Cedar Rapids is one of those movies that I would not hesitate to see again. It's one of those movies that I wish had been a box office success so we could see sequels. I liked the characters in it that much.
There were flaws. Tim Lippe (Ed Helms) seemed too naive to be believable. This is a script, not an acting problem. I thought that Ed Helms tried his best to sell the idea that he could be this clueless on the ways of the world, but he was put in situations in the script that seemed a bit hard to imagine that he would not be more knowledgeable.
SPOILER ALERT PARAGRAPH: The scandal surrounding the Two Diamonds award also seemed like quite a reach to me. The prize is described as something quite prestigious to win, and yet we are later told that some people know that the prize had been bought for years, and no one cares to report it? It also seemed to me that it would be something that Tim's boss (Rip Torn) would know was happening. He seems to be in cahoots with the president of this organization throughout the film. If Tim's predecessor had been bribing him for the award, I think that the boss would have ultimately been behind it. And if that was true, wouldn't there have been some communication with Tim about it beforehand, like, "Here's this very important envelope. Please make sure that you give it to the president." The notion that Tim on his abilities would win this prize seems pretty absurd. Also the idea that Tim could buy the award for $1,500 seems unbelievable.
NOW BACK TO GENERAL DISCUSSION: I really liked the people in it. Ed Helms as an actor fascinates me. He doesn't have a mobile face. He has really large teeth. Yet he seems to have a great heart. He has an earnestness about him that is genuinely appealing. When I see that he is in a project, I want to see it.
Anne Heche surprised me. I hadn't seen her work in so long; I had gotten to the point where her private troubles had superseded what she was actually doing as an actor. I thought that she had great chemistry with Ed Helms, and that she was smart and funny in a way that felt totally her own. After the movie, we looked to see if Men in Trees could be instantly streamed. It turns out it's not even available on DVD. That just seems wrong, and I hope that will be rectified in the future. I want to see more of her work.
John C. Reilly and Isaiah Whitlock, Jr. were also funny and charming. There just seemed to be a genuine warmth with this very quirky ensemble. It was like puzzle pieces that you never thought would fit together, but I think the glue is that they all genuinely like each other and are having fun. (And as a someone who loves The Wire, I loved seeing Isaiah Whitlock, Jr. riff on that show in this film.) And it was wonderful to see an older actress with wrinkles on her face. Sigourney Weaver was a hoot as Tim's former middle school teacher/now lover. Wrinkles are so much more attractive than botox! It's really true.
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