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 [us]

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

The hotel wedding that Tim and his friends crash is for two women. Same-sex marriage has been legal in the state of Iowa since April 3, 2009, when the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously upheld a lower court's ruling that there was no legitimate governmental interest in denying gay and lesbian Iowa citizens civil marriage licenses.

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Goofs

After the awards ceremony, when Ed Helms is telling his boss that he has taken his clients from him, his mouth does not move in sync with the words he is speaking.

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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 Lord of the Dance (1997)

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Soundtracks

"Son The Father"
Written and Performed by F***ed Up
Courtesy of Matador Records

User Reviews

A Mild Indie Comedy with Ed Helms

Following the success of THE HANGOVER, Ed Helms has officially risen to leading man status. Granted it's only an independent film and I'm not even sure it got any sort of nationwide release, but you've got to start somewhere. CEDAR RAPIDS is a quirky comedy with a handful of dark elements and, while it has a fair share of laughs, it's pretty tame. Helms is insurance salesman Tim Lippe, an awkward man who never amounted to much. He often fades into the background in the shadow of superior salesman Roger Lemke, and his only real relationship is the on-going fling with his former grade school teacher. After an unfortunate incident means Lemke won't be able to represent Brownstar Insurance at the upcoming ASMI conference in Cedar Rapids, it's left up to Tim to try and win the coveted Two Diamonds award for the the third year in a row. It won't be easy: Tim's never been outside his hometown of Brown Valley, WI and he's socially incompetent. As if he doesn't have it rough enough, he finds himself mixed up with the likes of notorious wild-man and rumored "poacher", Dean Ziegler.

With the exception of a pretty dark final 30 minutes where Helms' Lippe hits rock bottom, the film is pretty light. If it weren't for a good amount of vulgar humor (mostly from John C. Reilly's Ziegler), this film probably would've fallen to a PG-13 rating. A lot of the laughs come from Lippe's wide-eyed wonder at the real world and Ziegler's drunken antics. The gags in the film never really amount to more than a few chuckles, even when Helms loses his mind. It's a fun enough story with Lippe trying his darnedest to represent Brownstar in an honest fashion and finding out how even an institution like his beloved ASMI isn't impervious to the corruption of the world. Unfortunately, chuckles are about all the film amounts to. For a film billed as a comedy, there aren't a whole lot of "laugh out loud" moments. It's a shame too because the pairing of Helms and Reilly is a promising one. The film's quirkiness takes center stage with corny jokes and nicknames taking center stage over any real jokes. Amusing, yes. Is it a film I'll be hyping up to my friends? Probably not.

Helms is a great straight-man. He's already got the look of a respectable man, so all he needs to do is freak out (at which he excels) in strange circumstances and he can usually get a laugh (see any scene of his in THE HANGOVER). Here, he's the ultimate straight-man and he plays innocent well. Reilly's Ziegler is his polar opposite, boisterous, often drunk, and at constant odds with ASMI headman Orin Helgesson (Kurtwood Smith). Reilly's a comedic heavyweight and gets most of the best laughs in the film and manages to balance a bit of a empathetic human side to his party animal. Rounding out the main cast are Anne Heche as feisty Joan Ostrowski-Fox and Isiah Whitlock Jr. as Ron Wilkes. Heche makes an for a hot red-head and her character treats every ASMI convention in Cedar Rapids like a trip to Vegas ("What happens in Cedar Rapids, stays in Cedar Rapids.") and Whitlock's Wilkes is the voice of reason amongst the group. Some great chemistry amongst the cast here but the film's just a little too tame, relying on minor chuckles instead of any real laughs. Or as Ronald Wilkes might put it, this film is N.T.S. In this case, "not that special."