Cedar Rapids
(2011)Comedy about a small town insurance salesman (Ed Helms,The Hangover) who heads off to the "big city" of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to try and save his company. Also stars Sigourney Weaver and John C. Reilly. From the director of The Good Girl.... More
Tim Lippe (Helms) was the guy people always thought would go places, but he didn't. He's lived in a small town his whole life, is "pre-engaged" to his 7th grade teacher Millie Vanderhei (Weaver), and sells insurance.
But Tim's stalled life gets a kick-start when for the first time in his life he leaves his home town to attend an insurance convention that is taking place in the "major" metropolis of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Hide
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Directed by Miguel Arteta
Starring Ed Helms, Sigourney Weaver, John C. Reilly, Anne Heche, Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Written by Phil Johnston
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Cedar Rapids
BY Stuart-Bland superstar
It's as conventional as its Midwestern setting, but Cedar Rapids boasts a terrific cast and a script that deftly blends R-rated raunch and endearing sweetness.
The Press Reviews
85%
of critics recommend.
Rotten Tomatoes Score. More reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Cedar Rapids has something of the same spirit of "Fargo" in its approach to the earnest natures of its small-towners. Full Review
One of those sunny-natured indie comedies that comes out of nowhere to put a smile on your face. Full Review
It's not exactly "The Hangover," but the dialogue and situations often get distinctly gamey. Full Review
Tim isn't super anything (though he proves heroic), and what makes Cedar Rapids a low-wattage pleasure is its insistence that his ordinariness - with his decency and sense of wonder - is pretty extraordinary. Full Review
Not exactly laugh-aminute, Cedar Rapids’ mix of crude and sweet is an acquired taste. But all hail the mighty Ed Helms for yet another masterclass in comedy and pathos. Full Review
Though not as uproarious as "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," director Miguel Arteta's consistently entertaining white-collar laffer could do for Helms what that film did for Steve Carell. Full Review
BY Steve Newall Flicks Writer
With Ed Helms starring in this tale of a straight dude running off the rails on a business trip, it is tempting to write this off as The Hangover Part III. But what makes Cedar Rapids tick is in how it carves out a space of its own between mainstream comedy and Sundance-style indie fare. Embracing the ridiculous and vulgar, Cedar Rapids makes you invest in all of its characters and refuses to teach them either an over-choreographed life lesson or follow them into the pits of comedic despair – both of which represent easy temptations when you’re talking a bunch of small town insurance agents.... More
You wouldn’t see this coming in the film’s first act, especially with John C. Reilly’s over-the-top Dean Ziegler, a crass boozer whom Helms’ character is specifically warned to avoid (and inevitably becomes roommates with). That director Miguel Arteta manages to create a believable character out of this fella is a testament to how he focuses on getting realistic performances out of his cast, even when they’re drunkenly walking into a swimming pool fully clothed with a rubbish bin lid on their head.
The ensemble cast is fantastic, with Kurtwood Smith a pleasure to see as ever and Isiah Whitlock Jr. (The Wire) turning in a great performance as an insurance agent quite fond of, um, the HBO television series The Wire. Whilst the film is carried by Helms, there are plenty of other folks for him to bump off and the end result is engagingly funny.Hide
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