Buzzman
Senior Member
Cedar Rapids (2011)
To call insurance agent Tim Lippe (Ed Helms), "naïve" is a gross understatement. He's never left his small hometown. He's never stayed at a hotel. And he's never experienced anything like Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Sent to represent his company at the annual insurance convention, Tim is soon distracted by three convention veterans (John C. Reilly, Anne Heche and Isiah Whitlock Jr.) who will show him the ropes and push his boundaries. For a guy who plays everything by the book, this convention will be anything but conventional.
I’m not saying that a raunchy R-Rated balls to the wall comedy can’t be good but more often than not, they tend to be good at best and mostly mediocre. The real meat of the comedy genre, and the one I tend to enjoy the most, are these small heartwarming ones that have a lot of heart in its lead rather than Hollywood filling up the screen. Cedar Rapids has all the trademarks of an indie comedy, and excels at making you feel good without having to force laughs out of you. They tend to come a lot more naturally based on the characters rather than the scenario.
In a very small town, a minor problem to us, and a giant problem for them, befalls upon a car dealership that forces Tim Lippe to leave his safe bubble of Brown Valley and head into the far too entertaining Cedar Rapids to attend an annual awards conference never short on fun. It’s cool and familiar seeing a quirky character experience things for the first time and be exposed to the real world. It never really forces its hand, and lets everything come in a cool constant stream that allows the film to go with a typical plotline. The wacky adventures Tim Lippe goes through are fun, awkward, and tame; The transition he makes gives off a warm feeling and you’re happy to see him basically grow up and become a man. The side stories that come along with his adventures are just as good, if not better, because they add a flare of craziness and reality to a film that seems so far-fetched in its own universe. They are nice holders for a film that could have lost itself in its own reality.
The best parts of the films come from its amazing little cast full of people you love in the film world. Ed Helms is ironically the weakest part, but that’s not due to him. He provides a nice stellar character to follow around and never attempts to try lose control and become his unfunny self we’ve seen in his early career. The real star is the always amazing John C Reilly. The minute he’s on screen you fall in love with him. He’s so damn funny and somehow never manages to let off the gas. He says some of the most best one liners in a long time and it’s the manner in which he says them which make them funny rather than what he’s actually saying. He adds one of the best characters to his career of awesomeness. He’s such an underappreciated talent. The two other partners in crime are Isiah Whitlock Jr. of Wire fame in what is essentially a great over extended cameo and Anne Heche adding a powerful female character in a comedy that rarely happens. She can be funny, but it’s the amount of heart that comes with her character that makes her such a great one to watch. Her interactions with Helms are great. It’s a great cast that makes it a great movie.
One of the more overlooked films of 2011, it is a really fun charmer that can make you piss your pants if you’re unprepared for it. It only confirms my love for the indie genre, and proves that John C Reilly is a god. That is all.
Overall Score: 8/10
To call insurance agent Tim Lippe (Ed Helms), "naïve" is a gross understatement. He's never left his small hometown. He's never stayed at a hotel. And he's never experienced anything like Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Sent to represent his company at the annual insurance convention, Tim is soon distracted by three convention veterans (John C. Reilly, Anne Heche and Isiah Whitlock Jr.) who will show him the ropes and push his boundaries. For a guy who plays everything by the book, this convention will be anything but conventional.
I’m not saying that a raunchy R-Rated balls to the wall comedy can’t be good but more often than not, they tend to be good at best and mostly mediocre. The real meat of the comedy genre, and the one I tend to enjoy the most, are these small heartwarming ones that have a lot of heart in its lead rather than Hollywood filling up the screen. Cedar Rapids has all the trademarks of an indie comedy, and excels at making you feel good without having to force laughs out of you. They tend to come a lot more naturally based on the characters rather than the scenario.
In a very small town, a minor problem to us, and a giant problem for them, befalls upon a car dealership that forces Tim Lippe to leave his safe bubble of Brown Valley and head into the far too entertaining Cedar Rapids to attend an annual awards conference never short on fun. It’s cool and familiar seeing a quirky character experience things for the first time and be exposed to the real world. It never really forces its hand, and lets everything come in a cool constant stream that allows the film to go with a typical plotline. The wacky adventures Tim Lippe goes through are fun, awkward, and tame; The transition he makes gives off a warm feeling and you’re happy to see him basically grow up and become a man. The side stories that come along with his adventures are just as good, if not better, because they add a flare of craziness and reality to a film that seems so far-fetched in its own universe. They are nice holders for a film that could have lost itself in its own reality.
The best parts of the films come from its amazing little cast full of people you love in the film world. Ed Helms is ironically the weakest part, but that’s not due to him. He provides a nice stellar character to follow around and never attempts to try lose control and become his unfunny self we’ve seen in his early career. The real star is the always amazing John C Reilly. The minute he’s on screen you fall in love with him. He’s so damn funny and somehow never manages to let off the gas. He says some of the most best one liners in a long time and it’s the manner in which he says them which make them funny rather than what he’s actually saying. He adds one of the best characters to his career of awesomeness. He’s such an underappreciated talent. The two other partners in crime are Isiah Whitlock Jr. of Wire fame in what is essentially a great over extended cameo and Anne Heche adding a powerful female character in a comedy that rarely happens. She can be funny, but it’s the amount of heart that comes with her character that makes her such a great one to watch. Her interactions with Helms are great. It’s a great cast that makes it a great movie.
One of the more overlooked films of 2011, it is a really fun charmer that can make you piss your pants if you’re unprepared for it. It only confirms my love for the indie genre, and proves that John C Reilly is a god. That is all.
Overall Score: 8/10
