Good morning! I trust most of you will be reading this well after it's posted, in the morning rather than on Saturday just before midnight.
After a long and bittersweet goodbye for some of my nearest and dearest, my better half suggested we enjoy our night off by taking in a movie. So while the storm raged on outside our apartment, we sat together on the couch as husband and wife, a bowl of popcorn seasoned with strange and delicious spices she's perfected in my lap. The flick? A wonderfully touching and human movie from last year, Cedar Rapids.
A great film that slipped under the mainstream radar, the movie is a heartfelt and endearing movie that features the talents of Ed Helms. Helms, best known for his sincere and hysterical performances in The Office, The Hangover series and as a correspondent on The Daily Show, is fantastic choice in the lead. As a man who has spent his entire life in a small Wisconsin town sent to Cedar Rapids for an Insurance convention, Helms is sweet and charming, making the fun twist on the standard fish-out-of-water tale much more pleasing to watch. His goofy grin and innocent attitude make him so lovable that you can't help but root for him. Helms' character quickly finds he's in over his head in the big city as his life begins to unravel in front of him.
It's not the zany, Hangover-esque comedy the trailers and ad campaigns suggested. Simply due to the overlap in the media I consume I saw my share of promos for the film, from (returning to) The Daily Show, Marc Maron's WTF podcast and SNL. All indications except for Maron's interview showed the movie to be another case of hi-jinks and "What happened last night!?" style exasperation. Maron, in his typical home-run interviews, got Helms to talk more about the human, relatable side of the protagonist. After hearing this episode and reading all the great press on the movie I knew I had to see it, I just couldn't fit it in before the wedding. I'm glad we saw it tonight, though. It's really just a sweet and funny movie that's pretty grounded considering all the goofiness.
The dark horse of the ensemble cast has to be John C. Reilly, a man who is no stranger to character-comedy work. His mannerisms and choices in inflection make him so enjoyable. There have been occasional roles of his where I get tired of his shtick or choices, but I absolutely loved him in this. He not only makes an incredibly abrasive supporting character quite likable, but does the impossible in playing a believable drunk. Although I should admit there is the possibility he actually WAS drunk, I'm more inclined to believe he just made some smart, insightful choices for a silly scene.
Really, if you need a movie for the night that's at times laugh-out-loud, poignant and just consistently genuine and smart without being cynical, this is it. It got so much great press last year for good reason. The cast is superb, the writing is fresh and not cliched and the visual style is distinct. Check out Cedar Rapids. It's super fun.
After a long and bittersweet goodbye for some of my nearest and dearest, my better half suggested we enjoy our night off by taking in a movie. So while the storm raged on outside our apartment, we sat together on the couch as husband and wife, a bowl of popcorn seasoned with strange and delicious spices she's perfected in my lap. The flick? A wonderfully touching and human movie from last year, Cedar Rapids.
