Cedar Rapids (***1/4)

Ed Helms stars as the milquetoast hero whose only daring act has been the affair he’s having with his onetime seventh-grade teacher (Sigourney Weaver). But even that represents the timid act of a small-town boy who still maintains his child’s eye view of the world, which doesn’t include potty-mouthed salesmen, cheating, lying, or death by deaths by auto-erotic asphyxiation, all of which he comes to grips with in the kind-0f-big city in Iowa. (The city and state are played by Michigan, which gives bigger tax breaks to filmmakers.) In many ways Tim Lippe is the same sort of relative innocent as Helms played in The Hangover. And, structurally speaking, the movie is a lot like that farce, in that it involves a diverse foursome going a little wild on a trip, in this case an insurance conference.

But this comedy will also appeal to people who found that movie a little on the silly side. Yes, there’s some unlikely plotting, but director Miguel Arteta (Youth in Revolt) and writer Phil Johnston keep the focus as much on the characters. Besides Tim, unexpectedly asked to represent his agency at the conference, these include his temporary roommates, foul-mouthed Dean (John C. Reilly) and reserved Ronald (Isiah Whitlock Jr.), who confesses a fondness for “the HBO program The Wire” in a tone suggesting one who’s discovered a hidden gem. Ron also amusingly shocks Tim by being…black and also garners perhaps the movie’s biggest laugh line when he later uses racial stereotyping to his own advantage. Lastly, there’s a female in this buddy quartet (Anne Heche in a great comeback role), who’s the right mix of flirty and down-to-earth to lure Tim out of his comfort zone.

Creating strong characters is why this movie is a cut above its buddy-comedy brethren. Even Dean is not simply a wild-and-crazy guy, but might also be like someone you’ve met. And while Tim is naive, your sympathies are still with him. The comedy is not about in Tim being so dumb he thinks Cedar Rapids is a big city, but a coming-of-age story about a guy who’s just waited awhile to come of age.

IMDB link

viewed 2/9/11 at Ritz East [PFS screening] and reviewed 4/19/11

Sugar (***1/4)

It’s a rare sports film that doesn’t culminate in a big game. This baseball tale doesn’t even have a big game. For a player trying to make it to the major leagues, just getting to play the next game is the point. For a pitcher Miguel “Sugar” Santos (real ballplayer Algenis Perez Soto), playing the next game means being able to send money to his family in the Dominican Republic, and not having to find work in a poor country.

Writing/directing team Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Half Nelson) follow Sugar’s attempt to beat the odds. For a Dominican it means first “graduating” from a local baseball academy before even getting a shot at the lowest minor league in the United States. Rudimentary English lessons (“home run,” “I got it,” and so on) are part of the package. But the heart of the movie is Sugar’s season in a low minor league team in rural Iowa, where Sugar becomes merely one of several promising newcomers. His character is particular, but is also meant to represent the thousands of Dominicans hoping to make it to the big leagues, most of whom will not succeed. This is also an immigrant story. Boden and Fleck handle the culture clash aspect with subtlety. The language barrier, for example, results in Sugar repeatedly ordering French toast at breakfast because he can’t read the menu. Eventually, he figures things out, but not in the way you expect.

IMDB link

viewed on DVD [Netflix] and reviewed 4/2/10

The Final Season (***)

Another sports story that mixes the true tale of a small-town team in Iowa with the fictional stories of some of its players, notably the bad boy from Chicago sent by his dad (Tom Arnold) to learn some small-town values.

Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings) plays the real character of Kent Stock, who unexpectedly takes over the baseball coaching job at tiny Norway High School when the former coach (Powers Booth) is forced to retire despite helping the team win a dozen state championships. State officials want the school to close as a cost-cutting measure, hence the title. With an inexperienced coach and the feel of impending doom, the kings of the hill become underdogs of sorts.

This is a nice family movie that isn’t nearly as sappy as it could have been. The laid-back vibe gives it a slight edge over similar films like Remember the Titans.



IMDB link


reviewed 10/12 and 10/16/07