Role Models (2008)

Wild behavior forces a pair of energy drink reps to enroll in a Big Brother program.

Director:

David Wain

Writers:

Timothy Dowling (story), W. Blake Herron (story) (as William Blake Herron)

Stars:

Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Elizabeth Banks

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Seann William Scott	...	Wheeler
Paul Rudd	...	Danny
Christopher Mintz-Plasse	...	Augie
Bobb'e J. Thompson	...	Ronnie
Elizabeth Banks	...	Beth
Jane Lynch	...	Sweeny
Ken Jeong	...	King Argotron
Ken Marino	...	Jim Stansel
Kerri Kenney	...	Lynette (as Kerri Kenney-Silver)
A.D. Miles	...	Martin
Joe Lo Truglio	...	Kuzzik
Matt Walsh	...	Davith of Glencracken
Nicole Randall Johnson	...	Karen
Alexandra Stamler	...	Esplen (as Allie Stamler)
Carly Craig	...	Connie

Storyline

Danny and Wheeler, well into their 30s, lack something: Danny feels stuck; he's sour and has driven away his terrific girlfriend. Wheeler chases any skirt he sees for empty sex. When they get in a fight with a tow-truck driver, they choose community service over jail and are assigned to be big brothers - Danny to Augie, a geek who loves to LARP (Live Action Role Play), and Wheeler to Ronnie, a pint-size foul-mouthed kid. After a rocky start, things start to go well until both Danny and Wheeler make big mistakes. Can the two men figure out how to change enough to be role models to the boys?

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Plot Keywords:

big brother | community service | absent father | peter pan syndrome | live action role playing | 

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Taglines:

I am not a ROLE MODEL.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for crude and sexual content, strong language and nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Sturdy Wings Universal [United States]

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 November 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Big Brothers

Filming Locations:

2800 Donald Douglas Loop North, Santa Monica, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$28,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$19,167,085 (USA) (7 November 2008)

Gross:

$67,266,300 (USA) (23 January 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Relativity Media, Stuber/Parent

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min 101 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many lines in the film were improvised. The writers did constant rewrites and came up with ideas during filming but had to stop because of the 2007 Writers Guild strike.

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Goofs

When Beth is packing her things when she is moving out there is a lamp shade over the head rest on the driver's-side seat. In the next shot it is completely gone.

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Quotes

Martin Gary: [observes Wheeler and Danny having popcorn thrown at them] I've heard of popcorn in the face, but this is ridiculous!

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Crazy Credits

Halfway through the end credits, we cut back to Gayle Sweeny repeating her suggestive use of a hot-dog toward Jim Stansel (continuously pushes the end out of its bun while he sticks it back in).

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Connections

References Shrek (2001)

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Soundtracks

Danny Boy
Written by Frederick Edward Weatherly (as Weatherly), Samuels

User Reviews

More a sophisticated comedy than buffoonery

The capsule summary of "Role Models" on Xfinity TV is, "Forced to join a mentorship program, two irresponsible men (Seann William Scott, Paul Rudd) must help a pair of impressionable boys navigate the troubled waters of youth." That description sounds like a smarmy physical comedy derivative with cheap scatological bits. Except that Xfinity gave it a rating of 3 out of 4 stars, so I decided to take a look at it.

To my pleasure, the film turned out to be a much more sophisticated movie. The two men, who are allowed to do community service instead of jail, are assigned to a big brother type program. The more intellectual of the two men, Danny, who is disillusioned with the world, is assigned to an immature teen who doesn't fit in with his peers; instead he devotes himself to participation in an on-going Dungeons and Dragons type reenactment played by a mixed group of adults and children who and his job. Wheeler, a care-free womanizer, is assigned a tough young foul-mouthed kid with whom no previous volunteer had lasted more than one day. The story shows the changes the interactions of the two "Littles" and their "Bigs"have on each other. There are a number of cheap double entendre sexual references, but they don't diminish the film too much.