Role Models (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:143
Fresh:109
Rotten:34
Average Rating:6.5/10
Consensus: Role Models is a frequently crude, always funny comedy with the cast providing solid work throughout.
Australian Theatrical Release:
Jan 15, 2009 Wide
US Box Office: $67,266,300
Synopsis: Director David Wain (WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER) capably mixes the saucy and the sentimental in the bawdy boys-to-men comedy ROLE MODELS. Stuck-in-a-rut Danny Donahue (Paul Rudd) and womanizing... [More]
Starring: Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jane Lynch
Director: David Wain
Reviews for Role Models
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
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No one is going to marvel at the actors' Stanislavsky-like artistry, but Scott and Rudd are fun to watch and their bickering is hilarious... Full Review |
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3/5 |
What Role Models does well is extract every last loose-moral laugh it can from its who-is-educating-who? scenario. Full Review |
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Like School Of Rock and The Bad News Bears, it cleverly walks a fine line by throwing kids in amongst the filth. Full Review |
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Like so many of Hollywood's youth oriented comedies, this is like a mound of dog turd flavoured with honey; the crass vulgarities are sweetened by add-on humanity. But just like dog turd with honey on it, the mess is unappetising Full Review |
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A- |
Role Models is a film for the nerds, by the nerds. Lucky for Role Models, the rest of our culture is catching up and are invited along as well. Full Review |
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B |
Bobb'e J. Thompson upstages the entire cast with his wit. Thompson was so crass -- I haven't seen a kid curse this much in a movie since Linda Blair in 'The Exorcist'! Full Review |
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3.5/4 |
... One of the best recent comedies not bearing the Apatow name. Full Review |
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There are some very serious issues here about absent fathers and the lack of positive role models for young males, but they're just a cynical hook for a film full of homophobic, misogynist humour. Full Review |
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4/5 |
A great example of the Emotionally Stunted Men Grow A Heart sub-genre. Role Models staves off the January blues and puts a marker down as 2009’s laugh-out-loud comedy to beat. Full Review |
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4/6 |
‘Role Models’ isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel, just polish it up a little. What emerges is a memorable slice of modern slapstick, with charm to spare and just a touch of soul. Full Review |
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3.5/5 |
It may be slight, it may be derivative, but this comedy for (if not quite about) adults is also deliriously funny. Full Review |
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3/5 |
The upbeat ending is inevitable but the script’s undercurrent of scalding sarcasm keeps it fresh. Full Review |
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3/5 |
Role Models is exuberantly staged, fitfully funny and boasts a glorious supporting turn from Jane Lynch as the demagogic onetime addict. Full Review |
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3/5 |
Role Models matures with age, becoming sweeter and less raucous as it goes on. Unfortunately, when it finds its heart, it loses its legs. Full Review |
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4/5 |
Click to read the article Full Review |
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4/5 |
For most of the film’s running time, Wain refuses to give in to mush or melodrama, preferring to prod hopelessly dysfunctional characters into uneasy duels, just to see who blinks first. Full Review |
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1/5 |
It's a slackly directed, grubbily photographed, utterly formulaic comedy. Full Review |
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3/5 |
While better than it should be, if you listen hard enough you can actually hear a barrel being scraped between the gags. Full Review |
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The wonderful Jane Lynch (40-Year-Old Virgin) steals each of her scenes as the charity project leader, a reformed cokehead singing from the right-on community care hymnsheet. Full Review |
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2/5 |
Neither Rudd nor Scott are naturally funny performers, and neither are nearly as effective as their two young charges. Lynch’s Sturdy Wings manager is easily the best bet for laughs. Full Review |
CommentLatest News for Role Models
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Home video enthusiasts, prepare yourself for what may be the best week ever! This week you'll have to choose between Academy Award flicks Rachel Getting Married (Best Actress... More...
January 09, 2009:
UK Critics Consensus: Indifference For Defiance, Whilst Slumdog Millionaire Shines
A trip to the cinema is a sure-fire way to beat the January blues, but which film should you be shelling out to see? Vying for your pennies this weekend we have Daniel Craig in... More...
January 08, 2009:
Broadcast Film Critics Name Critics' Choice Winners
The 14th Annual Critics' Choice Awards were given on January 8, 2009, to honor the finest achievements in 2008 filmmaking. A list of nominees follows below, with winners in bold: More...
November 30, 2008:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Four Christmases has a lot to be thankful for this weekend
Four Christmases had a sensational Thanksgiving weekend in the number one spot. Bolt picked up the pace while the sun started to set on Twilight. More...
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