Do you even know where Cedar Rapids is? Can you locate it on a map? It's in Iowa, look on the east side of the state, now look a little north of Iowa City. There you got it. You might have heard of it because of some awful flooding a few years back. So, why make a comedy movie about the second largest city in Iowa?
Why not? It's a clean comedy slate; you don't know much about the town and just about anything can take place there. Heck, as far as you know it could be the next Las Vegas. With all the meth labs, same sex marriages and Indian casinos, anything goes in Iowa. Who needs Vegas when you got the Rapids?
"Cedar Rapids" is a story about a likable insurance salesman, Tim Lippe (played by Ed Helms) who has spent his entire life in Brown Valley, Wisconsin. He lives alone. He is pre-engaged to his grade school teacher (played by Sigourney Weaver). He works at Brown Star Insurance Company. He loves what he does and he loves being a resident of Brown Valley.
Tim's boss, Bill Krogstad (played by Stephen Root), asks Tim to go to Cedar Rapids for the annual insurance convention. At the convention they will award the top insurance agency with the prestigious Two Diamond Award.
Tim makes it to Cedar Rapids (via his first airplane flight, ever) and ends up rooming with two other insurance agents, Ronald Wilkes (played by Isiah Whitlock Jr.) who delivers the film's cleanest jokes. And then there is Dean Ziegler (played by John C. Reilly) who is rarely seen without a drink in hand and delivers the dirtiest jokes of the film.
Once the three meet the comedy of the film starts kicking into high gear. There are f-bombs, bathroom humor, locker room humor, sophomoric zingers, sex jokes, drinking jokes and many more lewd sight gags to keep the audience smiling, laughing or shaking their heads in disbelief. The humor was done well with a cast that seemed to click; no one single actor took the spotlight from the rest of the troupe.
Aside from the crude jokes we see a few romantic relations develop with Tim. One of the relations is with a prostitute (played by Alia Shawkat) and the other is with Joan (played by Anne Heche), an insurance agent from Omaha. It will always baffle my mind how an average Joe can meet a prostitute and an attractive red head then develop relationships with both of them all in a 24-hour period.
Tim engages in some heavy drinking with his new friends, ends up spending the night with Joan and blows the deal to win the Two Diamond Award. He digs deep inside his dark place to do the unthinkable to win that award.
Should you see this movie? Yes, it's a funny movie. It could potentially be a comedy hit, which you don't see too many of in these winter months. The foul language is intense; you should go in expecting some crude humor because with Reilly's mouth, you will get it in both ears. You might even leave with a whole different perspective on a town that you never heard of.
Why not? It's a clean comedy slate; you don't know much about the town and just about anything can take place there. Heck, as far as you know it could be the next Las Vegas. With all the meth labs, same sex marriages and Indian casinos, anything goes in Iowa. Who needs Vegas when you got the Rapids?
"Cedar Rapids" is a story about a likable insurance salesman, Tim Lippe (played by Ed Helms) who has spent his entire life in Brown Valley, Wisconsin. He lives alone. He is pre-engaged to his grade school teacher (played by Sigourney Weaver). He works at Brown Star Insurance Company. He loves what he does and he loves being a resident of Brown Valley.
Tim's boss, Bill Krogstad (played by Stephen Root), asks Tim to go to Cedar Rapids for the annual insurance convention. At the convention they will award the top insurance agency with the prestigious Two Diamond Award.
Tim makes it to Cedar Rapids (via his first airplane flight, ever) and ends up rooming with two other insurance agents, Ronald Wilkes (played by Isiah Whitlock Jr.) who delivers the film's cleanest jokes. And then there is Dean Ziegler (played by John C. Reilly) who is rarely seen without a drink in hand and delivers the dirtiest jokes of the film.
Once the three meet the comedy of the film starts kicking into high gear. There are f-bombs, bathroom humor, locker room humor, sophomoric zingers, sex jokes, drinking jokes and many more lewd sight gags to keep the audience smiling, laughing or shaking their heads in disbelief. The humor was done well with a cast that seemed to click; no one single actor took the spotlight from the rest of the troupe.
Aside from the crude jokes we see a few romantic relations develop with Tim. One of the relations is with a prostitute (played by Alia Shawkat) and the other is with Joan (played by Anne Heche), an insurance agent from Omaha. It will always baffle my mind how an average Joe can meet a prostitute and an attractive red head then develop relationships with both of them all in a 24-hour period.
Tim engages in some heavy drinking with his new friends, ends up spending the night with Joan and blows the deal to win the Two Diamond Award. He digs deep inside his dark place to do the unthinkable to win that award.
Should you see this movie? Yes, it's a funny movie. It could potentially be a comedy hit, which you don't see too many of in these winter months. The foul language is intense; you should go in expecting some crude humor because with Reilly's mouth, you will get it in both ears. You might even leave with a whole different perspective on a town that you never heard of.