Role Models

UK Release: 9th January 2009

Watched on TV: Saturday 6th August 2011

Rating: 15

Genre: Comedy

Runtime: 1hr 39mins

Tagline: Danny and Wheeler were just sentenced to 150 hours mentoring kids. Worst idea ever.

IMDb Plot Summary: Danny and Wheeler, well into their 30s, lack something: Danny feels stuck; he's sour and has driven away his terrific girlfriend. Wheeler chases any skirt he sees for empty sex. When they get in a fight with a tow-truck driver, they choose community service over jail and are assigned to be big brothers - Danny to Augie, a geek who loves participating in a weekend Medieval reenactment society, and Wheeler to Ronnie, a pint-size foul-mouthed kid. After a rocky start, things start to go well until both Danny and Wheeler make big mistakes. Can the two men figure out how to change enough to be role models to the boys?

My Review: This is a boys movie, Judd Apatow-esque some might say. The humour is quite immature and the content (just look at the trailer) is full of sexist and violent jokes. The only thing keeping the film afloat is Paul Rudd, the only performance that is half decent. Also it was brilliant to see the fantastic Jane Lynch as I know her as Sue Sylvester from Glee, so it was cool to see her just as funny pre-Glee. 

Other than that there wasn’t much of a plot and a lot of the jokes just lost momentum. The only inkling of emotion was weighed down with sarcasm and a rich coating of cheese. 

The main focus of the film seemed to be the medieval reenactment. It got a little tedious at times and the predictable and ridiculously cringe-worthy ending didn’t help. Not one I’ll be seeing again.

Score: 5.5/10