Cedar Rapids

3 Paws
Seen March 12 @ Rave Motion Pictures Westroads 14

Aaaaaaah, Cedar Rapids. I think I went to a party there once when I was in college, but the details are a bit sketchy now. With a film title like this, I was prepared for a series of sight and sound gags based on the usual Midwestern stereotypes - we dress funny, we're confounded by the miracle of modern transportation, we view the world as black or white, no in-between hues allowed.

Truth be told, there was a bit of that. But it didn't matter, thanks to a cast of characters that make you feel better about the world and your place in it. It was like "Rudy" minus the football stuff. You just don't get any better than John C. Reilly, who can gross you out, make you laugh and get you all verklempt in the same scene. I dare you not to love Ed Helm's Tim Lippe, and Isiah Whitlock Jr.'s Ronald Wilkes is a scene stealer - look for him when they retrieve Tim from (insert stereotypic redneck accent here) one a' them dangerous backwoods Iowa house parties. The film was filled with lots of great one-liners - I'll be using the "I'm from Omygod, Nebraska" one from here on out. Chalk one up for the rubes.

Bonus Bones: 0
People without dogs in the Midwest? Nah.