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Both fitting and breaking its mold, the out-of-competition Sundance selection “Cedar Rapids” is an indie comedy that brings winning distinction to story conventions as overdone as Clark Griswold’s Christmas goose.
It has the trappings of both the underdog tale and the fish-out-of-water giggler, with “Hangover” and “Office” favorite Ed Helms playing a dweeby xenophobe who finally becomes a vertebrate when he leaves his safety zone. The perks? Truly funny characters with memorable, lovable idiosyncrasies; the built-in appeal of a rarefied world; and a keen sense of humor that’s always strong, but never pushy.
Helms’s dweeb, Tim Lippe, is an insurance salesman from Middleofnowhereville who’s without a lick of travel experience when he’s asked to head to an insurance convention in place of his agency’s top performer, a closet freak who died from auto-erotic asphyxiation. The cheap and easy impetus for Tim’s departure suggests small returns, but matters hit a major upswing when he lands in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the site of the annual agent assemblage. His colorful company for the weekend includes a fellow man-boy with yelling and drinking problems (John C. Reilly), a roommate as square as Cheez-Its (Isiah Whitlock Jr.) and a tough dame escaping her domesticity (Anne Heche). All will distract, then help, Tim as he aims to win his agency a major award for the fourth year running.
Tim’s unflinching earnestness, set against Middle-Americana, has the unmistakable whiff of Alexander Payne, so it’s no surprise to learn the “Sideways” helmer co-produced. He’s part of a team that also includes director Miguel Arteta and screenwriter Phil Johnston, who on top of penning some hugely entertaining sequences (scavenger hunt!), taps into a very honest, 40-ish workaday melancholy and distributes it uniquely among four very different, if archetypal, characters. It’s a nice contrast to, say, the uncorked boisterousness of Reilly, who’s never been funnier.
As the hero, everyman Helms takes the opposite approach. His performance is stealth and deftly unassuming. It isn’t until the end that you realize just how much you want dweeby Tim to succeed.
Cedar Rapids
R
Three reels out of four
Opens tomorrow at the Ritz East
Recommended Rental
Fish Tank
Not rated
Available Tuesday
With her sophomore feature, the unnervingly authentic “Fish Tank,” writer/director Andrea Arnold delivers the hardest-hitting portrait of feminine teenage angst since “Thirteen.”
An extraordinary talent, Arnold emulates British greats like Mike Leigh and Ken Loach, and with her miserablist drama she also introduces us to a searing new star in lead actress Katie Jarvis. SPR
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