What Do The Critics Say?

"Crosses plenty of familiar territory, but Wain and his merry band of mischief-makers offer a likeable, laughable mix of testosterone and heart." Amy Biancolli HOUSTON CHRONICLE "Disarmingly likeable characters and a genuinely engaging story set this gross-out romp apart from other Apatow-style adult comedies." Rich Cline SHADOWS ON THE WALL "Jane Lynch steals each of her scenes as the charity project leader, a reformed cokehead singing from the right-on community care hymnsheet." Nigel Andrews FINANCIAL TIMES "Don't do as these naughty Role Models do, just laugh along with them." Chris Toto WASHINGTON TIMES "All the people behind me in the back section were cackling their heads off during most of the movie." Gary Brown HOUSTON COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS "It's hard to remember a recent comedy that piled one memorable moment after another near the ending as this one does." Peter Hartlaub SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE "Role Models’ isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel, just polish it up a little. What emerges is a memorable slice of modern slapstick, with charm to spare and just a touch of soul." Tom Huddlestone TIME OUT

"What you might expect, a juvenile farce that celebrates a sort of nihilistic, anything-goes raunchiness before revealing its heart of gold. There's nothing wrong with a formula like this when it works. Here it does." Rossiter Drake SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER "Role Models is exuberantly staged, fitfully funny and boasts a glorious supporting turn from Jane Lynch as the demagogic onetime addict." Xan Brooks UK GUARDIAN "What it is, though, is well acted, well written and extremely polished. Most important of all, it's really funny." Sean Gandert PASTE MAGAZINE "The kind of movie you don't see every day, a comedy that is funny." Roger Ebert CHICAGO SUN-TIMES "What works is its canny deployment of reasonable warmth and, hold on to your hats, surprising smarts." Walter Chaw FILM FREAKS CENTRAL "Well, here's something we don't usually see at the movies. Role Models is a raucously bawdy lowbrow comedy with a brain." Larry Ratliff SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS NEWS "Scott and Rudd play the same characters they always play and it is perfectly formulaic. Did I mention that it is pretty hilarious?" Kevin McCarthy CBS RADIO "I really enjoyed it and definitely recommend it. And you've got Jane Lynch in another outstanding performance. What more could you want?" JimmyO JO BLO'S MOVIE EMPORIUM

The Inside Story The renewed popularity of the MA15+ rated comedy over recent years has been marked by performances from two men who play seemingly irredeemable characters you just can’t help but somehow love. Bringing their complementary comic styles, withering commentary and acid tongue-lashings to meet bawdy humor mixed with countless sexual conquests, Paul Rudd ("Knocked Up") and Seann William Scott ("American Pie" series) have joined forces for their first film together: "Role Models". So how did the parts fall to these two, well-known actors and how did such an irreverent, humerously indecent, bawdy comedy make it to the big screen, where it has not only won over the majority of film critics, but also cinemagoers who's lives have been enriched by the films numerous well-weighted comedic moments? When producers and Co-president of production at Universal Pictures Mary Parent and Scott Stuber were searching for the next film to add to their production company’s growing collection of comedy hits, which including "The Break-Up" and "You, Me and Dupree"; they came upon a story that writers Timothy Dowling and William Blake Herron had crafted about two guys who refused to grow up until they were forced into taking care of a couple of boys who needed their unique brand of guidance. They optioned the project with producer Luke Greenfield, but it would have to wait until Paul Rudd; Rudd’s often writing partner, director David Wain; and Seann William Scott expressed interest in the film before it would take off. The producers were long familiar with Scott and Rudd, as they had overseen the development of such Universal Pictures’ comedy hits as the "American Pie series" (with Scott) and "The 40 Year Old Virgin" (with Rudd) during Stuber and Parent’s tenure as Universal’s heads of production. Parent notes, "The subject matter in Role Models was great and a perfect fit for these two actors. We find four disparate characters who are thrown together against their will and who would never have thought that the others could be a catalyst for the changes they go through." Stuber admits that what interested them in pursuing the film with Rudd and Scott was that the style of humor of both men couldn’t be more different, or more complementary. "Mary and I worked on the 'American Pie' series with Seann and "The 40 Year Old Virgin" with Paul; we were big fans of both. The script for this film presented one of those great pairings that we knew, right away, would work for the two of these guys. We felt there would be real comedic value in what they would bring to the story," says Stuber. After Rudd and Scott were committed to the film, the production team felt that they had found just the men to rework the script and adapt it to Rudd and Scott’s sensibilities and timing. Along with director Wain and his fellow The State comedy troupe performer, Ken Marino, Rudd would develop the story of two immature energy drink salesmen who are, by nature, complete opposites, and, by default, best friends. Danny is cynical and a premature curmudgeon, while Wheeler loves the ladies and partying. "I thought the idea was very funny and that there were some good jokes in it, but it was in the process of being written and rewritten. I thought of going different ways with the two characters, and then the producers asked if I wanted to write it. I had worked with David Wain and Ken Marino before, and I liked their humor. So, David came in to direct it, and David, Ken and I worked on the script together," Rudd revealed. "David Wain, Paul Rudd and Ken Marino had really fresh ideas for these characters and made them very real," Parent explained. Director David Wain recalls: "When I got involved with this project as a director, Paul had done a draft of the script, and then Paul, Ken Marino and I started working on it. Having worked on other features in the past and being good friends, we really have a certain comedic shorthand. It was a lot of fun to collaborate in this way." With the leads set, the production team would begin the search for a collection of misfits that included an exasperated girlfriend; an oversexed counselor with a cocaine-laden past, and two young misfits who would help our heroes to finally grow up. Christopher Mintz-Plasse was cast as Augie. "We all saw Chris in "Superbad" and thought 'Oh my God, who is that kid? He is unbelievable.' Then you hear all these stories of how they found him on MySpace, and you think that he may be a fluke, that he was playing himself. But he is a really great actor with lots of skills. He came in and created a completely different character and knocked it out of the park." Newcomer Bobb'e J Thompson was cast as Ronnie, a brash fifth grader african-american who talks more trash and thinks he can party harder than Wheeler. Playing the female leads in "Role Models" are two comic actors who happened to co-star with Paul Rudd in "The 40 Year Old Virgin". 2003 Young Hollywood Award winner Elizabeth Banks was cast as Danny's live-in girlfriend, Beth. "We found a place, tonally, for our movie that is realistic and makes sense when you have thirty year olds in it. We drop the F-bomb and talk about sex a lot," Banks ("Meet Dave" & "Seabiscuit") says. "Elizabeth is one of those rare women who is beautiful, smart and funny. If you can’t marry her, you must cast her in your movie," Stuber noted. 2008 Faith Hubley Memorial Award winning actress Jane Lynch, was cast as Sweeny, the former addict and founder of Sturdy Wings. Lynch liked what was written for her and saw the raw comedy in the character. "Sweeny misuses words. She gets her metaphors all goofed up and isn’t always linear in her thinking. Sometimes, she’s all over the place, and that, of course, drives Danny nuts because he’s so smart and logical. Here’s this woman with this power that she’s created for herself, and he has to put up with it and listen to her." As Danny and Wheeler soon find out, it's no good bullshitting the bullshitter! "Jane is so talented, and she brings her unique comedy to creating the role of Sweeny: a character who has obviously been through a lot in her life and thinks, 'I used to be addicted to pills, and now I’m addicted to helping people.' Sweeny takes all of that energy and channels it to a place of now wanting to do good and help people. But being almost overcommitted and overly passionate makes for a hilarious character," Parent ("The Kingdom") elaborates. In addition to writing duties, Ken Marino plays Augie’s clueless step-dad, Jim; Kerri Kenney-Silver steps in as Augie’s out of touch mom, Lynette; A.D. Miles was brought on for the role of Martin, Sturdy Wings’ most helpful/annoying volunteer; Nicole Randall Johnson was chosen to play Ronnie’s ferociously protective mother, Karen; and Louis CK cameos as the rent a cop who tries to rough up Danny and Wheeler outside a school in North Hollywood. For the key actors in Augie’s medieval role-play world, Wain hired Ken Jeong (whose memorable turn as the unpleasant OB-GYN Dr Kuni in "Knocked Up" earned rave reviews) to play Augie’s archnemesis, King Argotron; Joe Lo Truglio ("Hitch") as medieval dork Kuzzik; Matt Walsh as duplicitous nerd Davith of Glencracken; and Alexandra Stamler as Augie’s first love, Esplen. Writer/director Wain said, "I am thrilled that I can add people I haven’t worked with before." Synopsis

Danny and Wheeler are two salesmen who trash a company truck on an energy drink-fueled bender. Upon their arrest, the court gives them a choice: do hard time or spend 150 service hours with a mentorship program called Sturdy Wings. After one day with the kids, however, jail isn’t look half bad. Surrounded by annoying do-gooders, Danny struggles with his every neurotic impulse to guide Augie through the trials of becoming a man. Unfortunately, the guy who has just been dumped by his girlfriend Beth, has only sarcasm to offer a bashful 16 year old obsessed with medieval role play. Meanwhile, charming Wheeler tries to trade in an addiction to partying and women to assist a fifth grader named Ronnie in redirecting his foul-mouthed ways. It would probably help if Ronnie’s new mentor Wheeler, wasn’t an overgrown adolescent whose idea of quality time includes keggers in Venice Beach.

The Verdict "Like "Superbad", "Role Models" is one of those rare MA15+ rated comedies that really is funny. The audience I sat in with at the films premiere were, in the main, judging by the level of and amount of laughs the film evoked from them: obviously having a good time. Yes it is terribly naughty, but like the language in "In Bruges", it fits without offending. The main players: Scott, Rudd, Bobb'e J Thompson, Banks (who appeared with Thompson in "Fred Claus"), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad's McLuvin) and the very funny Jane Lynch are all on the mark here. Check your morals at the box-office and you'll thoroughly enjoy what is without a doubt, a comedy worth experiencing. Very Recommended. 4 STARS." Crew Bytes "ROLE MODELS" was .......
directed by David Wain ["Wet Hot American Summer" and "The Ten"]; costume design by Molly Maginnis ["As Good As It Gets", "Life as a House" and "The Bucket List"]; production design by Stephen J Lineweaver ["This Boys Life", "How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog" and "How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog"]; edited by Eric Kissack ["Blood of a Champion" and "Birds Of America"]; original music by Craig Wedren ["First Love, Last Rites", "Laurel Canyon" and "The School Of Rock"]. Who's Who

Seann William Scott Paul Rudd Christopher Mintz-Plasse Bobb'e J Thompson Elizabeth Banks Jane Lynch Ken Jeong

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Wheeler Danny Donahue Augie Farks Ronnie Shields Beth Gayle Sweeny King Argotron

Run Time 99 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2008 - Universal Pictures - All Rights Reserved ©2008 All Rights Reserved - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services - Protected by Australian, International, Copyright & Trademark Laws.