This film is about two screwed-up guys, who are court-ordered to work with hardcore misfit kids, and they try to use the blind-leading-the- blind approach to turn the kids' lives around for the better. Mid-way through the film, the guys have some success. Then, towards the end of the film, they screw-up again. At the film's finale, will the guys succeed?
Danny and Wheeler are the two guys that promote a high-energy drink with a rather moronic name. At the same time, they educate school kids about the pratfalls of drugs. Danny, a rather dull guy, claims to be unhappy with his life. During his time of unhappiness, he gets Danny in trouble. That brings the guys to Sturdy Wings, a kind of big brother/big sister program, in which the Wings do not seem to be too steady. The Wings would rather fly than stay with the program. There is a kid caught up in an adolescent type of medieval role play, and the other kid is just plain crude. To say the least, the guys do not seem to be a good match to deal with kids.
There are some good laughs, in the midst of all the crudeness, but the film could have been a lot of funnier. And, it could have been poignant--but, somehow, the Wings never get sturdy enough to get off the ground. The actors and the film miss their mark.
There is some deadpan, and a reminder of "American Pie". But, it's the supporting cast that really deliver (Jane Lynch and some actors from the Apatow realm). The jokes about breasts, and drawings of the genitalia, are inappropriate for a film about rehabilitating kids. Although they might fit in "American Pie", they don't belong in "Role Models". And, besides, such gimmicks just don't provide comic relief.
"Role Models" and Sturdy Wings do not get me positively anywhere, and leave me in suspended animation. I rank this film a 6 out of 10.
Danny and Wheeler are the two guys that promote a high-energy drink with a rather moronic name. At the same time, they educate school kids about the pratfalls of drugs. Danny, a rather dull guy, claims to be unhappy with his life. During his time of unhappiness, he gets Danny in trouble. That brings the guys to Sturdy Wings, a kind of big brother/big sister program, in which the Wings do not seem to be too steady. The Wings would rather fly than stay with the program. There is a kid caught up in an adolescent type of medieval role play, and the other kid is just plain crude. To say the least, the guys do not seem to be a good match to deal with kids.
There are some good laughs, in the midst of all the crudeness, but the film could have been a lot of funnier. And, it could have been poignant--but, somehow, the Wings never get sturdy enough to get off the ground. The actors and the film miss their mark.
There is some deadpan, and a reminder of "American Pie". But, it's the supporting cast that really deliver (Jane Lynch and some actors from the Apatow realm). The jokes about breasts, and drawings of the genitalia, are inappropriate for a film about rehabilitating kids. Although they might fit in "American Pie", they don't belong in "Role Models". And, besides, such gimmicks just don't provide comic relief.
"Role Models" and Sturdy Wings do not get me positively anywhere, and leave me in suspended animation. I rank this film a 6 out of 10.