A loose, quick-paced, and frankly sexual humor, romp with a sweet, life-affirming core
By Bob Brown
THERE’S a kind of humor — let’s call it stupid-funny — that is so fragile, it’s hard to tell why it works. When it doesn’t, the results are deadening if not offensive. But when it does, you’re ashamed to be laughing uncontrollably. And it won’t tickle everyone’s funny bone. Role Models is stupid-funny, but in a good way.
Director David Wain, who co-wrote this script with actor Paul Rudd and others, knows his way around this funny universe. Among other projects, he directs Wainy Days, a Web-series of comedy sketches based on the sex-infused life of a character named David Wain (Wain). So it follows that a generous helping of this film’s humor depends on sexual language and references, with just a touch of bare skin and simulated sex acts that are relatively mild by today’s standards. In short, more crudity, less nudity.
Ironically, the character whose patter is the filthiest happens to be 12. But more of that anon, as another of the young characters might say. The main characters, Wheeler (Seann William Scott) and Danny (Rudd), are hucksters for an energy drink, Minotaur. Their day consists of driving around to local schools in a be-horned, Minotaur-ized truck, and delivering “Don’t do drugs, do Minotaur” pep talks (a sort of extended commercial disguised as a D.A.R.E. program). The hyper Wheeler loves his job, but the ever-negative Danny is depressed by this rut. The last straw (a cliché that Danny would hate — as he does all clichés) is when his lawyer girlfriend Beth (Elizabeth Banks) dumps him.
When the Minotaur truck is being towed for illegal parking, Danny flies into a rage and guns it, with tow truck in tow, smashing into a horse-statue on school grounds. Wheeler and Danny are sentenced to jail, but Beth gets them an alternative: 150 hours of mentoring kids at Sturdy Wings, a local Big Brother-type charity. When they arrive for duty, however, suddenly jail doesn’t sound so bad.
The place is run by ex-druggy, ex-con Gayle (Jane Lynch) who tells Danny and Wheeler, “You know what I used to eat for breakfast? Cocaine. You know what I used to eat for lunch? Cocaine.” Wheeler and Danny: “What’d you have for dinner? Was it cocaine?”) Gayle warns them she’s B.S.-proof, then saddles them with the two most problematic kids: 12-year-old Ronnie (Bobb’e J. Thompson), who swears like a sailor and verbally and physically abuses all his mentors, and 15-year-old Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), a Xanthian warrior in a medieval role-playing community, complete with cape, sword and archaic language.
Wheeler and Danny have had trouble enough getting along with each other. Now they have to serve as role models for two out-of-control kids. Ronnie locks Wheeler out of his jeep and takes a turn around the parking lot, while Danny resists fitting into Augie’s feudal community of medieval gamers, e.g., he won’t kneel to King Argotron (Ken Jeong). But Wheeler’s aversion to possible jailhouse “rape” keeps him focused on connecting with Ronnie.
He finally breaks through by introducing the sexuality of the rock group KISS, and sharing a mutual appreciation for the female anatomy. On his side, Danny sees Augie’s escapism as a way of coping with a crummy home life — not unlike his own. When the two “Bigs,” as Gayle calls mentors, tap into their own childhoods, they can relate to the “Littles.” And all the randyness begins to morph, from self-gratification to self-affirmation.
A lot of what’s funny in the dialogue isn’t printable in a newspaper. Double-entendres run rampant, involving all forms of sexuality. When the male role players raise their swords, one of them says, “Let us put our points together.” When Gayle is eating a pig-in-a-blanket, she pushes the sausage in and out of the opening and asks, “What does this remind you of?” Juvenile to be sure, but naughtily amusing.
The ensemble cast, many of whom appear in Wainy Days sketches, are a sort of R-rated version of the kind Christopher Guest puts together in his less-structured films. (Lynch, in fact, has done a turn in A Mighty Wind). Especially funny, considering his tender years, is Thompson, who tosses off raunchy dialogue with ease. As a rapper at age 5, Thompson may never have learned to “watch the language,” as Ronnie’s mom keeps reminding him.
The attention to pacing and editing is crisp, and that makes a big difference. Put this movie among the new breed of comedy popularized by [agr: isn’t Judd Apatow the person behind all this?: ]Seth Rogen with Evan Goldberg and team (Knocked Up, Superbad, etc.). This kind of film has a loose, quick-paced, and frankly sexual humor, but with a sweet, life-affirming core. If you can’t abide crude jokes, don’t apply. But if you think sex can be funny, and not the point of it all, then you may find this a not-so-stupid, enjoyable romp.
Rated R for crude and sexual content, strong language and nudity.

