Directed by Miguel Arteta, Starring: Ed Helms, John C. Reilly and Anne Heche

Cedar Rapids (2011)


What’s It About?

IMDB says: “Tim Lippe has no idea what he’s in for when he’s sent to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to represent his company at an annual insurance convention, where he soon finds himself under the “guidance” of three convention veterans.“


What We Thought:
Lindsay: Cedar Rapids turned out to be the pleasantly charming indie film I had expected it to be. John C Riley is fucking awesome, per usual and Ed Helms is as endearing as I expected. The problem is that Cedar Rapids never rises above to reach the level of a great indie comedy. Despite all the laughs from the supporting cast and strong performances nothing really managed to “wow” me. I don’t want to down this movie though, I really did enjoy it. It’s full of funny dialogue that has a lot of quotable potential and fun storyline to keep you going. As long as you don’t go into the movie with lofty expectations, you will probably definitely enjoy your stay at Cedar Rapids. Not too shabby.

Jessica: The beginning of 2011 has been pretty unbearable as far as movie offerings. I have not really been interested in almost any new films, however this mounting disappointment began to be alleviated by Cedar Rapids. I thoroughly enjoyed this indie flick and thought it was a refreshing comedy.  Ed Helms is excellent in it and it has a great supporting cast. Everyone gets their shot to stand out but Helms proves he can be the lead character. Helms is naive, clueless, and kind of odd, a bit like Steve Carell in Dinner for Schmucks minus the absurdity, but this movie triumphed where the other failed, by appreciating its source of laughter instead of mocking it. It won’t necessarily rank amongst my favorite films, but I could definitely see great rewatch potential. Side note, if this movie taught me anything it’s that the sight of Thomas Lennon warrants a huge laugh upon recognition in your average movie audience.


Rob: Cedar Rapids turned out to be quite an enjoyable movie. It seemed like one of those movies that could go either way, but early on it was refreshing and had a nice flow and sense of humor. One of the highlights of this movie for me was the fact that the story wrapped up dramatic aspects very swiftly. When a problem arose, it was dealt with in a concise manner and the story moved on. It allowed the movie to be more light-hearted and really added to my enjoyment of the movie. All of the characters were written pretty well and had some level of originality or worthy depth. This is a great movie to throw on when you are not sure what to watch.

FTS SCORE:

78%
61-89% = Really enjoyable movie. It may not be perfect in all aspects but it was worth the watch.