Comes in threes

As the old saying goes, things tend to come in threes and this month I was pleasantly surprised by 3 comedies I had relatively low expectations for – first a friend convinced me to watch Tropic Thunder, the Ben Stiller helmed comedy that mocks Hollywood pretensions and excess, The John C. Reilly/Will Ferrell vehicle Step Brothers and finally Role Models (co-written and directed by David Wain of comedy troupe/super group The State).

I have a love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with Ben Stiller. The Royal Tenenbaums is easily in my top 5 favorite films of all time, Zoolander is a great hyperbolic comedy and his failed pilot (with Jack Black and Owen Wilson), “Heat Vision and Jack” is nothing short of brilliant. And then of course There’s Something About Mary, one of the best “gross out” comedies of the 90’s.

The rest of his career, though…(and yes, I remember Meet the Parents…but honestly, when was the last time you thought to yourself “Gee, I sure am dying to watch those crazy Fockers again!” ?)

In Tropic Thunder, Stiller has shown a variety of talents – the directing is spot on, his acting impressive and the script is pretty good too. While I don’t buy into the hype swirling around the film as much as some, it is a worthy addition to Stiller’s “good” column of works and proof he still has some great comedy left in him. However the best part of the movie is Robert Downey Jr., who steals the show. If anything makes it absolutely worth watching it’s his performance as a seemingl Daniel-Day Lewis inspired method actor who refuses to break character, no matter what the circumstance.

I came in to Step Brothers a bit nervous – I think John C. Reilly’s performance in Walk Hard is critically underrated and it very well may be the best film that Apatow Productions (which also produced Step Brothers) has made yet. However, Will Ferrell, like Ben Stiller, is another king of “hit-or-miss” comedies and Semi-Pro ranks high on the list of his bad works. While the plot is more or less inconsequential for most of the film, the chemistry between Reilly and Ferrell is undeniable, the jokes are the signature Apatow style of quirky and memorable, mixing bizarre threats and demands with oft obscure pop culture and other references.

While in Semi-Pro Ferrell often seemed to be being profane for the sake of profanity, here the more “adult” moments are spread more throughout and therefore carry more weight. A scene in which Ferrell plays his new step brother’s drum set with his testicles as an act of defiance is particularly memorable.

The rest of the cast is good enough, although Peter Jenkins feels painfully miscast. He did a fantastic job as the deceased cynical patriarch of the Fisher family in Six Feet Under, but he doesn’t do this kind of over the top comedy as well. His acting work often relies on a great deal of subtlely, which is something this film certainly lacks.

Role Models features another Apatow darling, Paul Rudd, and is a near perfect comedy. While Rudd’s Danny provides a more intellectual and level-headed sense of comedy, Sean William Scott plays the over-emasculated, breast obsessed Wheeler with an undeniable sense of glee all the way through.

Christopher Mintz-Plasse (aka McLovin) proves himself to be more than a one trick pony, as his character is decidedly different but equally memorable to his SuperBad counterpart, and while Bobb’e J. Thompson had already proven himself a master of brash, foul mouthed comedy during his stint at MTV’s Human Giant, he continues to excel at the role and occasionally stops cursing and fighting long enough to give his character enough depth to be memorable and truly likeable here.

One friend called Role Models “effortlessly funny,” which is probably the best way to describe it – the whole thing has a sort of smooth rhythm to it and while it has enough emotional weight to make it more than just another buddy comedy these moments are juxtaposed well and never throw off the aforementioned comedic rhythm. Like the 40-Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, this is a film that shows that with enough effort a film can be alternately profane and heartwarming.

So there you have it – two films worth renting and another well worth the price of admission at your local theater.