New to DVD: "Role Models"

The latest Paul Rudd film - Role Models - sports a cast with which it's hard to miss the mark, both Rudd and Sean William Scott - a team that could make you laugh just standing there. And the premise isn't bad, since there's nothing more entertaining than a good meltdown scene (Jerry McGuire, Nothing to Lose) followed by the chance to corrupt young adults by showing them the majesty of the slacker MTV generation.

There is a little of the inevitable moralizing along with the hilly cycle that ends on an up-note, but it doesn't overshadow the humor. However, the film is not nearly as tightly crafted as it really should be. I mean, this isn't going to win any awards or be immortalized, but neither is The 40-year-old Virgin, though that doesn't stop Virgin from being amazing.

Sometimes when the writing is okay and the actors rely on the hits keepin' on a'comin' even a small element of lag can turn a good comedy into a drag. Models does have some slower moments that its overall charm smooths over, but still leaves a slightly pitted road.

Models is worth renting for some pretty solid laughs peppered throughout, but don't count on it leaving you reeling or breaking any comic ground. If a few good chuckles and some entertainment is what you're after, Models will do you just fine.