Cedar Rapids
86 Minutes
Director Miguel Arteta
Writer: Phil Johnston
Ed Helms, John C. Reilly, Anne Heche, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Stephen Root, Kurtwood Smith, Alia Shawkat, Rob Corddry, Mike O'Malley, Sigourney Weaver
R
A good comedy does two things: makes you laugh, and it makes you cry, from laughing so hard.
I literally choked on some skittles, at one point. Everyone in this movie is a seasoned comedic veteran. The genuine chemistry between the characters is amazing. Consequently, this is an example of the whole being greater than the sum of it's parts.
Tim Lippe was born and raised in the fictional town of Brown Valley, Wisconsin. He has never left the state of Wisconsin. Both of his parents died when he was 16. Tim was on his own, and needed to support himself. Brown Valley is a tight knight, supportive community. The owner, Bill Krogsdad (Root), extended a helping hand, and hired Tim to do light clerical work for Brown Star Insurance. Soon after, he got bumped up to an insurance adjuster.
One of Tim’s colleagues dies David Carradine style, in a erotic asphyxiation accident (There were only three people in the movie theater, and I was only person laughing). This colleague has been the top dog; winning three double diamond awards, three years in a row. These are awarded by an insurance industry organization, comprised of a handful of companies in the Wisconsin-Minnesota region.
Tim has played second fiddle, most of his working life. At this critical juncture, Tim has to step up to the plate, and knock this one out of the park. This involves traveling to Cedar Rapids, for an insurance industry conference. He is a passionate and dedicated insurance adjuster. Tim Lippe is a noble man. A man that believes he is really making a difference. He is the 'Hank Hill' of insurance adjusters.
Upon arriving at the hotel, Tim is approached by a prostitute. She asks him for a light. He admits that he doesn’t smoke, but instead offers butterscotch candy. She suggests the two of them should 'party' later on. In further interactions between the two, she uses butterscotch as a term of endearment.
Walking into his hotel room, Tim Freaks freaks out. It appears he shares a room with an ‘Afro-American’.
Ronald Wilkes (Whitlock), is one of Tim’s roommates. I’d say he makes Wayne Brady look like Malcom X, but that would be an understatement. Ronald is extremely dorky, lifeless man. He says things like, “that’s what I call a NCD, a no can do”.
Dean Ziegler (Reilly) is undoubtedly, the funniest character. He is a loud ,obnoxious jerk, and has a bit of a drinking problem. A recently divorced guy, married for 17 years, but at least one of those years was good. In spite of all this, deep down he is a decent person. Dean has been in the insurance ‘game’ for twenty years.
Anne Heche is a sassy redhead. No, she isn’t really sassy. That’s really the only adjective people use to describe someone with red hair. Married with two kids, she looking for a fling. She has her eyes set on Tim (Dean tries to facilitate this). She is like George Clooney's 'friend', Alex, from Up In the Air (2009).
This is the funniest movie you will see all year. As a limited release, it won't be in theaters very long. If you can't watch at a theater, I would suggest checking this out at a Redbox for a dollar, and burning it onto your computer. Buying it would be a good option as well.
Final Verdict: 95 out of 100
Side note:
It was nice to see Mike O’Malley had the GUTS to appear on the silver screen. It is just me or do Rich Eisen and Mike O’Malley bear an uncanny resemblance to one another? Maybe they don’t, but you Get The Picture.
