Cedar Rapids

 

Director: Miguel Arteta
Starring: Ed Helms, John C. Reilly, Anne Heche, Isiah Whitlock Jr. Kurtwood Smith, Stephen Root, Mike O' Malley, Sigourney Weaver, Alia Shawkat
Running Time: 86 minutes
Rating: R

★★ ½ (out of ★★★★) 

Cedar Rapids makes for an interesting case study of a how a comedy can be intelligently made and well-acted yet still not measure up because it doesn't bring the laughs. There just isn't much there and when it ended it almost felt as if I'd seen nothing at all. If this were a drama (which at times I wondered) it could almost be chalked up as a success because it's so character driven and the performances hold your interest. But it's a comedy and in director Miguel Arteta's defense I'm not sure a really good one could have even been made about an insurance convention in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The idea in itself doesn't exactly elicit a wealth of comic possibilities, with the action unfolding not disproving that theory. If someone asked me what this were about, I'd tell them just that: an insurance convention in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. There's some other stuff thrown in that's sort of a mess, yet also very predictable. For huge fans of Ed Helms' Hangover character or those clamoring for an Anne Heche comeback this may do the trick, but otherwise it's a skip.

Nerdy and naive Brownstar Insurance agent Tim Lippe (Helms) has lived a very sheltered life, having never left the small town in which he grew up, to the point where he's carrying on an affair with his former junior high teacher Macy (Sigourney Weaver) who seems far less into it than he. His world gets turned upside down when his co-worker dies in an accident and he's called on by his boss Bill (Stephen Root) to represent the company at the regional conference in Cedar Rapids. The pressure's on for him to make sure they take home the prestigious "Two Diamonds" award, which they've won for the past 3 years but takes on an added importance this time as a victory would help keep the small, struggling firm afloat. A fish out of water in his new hotel surroundings, Tim meets wild man Dean Ziegler (John C. Reilly) and Ronald Wilkes (The Wire's Isiah Whitlock Jr.), notable only for how normal he is and his obsession with The Wire. He also carries on a romantic fling of sorts with the married, free-spirited Joan (Heche) and gets involved with a prostitute named Bree (Alia Shawkat). Having never been exposed to much of anything before, the newly independent Tim is set loose in Cedar Rapids, having the time of his life but possibly compromising his company's award chances in the process.

I get what writer Phil Johnston is going for in attempting kind of a 40-Year-Old Virgin meets Superbad in the midwest but something got lost on the way to the screen and it doesn't exactly come together like it should. Ed Helms is sufficient in the lead but this is just Dr. Stu Price from Hangover. It's almost literally the same character with very few adjustments made, resulting in him giving the exact same performance as in that film. It's possible Helms has more to offer than that but we certainly won't ever find out if he continues being typecast as the uptight, middle-aged geek who has to come out of his shell. At this rate, he'll turn into the adult Michael Cera. But besides having a predictable story arc, where the movie ultimately misfires is in overestimating how funny this whole scenario (or lack of one) at the hotel really is, especially when these strange people Tim encounters are actually fairly normal, at least from a cinematic standpoint. The ads and commercials would have you believe John C. Reilly is as out of control here as he was in Walk Hard or Step Brothers but through little fault of his own that guy never shows up here and his supposedly sleazy character is stuck in neutral the entire time, never really contributing much in the way of laughs. They keep telling us he's crazy but considering Reilly's playing the part, it's probably up there with some of the more restrained work he's done, which is fine, just not comical in the slightest.

What's so bizarre is that at many points the dialogue seems to mock how boring Cedar Rapids is (except to the wide-eyed protagonist), but if that's the case, why would you set this there, then openly acknowledge that detail in the script?  In a way, it's a strength that the film was confident enough to not go too over-the-top but even when it tries to aim in that direction with Tim going on a drug bender and picking up a prostitute it just feels like something we've seen before in far too many other comedies and doesn't really mix with the material in this one. What surprisingly does work well is the romance, as 90's legend Anne Heche (don't pretend you don't remember Six Days Seven Nights, Volcano, Wag The Dog and Return to Paradise) ends up giving the most charming performance in the film as the loopy, eccentric Joan, reminding us again how she became a star by giving many scenes bite that wouldn't otherwise have any. I also found the Sigourney Weaver sub-plot one of the few laugh-out-loud funny scenarios, but that's unfortunately dispensed with after the opening minutes. Alia Shawkat is pretty much wasted in the thankless hooker role, her screen presence these days serving only to rub salt in the wound that we probably won't get that Arrested Development movie anytime soon, or maybe ever.  

Cedar Rapids is one of those comedies that feature likable, intelligent characters you don't mind spending time with and you're smiling much of the way through, but you end up forgetting you watched it the next day. Or even possibly the next hour. That it comes from the same director as last year's mild creative success Youth in Revolt is ironic considering that film was edgier and had a much sharper script, despite being targeted to a younger age group. This is more of a sophisticated adult comedy, and maybe too much so since most of its laughs come in the first five minutes with the set-up, before resembling a coming-of-middle-age drama for the remainder of its running time. It doesn't misstep much within that framework, but part of the problem could be attributed to so many male-driven comedies revolving around the tired plot point of a man-child having to grow up. Cedar Rapids is a somewhat solid, but needless entry into that genre, proving it's not good enough for a comedy to just be smart when it doesn't bother to also be funny.

The Hangover

Director: Todd Phillips
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham, Justin Bartha, Jeffrey Tambor, Ken Jeong
Running Time: 100 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

The Hangover takes a great premise that many will undoubtedly relate to and does the most it can with it. Asking the intriguing question of "What happened last night?" the film becomes an engaging comic mystery that avoids cliches, works in some clever little touches and features a few memorable performances. If my reaction seems a bit more lukewarm than the general glowing consensus that's probably just a symptom of having seen way too many comedies. If nothing else, it's at least far more pleasing than director Todd Phillips' own overrated cult comedy Old School, which I thought lazily phoned in a great idea. This is more in line with Road Trip.

If there's a fatal flaw, it would be that the big payoff seems pat and inconsequential considering how good a job is done building toward it. But it isn't trying to reinvent mainstream comedy, just be flat out hilarious, which it is all the way through. I can't say I cared greatly what happened the characters and the plot kind of flies off the rails toward the final act, but I laughed a lot, which is really all that counts. Plus, how often do you get to see Mike Tyson and Heather Graham in the same movie? Or any movie? Much less one of actual quality.

On the eve of his impending wedding, Doug (Justin Bartha) is being taken to Vegas for a bachelor party by best friends Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Stu (Ed Helms) and future brother-in-law, Alan (Zach Galifianakis). The plan is to give Doug one last night of hedonism before heading back the following day to tie the knot. Instead they wake up the next morning with no memory of the previous night and a lot of confounding questions. How did their $4200 suite get wrecked? Why is there a tiger in the bathroom? Whose baby is this? Where's Stu's tooth? Why is he now married to a stripper? Who knew Mike Tyson was such a huge Phil Collins fan? Most importantly, where's Doug? It's that last question that drives the action and send them on a frantic quest to piece together all the clues necessary to find their friend and get him to the altar on time.

The first hour of the film is the strongest, when we know about as much about the crazy scenario as the characters do: Nothing. The excitement of seeing them start to figure things out and the hilarious and unexpected detours that mission takes them on is the big draw here. It's filled with bizarre and uncomfortable moments, made all the more bizarre by the three very distinct personalities of the major players, especially eccentric, bearded slob Alan, who's the type of character you'd imagine being (over) played by Jack Black in a lesser movie. Instead, Galifianakis, long underrated as both an actor and a comedian, suggests a whole history for this guy in a handful of scenes with his off putting comments and creepy behavior, supplying most of the biggest laughs. There's enough reality in the portrayal to make us squirm yet it never crosses that line to the point we can't see the absurd humor in it.

Bradley Cooper is essentially the leading man for most of the picture, doing a good job making cocky jerk Phil (a teacher who hilariously collects cash from his students to fund this trip) somehow come off as likable. Ed Helms' Stu kind of reminded me of an adult version of McLuvin' from Superbad if he grew up to become a dentist (NOT A DOCTOR) whipped by a bitchy, controlling girlfriend (Rachael Harris). As the sweet, innocent stripper Jade, Heather Graham is given her best role in years, which may not being saying much, but it's a perfect fit for her. One of the script's best qualities is how it deftly handles the revelation Stu has awakened now married to this woman and it may not be the end of the world like he thinks it is. I'd even wager I found Stu's entire storyline more involving than anything having to do with the missing groom. Tyson is Tyson, but it works perfectly, and while his actual screen time amounts to slightly more than a cameo, it's a memorable one that delivers. His part is considerably funnier than even the trailers and commercials have teased.

The movie starts to run into trouble when it actually has to deliver on the mystery of what happened to Doug. Had the writers come up with something really inventive to explain what happened to him that matched the hilarity that unfolded up to that point it would have really taken the movie to the next level. Instead, things are wrapped up a little too tidily, even though we're given a classic supporting turn late in the game from Ken Jeong as an effeminate gangster that almost makes up for it. Also, since we're given so little time with Doug at the beginning of the picture and Justin Bartha is bland in just the few scenes he's given, it's difficult to care whether he makes it back for the wedding. In a way though, that's kind of a relief because it frees the movie up to just simply be crass and funny instead of delivering dopey life lessons, an unfortunate symptom that's befallen other testosterone driven comedies lately.

This doesn't seem like the kind of comedy that would hold up that well on a second viewing since it's built around a mystery and once you know how that turns out all that's left are the jokes. And those tend to never play as well the second time around, even for the very best efforts in the genre. You have to wonder if the exact same events of that night just unfolded as they happened without the big question at the center whether anyone would be talking about this movie at the level they are. When you put all the pieces together the whole endeavor does seem ordinary and by-the-numbers in retrospect. That was something that should have been avoided, but at least all the jokes hit and the comic timing clicks. These are characters you like spending time with in a movie you wouldn't mind actually living in for one night. Many probably already have. Where The Hangover really succeeds is in effectively capturing the hilarious uncertainty of that situation.