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Clueless rubes are a dime a dozen in the so-called “fly-over states.” I know this not because I was born and raised in the Midwest; I know this because I watch a lot of movies. And whenever a character is sheltered and naive, he’s almost always from Ohio or Iowa—or, occasionally, Wisconsin. As a proud Midwesterner, I sometimes take offense at the stereotype—so it’s rare that I can laugh at a movie about my Midwestern neighbors as much as I laughed at Cedar Rapids.
Tim Lippe (Ed Helms) loves being an insurance salesman. After all, he does more than just sell insurance. He provides confidence and security for his friends and neighbors in Brown Valley, Wisconsin. For years, that’s been its own reward—but after his office’s top salesman dies suddenly, Tim is given a very important assignment: to represent Brown Star Insurance at the annual ASMI convention in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Eager to represent his company, Tim packs his bags and heads out on what promises to be a thrilling adventure. Once he arrives at the convention, he connects with his roommates, Ronald (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.) and Dean (John C. Reilly), as well as convention veteran Joan (Anne Heche). And in the midst of their convention revelry, he puts his job—and his company’s reputation—at risk.
At a time of year when most of the new releases are either lame comedies or laughable thrillers, Cedar Rapids is a pleasant surprise—an endearingly dorky comedy that has fun with its naive main character without taking the joke too far.
In the beginning, the film takes some time to focus on Tim’s cluelessness. He’s never been on a plane or rented a car. He doesn’t drink, and he’s suspicious of people who do. And he doesn’t recognize the hotel’s resident hooker when she propositions him. Fortunately, though, the character isn’t overdone, and he eventually learns to loosen up, with some help from his three new friends. Before long, the movie becomes more about their antics than Tim’s naïveté.
While the movie is technically about Tim, John C. Reilly steals the show as Tim’s hard-partying roommate, Dean. The rest of the characters are rather subdued and understated in comparison to Reilly’s larger-than-life. He drinks everything in sight, and he says the most awkwardly hilarious things (actually, more often than not, he screams them at the top of his lungs). But while Reilly’s characters sometimes cross the line into unbearably obnoxious, this time, he simply balances the rest of the cast out. He’s the trouble-making leader in this pack of insurance salesmen gone wild.
Cedar Rapids probably won’t be the funniest movie of the year. It’s random and wacky and often bizarre—and it isn’t without its share of awkward comedy and dim-witted plotlines. But this quirky little comedy is surprisingly entertaining in its own dorky way.
Blu-ray Review:
The two-disc Super Awesome Edition Blu-ray release of this endearingly dorky comedy is filled with plenty of appropriately endearing extras.
Some of the extras—like the gag reel—are just plain fun. In addition to the usual flubbed lines and random bursts of laughter, it also shows some of the improvised lines that didn’t make it into the final film and even a couple of on-set pranks. Some of the six deleted scenes are entertaining, too (especially one involving Stephen Root and a fire extinguisher).
Other features focus on the characters—like the seven-part Convention Connection, which does an excellent job of capturing the characters and their personalities through interviews with the actors, who discuss what makes their characters lovable and fun.
Others, meanwhile, are surprisingly insightful—like Fox Movie Channel’s Direct Effect with director Miguel Arterta. It may not be the kind of feature that you’d usually find included with a comedy, but it offers insight not only into the story and the characters but also into Arterta’s techniques and process. For aspiring filmmakers—or just curious fans—it’s a fascinating feature.
Not all of the extras are must-sees. Tweaking in the USA, which focuses on the house party scene, falls flat—as does Wedding Belles: Crashing a Lesbian Wedding. But if you fell in love with the crazed insurance salesmen of Cedar Rapids, you’ll enjoy spending a few more minutes with them as you work your way through some of the options on the special features menu.
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