Well-received at last month’s Sundance Film Festival, “Cedar Rapids” is a jocular send-up of provincial folk at professional conventions. The comedy comes out of a focus on its intentionally bland characters before it eventually runs out of interest for that very reason. The storyline just gets duller, even as our affection for its everyman character remains. Its patronizing idea of the American Midwest, seen mostly from a drab motel in the title’s Iowan backwater, conveys the perfect atmosphere for a slightly raunchy satire.
| On Screen |
| Cedar Rapids |
| 2 out of 5 Stars |
| Stars: Ed Helms, John C. Reilly, Anne Heche, Sigourney Weaver |
| Director: Miguel Arteta |
| Rated: R for crude and sexual content, language and drug use |
| Running time: 90 minutes |
If this low-budget flick gets remembered, it will be for two things: First, John C. Reilly uses his uninhibited supporting performance as a potty-mouthed party animal to steal the movie. Secondly, it is Ed Helms’ big chance to prove himself as a movie headliner. But after a hilarious breakout as the toothless submissive in “The Hangover” and a run on “The Daily Show” and “The Office,” the likable character actor hardly departs from nerdy type to play the protagonist here.
