When you think of Ed Helms (The Hangover )and John C. Reilly (Step Brothers) in the same film, it’s hard not to think that you’re getting yourself into a raunchy comedy of sorts. You think that even more when you actually see the trailer for Cedar Rapids and it just shows comedy bits after comedy bits, distracting you from what the film is really about. Cedar Rapids isn’t just a comedy, it’s more of a dramedy about a naive adult that, in a matter of a few days at a conference, learns to fly away from the nest and make confident personal decisions on his own. Hit the jump to find out my thoughts on this insurance based comedy.
Cedar Rapids tells the story of Tim Lippe (Ed Helms), an insurance salesman from a small town in Iowa who has never left his town and who is completely ignorant to the world around him. When one of his award winning colleagues dies, it is up to Tim to go to the Cedar Rapids convention and bring back the insurance award for the fourth straight year. Bill Krogstad (Stephen Root), Tim’s boss, gives him one rule, to stay away from Dean Ziegler (John C. Reilly). Suffice it to say, this nearly becomes impossible when Deanzie becomes one of his roommates, along with the good natured Ronald Wilkes (Isiah Whitlock Jr.) aka The Ronimal. Deanzie is the party animal of the convention and, whicle he wants to win the award as well, he is there to simply have a wild time. The fourth member of the bunch is a sexy wild agent named Joan Ostrowski-Fox (Anne Heche), and she is the one responsible for connecting with Lippe on an emotional level and bringing him down to the rest of the group’s level.
When I got to the theater I was super excited. Ed Helms, Isiah Whitlock Jr. and director Miguel Artera (Youth in Revolt) showed up to introduce the film to tell us how much this movie meant to them-that’s when my buddy yelled out that he was actually from Cedar Rapids, it was great. I planned on this being a hysterical Sundance film and hoped it would meet all of my expectations and, while I left a bit disappointed, I actually have done some reflecting and found out why this movie is much better than originally thought.
Yes this movie is dirty, but you know what, a lot of dirty movies don’t really ever have stories and this one did. Artera understood how to balance the raunchy comedy with the innocence and sweetness of what it’s like to grow up. Cedar Rapids is more of a coming of age story about a 30 something year old finally learning what it’s like to be an adult. This is the root of the movie and where all the end-of-film morals are derived from. Tim Lippe comes away from the convention chock full of knowledge about confidence, business ethics, and, the most important one of all, partying. In Cedar Rapids you can only abide by one rule. Work Hard, Play Hard.
The humor in the movie was both typical and original. One of my favorite scenes is when John C. Reilly acts like R2-D2 in the pool (shown in the trailer). It just makes me want to do that every time I see a garbage can like that. When Ronald Wilkes turned from a white black man into a gangsta, that’s when you know the climax was coming…and it was great. What will surprise you the most is the beginning of the film and the people Ed Helms is originally surrounded by before he is shipped off to the convention. Don’t worry, I won’t spoil that. The movie manages to be both raunchy and innocently charming.
Lastly, I thought the acting was pretty good. Helms was great as the naive country boy and everyone else nailed their supporting roles, always staying true to their characters’ philosophies and personal values. The key is that everyone’s flaws were exposed and not just Helms’ which means that Artega wanted to prove that everyone has issues, which is the most realistic aspect of this film. Oh, by the way, the movie also features Sigourney Weaver, Rob Corddry, Kurtwood Smith (That 70’s Show), and Mike Birbiglia.
While I didn’t think Cedar Rapids was “Super Awesome,” I think it was a decent movie. It had its funny moments, it had its dramatic moments, and, there’s no doubt about it, it had its odd moments. If you go in with the right mindset that this film isn’t just a raunchy comedy I think you will appreciate it, but if you go in like I did thinking that it would all be just fun and games, then you might leave slightly disappointed.
P.S. If you ever want to learn the right ways to make the mos tout of any convention you ever attend, they check out Deanzie’s Guid to ‘Business’ Conventions
Rating: A good coming of age story that manages to be both raunchy and innocent (6.5/10)
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