Best of 2011: Cedar Rapids & Ed Helms

"The whole place smells like chlorine; it's like I'm in Barbados or somewhere." - Tim Lippe

After doing my "best of 2011" music post, I decided I might have better luck with movies. I wanted to make a top ten list, but I was drawing a blank. Sadly, the only movie I saw in a theater this year was The Hangover Part II. Don't get me wrong, it was funny, but the the only reason I saw it in a theater is because I was waiting for check-in time at my hotel in Charleston. It's been a busy year. I saw lots of stuff on DVD this fall, but many of the year's movies aren't even out yet, so I don't feel like I could properly make a "best of" list. Instead, I decided to do what I did with music and just pick the film that had the greatest impression on me.

So, I chose Cedar Rapids. Was this the best movie of 2011? Probably not. However, I think it was the most under-appreciated movie of the year. But let's back up.

In January, I was really excited to see that Cedar Rapids would be at the Sundance Film Festival for a few reasons. Yes, as any idiot in the free world knows, I'm a big Ed Helms fan, but I'd read about this movie last summer, and I thought it looked interesting. There are so many movies labeled as comedies these days that just aren't funny - either 30 minutes into them you're so bored you find yourself playing with your iPhone or the jokes are so unoriginal you realize you've already seen this movie 18,000 times before and you find yourself playing with your iPhone.

From what I could gather from articles and early reviews, Cedar Rapids had an original storyline. It had a great cast of actors playing unique characters. It wasn't pretentious or too over-the-top. It didn't recycle the same old jokes. I read/watched several interviews with Helms and the director, Miguel Arteta, and it just sounded like fun. A few things I read said that it poked fun at the Midwest, but I didn't get that vibe at all. I really wanted it to be good and do well.

It was June before I finally got to see Cedar Rapids, and it didn't disappoint. It wasn't completely what I expected, but it did live up to many of my expectations. While the movie is most definitely a comedy, the main character, Tim Lippe, ends up being a guy you want to laugh with, not at. He's very naive, but again, I didn't see this as poking fun at people from small towns. Seriously, if you got that from this movie, you need to step away from the "No Spin Zone" or something.

But I think the best part of it was seeing Helms play a different kind of role. I've had a hard time explaining this to people who have asked me about it, because you can't really say this is a "serious" role and that's how it usually comes across when I describe it, but it's different than anything we've ever see him in him to date. It proved that he's got some major talent as an actor and not just a funny guy. And that's not to say I didn't already think that, but this role took it to a whole new level. (Don't get me wrong, he was funny too; this just went a little deeper, I'd say.)

After watching Cedar Rapids, I'm really excited to see what else Helms does in the future. As I mentioned before, I think he's a rarity in an entertainment industry plagued with cheap laughs these days. (I also think neighborhood kids should stay off my lawn.) And I'd like to see more original comedies like this from the talented folks in the film industry.

I know I suck at movie reviews, but I encourage anyone who's interested to see Cedar Rapids. It's good stuff.