Cedar Rapids (2010)

All the best jokes were not in the funny trailer, so Jack and I were pleasantly surprised by this indie comedy starring Ed Helms, John C. Reilly, and Anne Heche and directed by Miguel Arteta. I'm a fan of Helms (I wrote about him in The Hangover), who finally gets a lead, playing his usual winsome-innocent-guy part, but, for me at least, it hasn't gotten old, as Helms' Tim (AKA Insurance Man) hits the big city, i.e. Cedar Rapids. Of course he sings, in a karaoke scene. Reilly (read Cyrus for my faves), also turns in a funny performance as dissolute fellow salesman Dean, whom Tim meets at a convention. Rounding out the group is Anne Heche (great in Wag the Dog (1997), Return to Paradise (1998), the HBO series Hung, and the now-cancelled Men in Trees was a guilty pleasure for me), Isiah Whitlock Jr. (whose character Ronald mentions twice that he's a fan of "the HBO program The Wire," and it turns out Whitlock acted in 25 episodes of that show), Kurtwood Smith (he has 119 acting credits, but to me he'll always be Eric's dad Red Forman on That 70's Show), Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development, Whip It, The Runaways), Stephen Root (156 acting credits, including the mumbling Milton in Office Space (1999) and Radio Station Man in O Brother Where Art Thou (2000)), and, in cameos, Sigourney Weaver, Mike O'Malley (Eat Pray Love), and Helms' former Daily Show-mate Rob Corddry. Working from a feature debut script by Phil Johnston (one of Variety's 10 Screenwriters to Watch in 2009), Arteta (see my post on Youth in Revolt) has the pacing just right: slow enough to convey the bumpkin-in-the-city motif and fast enough to make it funny.

I really liked the music by composer Christophe Beck (Red, Burlesque, Date Night, lots more), and I'm happy to tell you clips are available on the composer's website (if it doesn't load properly go to his home page, click filmography, click Cedar Rapids, and click the play arrow under the photos). Imdb has kindly supplied us with a list of the singles as well. Sorry I've been out of touch so long. Three more in my head but not yet on the blog.