Cedar Rapids (2011)

Tim Lippe has no idea what he's in for when he's sent to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to represent his company at an annual insurance convention, where he soon finds himself under the "guidance" of three convention veterans.

Director:

Miguel Arteta

Writer:

Phil Johnston

Stars:

Ed Helms, John C. Reilly, Anne Heche

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ed Helms	...	Tim Lippe
John C. Reilly	...	Dean Ziegler
Anne Heche	...	Joan Ostrowski-Fox
Isiah Whitlock Jr.	...	Ronald Wilkes
Stephen Root	...	Bill Krogstad
Kurtwood Smith	...	Orin Helgesson
Alia Shawkat	...	Bree
Thomas Lennon	...	Roger Lemke
Rob Corddry	...	Gary
Mike O'Malley	...	Mike Pyle
Sigourney Weaver	...	Macy Vanderhei
Inga R. Wilson	...	Gwen Lemke
Mike Birbiglia	...	Trent
Seth Morris	...	Uncle Ken
Christopher Lemon	...	Rock Climbing Dude #1

Storyline

Tim Lippe (Helms) was the guy people always thought would go places but then he just ... didn't. He's been living in über-sleepy Brown Valley, Wisconsin his whole life, still "pre-engaged" to his 7th grade teacher Macy Vanderhei (Weaver), while selling insurance to protect other people's dreams. But now, Tim's stalled life is about to get a kick-start because, for the first time in his 34 years, he's headed to a "major" metropolis - Cedar Rapids, Iowa - where he must try to save his company at a do-or-die insurance convention that, for him, will be entirely unconventional. From the minute he checks into his hotel with his ancient American Tourister and cummerbund money belt, it's clear Tim has no idea how the modern world really works. He is soon smitten with seductive Nebraskan insurance agent Joan Ostrowski-Fox (Heche) and awed by his experienced roommates, the straight-shooting Ronald Wilkes (Whitlock Jr.) and the suspicious Dean Zeigler (Reilly). Disheartened when he comes ...

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Plot Keywords:

convention | cedar rapids iowa | hotel | lighting a fart | drugs | 

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Taglines:

Today Is The First Day... Of The Rest Of His Weekend.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for crude and sexual content, language and drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Fox Searchlight [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 April 2011 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Alocada convención

Filming Locations:

Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£146,062 (UK) (29 April 2011)

Gross:

$6,857,503 (USA) (20 May 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ad Hominem Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although originally intended to be shot on location, production was moved to Ann Arbor, MI when Iowa shuttered its film tax credit program.

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Goofs

When Tim is on the rock-climbing wall, his competitors are alongside him; when Dean Ziegler remarks how high up Tim is (which causes Tim to panic), all of Tim's competitors are suddenly gone.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Tim Lippe: [voice-over] One of the reasons I love Brown Valley so much is that when you do business here, chances are good you know the person you're dealing with.

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Crazy Credits

During the closing credits, the main characters tell (dumb) jokes at the cottage, and a commercial for their new insurance company is shown.

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Connections

References The Amazing Race (2001)

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Soundtracks

"One Night In Paradise"
Written and Performed by Jake Monaco

User Reviews

Okay script elevated by a great cast

My first 2011 film. It's a pretty unambitious comedy, but it survives because of a fantastic cast. Too fantastic, really. I have to wonder what drew them to this rather middling material. Ed Helms (of The Office and The Daily Show) stars as a sheltered insurance salesman from a small town in northern Wisconsin who is drafted by his boss (Stephen Root) to go to an insurance conference in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He's pretty inexperienced with life outside his own little bubble, and he gets led astray by troublemaker John C. Reilly. The film also co-stars Isaiah Whitlock, Jr. (who co-starred in HBO's The Wire, a series for which the character espouses a lot of love), Anne Heche (extremely good

• probably the only good thing I've ever seen her done), Sigourney

Weaver, Alia Shawkat (of the TV series (not the rap group) Arrested Development) and Kurtwood Smith (of That 70s Show and RoboCop). I wanted to see this one because of its Midwestern setting. Part of me was afraid that it would be Hollywood making fun of Midwesterners, but it's pretty gentle. Helms may play a sheltered small-town guy, but it's just him (Reilly's character is from Steven's Point, WI, and he's not a rube; he is a drunk, though). The film actually has a lot of affection for the Midwest, and it has a lot of heart.