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MetaCritic Score: 59

I normally put a good amount of trust into MetaCritic’s composite ratings. After all, they are combining the views of many individuals, so it weeds out the outliers and usually gives a nice fair score. For the life of me, however, I can’t understand how America’s film critics could give Role Models an average rating below 60.

Role Models is the third film directed by Wet Hot American Summer writer/director David Wain. Wain came to the project fairly late in the game (the film’s stars were already in place), but still almost completely rewrote the script with Paul Rudd and Wain’s longtime counterpart Ken Marino.

Like Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Role Models follows a fairly standard plot line. In this case, two immature guys get put into a situation that forces them to take some responsibility for the first time in their lives, but, inevitably, they screw it up, only to eventually learn their lesson so everything turns out ok.

More specifically, Danny and Wheeler (played by Rudd and Scott respectively) spend every day driving a huge, ridiculous company pickup truck to schools, telling kids to get their high from Minotaur brand energy drinks instead of drugs. Things go awry when Danny has a meltdown after a really miserable day and commits a series of misdemeanors that ends with him driving the truck into a statue outside a high school. Wheeler is dragged in by association and they get a 30-day prison sentence reduced to 150 hours of community service with a Big Brothers/Big Sisters-type organization called Sturdy Wings. They get paired with Augie, a role playing nerd, and Ronnie, a trash-talking trouble maker who has scared off the first eight “bigs” he was paired with.

The major surprise of the film is that Seann William Scott (who I’ve never been a fan of) is truly, genuinely funny. He’s not on Rudd’s level, but he was a great fit for this character and displays excellent comedic timing in delivering some of Role Models best lines. The on-screen dynamic between he and Bobb’e J. Thompson (Ronnie), is also fantastic. Their discussion on the finer points of “boobie watching” is ridiculous but also one of the film’s funniest moments. Both Thompson and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Augie), also deserve some serious credit for keeping up with the adults in the cast. Thompson delivers his lines with an authority that I’ve never seen in someone so young (he’s 12). Mintz-Plasse, on the otherhand, proves that his turn as McLovin in Superbad wasn’t the extent of his range. He again plays a nerdy highschooler, but shows significantly greater depth in a role that could have easily been nothing more than a stereotype in lesser hands.

While Rudd is excellent as usual, with his trademark brand of acerbic, sarcastic humor, the film’s best moments come when veteran comedienne Jane Lynch is on screen, stealing scene after scene from the film’s big name stars. She is absolutely perfect as the reformed coke addict founder of the Sturdy Wings program, doing her best to keep Rudd and Stiffler in line, constantly making sure they don’t try to “bullshit a bullshitter.”

Though the film’s ending conveniently ties things up just as you’d expect, it surprisingly doesn’t feel forced. Danny and Wheeler’s gradual growth is believeable, so the cringe factor is minimized when they inevitably perform the grand, selfless act necessary to complete the plot. Wain, Marino, and Rudd have written a sharp, funny, yet sensitive story that sends moviegoers home in a good mood. If nudity and vulgarity turn you off, then you may want to pass on Role Models, but otherwise, I feel confident recommending this film to just about anyone looking for a good comedy.

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