Rated: 15

Director David Wain (WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER) capably mixes the saucy and the sentimental in the bawdy boys-to-men comedy ROLE MODELS. Stuck-in-a-rut Danny Donahue (Paul Rudd) and womanizing man-child Wheeler (Seann William Scott) work together promoting Minotaur energy drink to high school students. But when Danny's girlfriend Beth (Elizabeth Banks) dumps him because he lacks maturity, his lashing out threatens to land him and Wheeler in jail. Their only way out is to act as mentors at Sturdy Wings, a Big Brother-esque organization run by reformed addict--and unrepentant flirt--Gayle Sweeny (Jane Lynch). There, Danny is paired with the decidedly dorky Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) while Wheeler is the latest victim to take on foul-mouthed Ronnie (Bobb'e J. Thompson). After a bumpy beginning, both Danny and Wheeler connect with their kids over everything from sword-and-sorcery role playing to the chick-scoring power of the band Kiss. But when these two presumptive adults put their charges' well-being in jeopardy, they face both jail time and the loss of everyone's respect. With their own friendship on the brink of ruin, Danny and Wheeler--not to mention a little help from the magic of Kiss--must reach deep inside to prove to the world how responsible they can truly be. In the spirit of films like KNOCKED UP and THE 40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN, ROLE MODELS features a healthy dose of sharp humor and juvenile gags balanced by a feel-good message that growing up doesn't mean giving up what makes each of us special.

For every twenty filthy disgusting R-rated comedy gems, there's one that stands out because of its heavy dosage of heart. Role Models isn't the sort of movie you'd expect to be the exception, but nonetheless delivers quality film-making, quality writing and acting, and plenty of life-lessons as well as raunchy humor to keep you laughing throughout. Paul Rudd's first script is full of his dry, sarcastic, witty brand of humor; and then we have the hilarious Seann William Scott in the sidekick role. Underneath the layers of profanity, sex jokes, cleavage lies life values and a hidden layer of sentimentality that seeps its way through the second and third acts. The transition is very slow and gradually actually improves the film as it rolls on.

Role Models follows two slackers, a bitter one (Rudd) and a rowdy, horny freebird (William Scott) being forced to community service after a mishap outside a school. For their community service, they have to enroll in a big brother-like program and take care of a kid for 150 hours. The task becomes hard because one of them is a major fan of the fantasy, medieval role-playing lifestyle, and the other is a foul-mouthed, misbehaving youngling with no respect towards adults or people in general. As they spend more time together however, they realize they have a lot more in common than previously assumed; and suddenly start changing each other's habits for the better.

The screenplay is helmed by four minds, with Paul Rudd providing his personal touch for the first time in his career. The payoff is magnificent, as the plot never dwells into formulaic, and most of the humor hits rather than misses. Unlike most modern rated-R comedies, some of the jokes are very low and come quickly, therefore passing by the viewer without getting a reaction. It takes some quick wit to nab the swiftly-delivered one-liners. Paul Rudd is perfectly cast as the lead character Danny, and performs with an overwhelming aura of selfishness, sarcasm, and subtle hostility. Seann William Scott is at his best when being second banana (See: American Pie, The Rundown) and is also perfectly cast as the wild, immature co-worker of Danny. Last but not least we must applaud Christopher Mintz-Plasse as he delivers another grand geeky performance that mixes humor with heart.

What separates incredible rated-R comedies like The 40-Year-Old Virgin and There's Something About Mary from stinkers like Scary Movie 2, Superbad, and My Best Friend's Girl is how much raunchy material is presented and its timing. In the first two films mentioned, there's squeamish and adult humor sprinkled throughout, but it's never overdone or overkilled. Role Models has a lot of profanity, a bit of sex, and a bit of crudeness attached; but these elements are never one-hundred percent focused on. Director David Wain knows how to keep the film from being unbearably crude and unwatchable by proving other ways to deliver laughs: whether it is with physical humor, snappy comebacks, and hilarious scenarios. The best bits are when Danny and Wheeler are having trouble adjusting to the behaviors of their "little brothers."

But then the movie dwells into deeper territory by providing insight into the reason why the little brothers are such a hassle to handle; and why these kids can potentially help our two main characters. Themes about life, love, family, and understanding the next individual are all too present. Nobody's bizarre and unique mannerisms are ever left unexplained. By the end you've gotten to know the characters so well, you can figure out their next moves. It's a sort of predictability that's actually refreshing. Of course, then we are all thrown off by the climax, which stages one of the funniest moments in 2008 cinema. The epic finale is long, but ludicrous, and wraps up the story very nicely.

Bottom Line: It usually isn't my nature to give a film with dozens of cleavage jokes a high score (especially with my hate affair with Dane Cook), but Role Models is surprisingly cute, surprisingly sweet, and delightfully hilarious and touching. You'll care for everyone by the third act, and will remain entertained until the very end. Unlike the average adult comedy, this one comes with a lot of values and adorable little moments that makes this worth watching more than once. Paul Rudd is a much underrated actor and entertainer, as we see him deliver on his first main comedic role. Here's to hoping we'll see much more of him in the near future. In the meantime, you'll do yourself some good by watching this gem.

"No, venti is twenty. Large is large. In fact, tall is large and grande is Spanish for large. Venti is the only one that doesn't mean large. It's also the only one that's Italian. Congratulations, you're stupid in three languages."

Danny is in a rut with his life and hates his job as a promoter of a sugar/caffeine energy drink called minotaur, while his co-worker, Wheeler, loves it. However after being dumped by his girlfriend, Danny crashes his minotaur truck into a school monument and he and Wheeler face the prospect of 30 days in jail or 150 hours of community service doing big-brother type work with disadvantaged youngsters. While Wheeler is landed with Ronny an obnoxious little 10 year old, Danny is landed with a dungeons and dragon playing geek called Augie. While neither of them hit it off with the kids at first they all eventually become friends and learn a lot of life lessons. Ahhhh!

Now, you might think that from this semi-sarcastic tone I hated it, but oh contraire, far from. I admit I had low expectations of this film that were completely smashed by the scatter-gun humour of the film. The dialogue is funny and the sarcasm bitingly funny at times, as the top line suggests. Paul Rudd is perfect as the miserable Danny and Sean William Scott is perfectly cast as the free-living, but unfortunate Wheeler.

The film manages to tread that fine line between cliché ridden schmaltz (Like 27 dresses) and refreshingly enjoyable comedies (Like Something About Mary) with a deft touch, the direction is sure footed and manages to deliver a surprise ending that I would never have guessed from how it began.

Danny (Paul Rudd) and Wheeler (Seann William Scott) are two energy drink salesmen who promote a drink called "Minotaur" to school children, and to encourage kids to stay off drugs. Wheeler loves the job, but Danny hates it, viewing it as a mindless, dead-end job. Danny's pessimism results in the collapse of his relationship with lawyer Beth Jones (Elizabeth Banks), after he impulsively proposes to her. After one presentation the duo find that their truck is being towed, as they were parked in a no-parking zone. They try driving the truck away from the tow truck, damaging the tow truck, nearly running over a policeman and crashing into a statue.

They are arrested. Beth strikes a deal with the judge in which they have to log 150 hours of community service over the next 30 days, in lieu of 30 days in jail. The judge selects for their community service a big-brother style program called Sturdy Wings, led by Gayle Sweeny (Jane Lynch), a recovering addict. Gayle instantly dislikes the two and warns them that if they fail to carry out their tasks she will have them imprisoned. Wheeler is paired up with Ronnie Shields (Bobb'e J. Thompson), a foul-mouthed streetwise miscreant obsessed with breasts, who has driven away all the other "Bigs" he has been paired with, while Danny is assigned Augie Farcques (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), a nerdy teenager obsessed with medieval live action role-playing games.