participate in the mentor program in order to avoid jail.

Despite the obvious plot set up, the movie is truly funny. Rudd is the perfect straightman to Scott’s childish, yet likable surfer dude persona. The two “children” (Mintz-Plasse, of “Superbad” fame, is actually 19), provide the most laughs in this movie. Bobb’e J. Thompson, who plays the kid Wheeler has been assigned to mentor, is a pint-sized comic genius and I think he has a successful future in store.

There were no lulls in laughter at our theater during this movie. I highly recommend it for a guys night out, girls night out, or even a date night (you can find out if your date has a sense of humor). Okay, it’s probably not for everyone; “Role Models” would make my mom blush, cover her eyes and plug her ears. But for the rest of us, this one is a must-see (especially if your having a bad day and need cheering up).