Cedar Rapids - B

On DVD (2011). Rated R, 86 minutes. Trailer.

Ed Helms stars as Tim Lippe in this decent indie-comedy set in the upper-midwest. We are introduced to his sheltered, rural character living and working as a middling insurance salesman in Wisconsin. Through some misfortune, he ends up headed to mid-size city Cedar Rapids, Iowa to a regional conference for insurance salesmen. He ends up rooming with two veterans of the conference - John C. Reilly (Dean Zeigler) and Isaiah Whitlock Jr. (Ronald Wilkes). Click below for more on CR:

Most of this film feels like a mash-up of Up In The Air, the Office and any fish out of water comedy. Helms obviously can pull off the lovable nerd, and he is playing a less interesting version of his Andy Bernard character in this film. His character is extremely naive and his naivete is peeled away like an onion as the film progresses. He hangs with Dean and Ronald, as well as a woman played by Anne heche, and learns that the big award given by the conference is all a sham and that his weird back-home lover (Sigourney Weaver) is not in love with him. Because of this he goes a little crazy and the film follows a very predictable arc.

So far this review is unorganized and pretty negative, so why the B? Well, there are several laughs, and the 4 main actors are all fun to watch. But, the real star of the show is John C. Reilly, who turns a potentially one-dimensional character into my favorite performance of the year. He needs to get a Best Supporting Actor nomination. His Dean is a crude, caring, unsentimental buddy and anchors the credibility and comedy of the film. The scene where he busts in on Helms in the bathroom is an instant-classic.

Worth your time.