Cedar Rapids

As friendly and unassuming as the titular town, Cedar Rapids is a sort of touring-company version of The Hangover, which also starred Ed Helms. Here, Helms plays Tim, a naïve, good-hearted insurance salesman in a small Wisconsin town, tapped by his boss to attend a convention in Iowa. Overwhelmed by the “big-town” vibe, Tim is seduced to the “dark side” by his wild-man roommate Dean (John C. Reilly), succumbing to the lure of drink, sex, drugs, and industry chicanery. In somewhat predictable fashion, the smug, sanctimonious types turn out to be villains, while the troublemakers liberate Tim from his inhibitions and teach him how to live (naturally, all of the frat-boy shenanigans are mitigated by an underlying sweetness that makes them endearing rather than obnoxious). Helms anchors the picture with a likable portrait of a blissfully oblivious, wide-eyed Candide figure confronting an alien environment that challenges his most closely held principles, but the movie's sparkplug is undoubtedly Reilly, who takes charge with a ferocious turn as the zany but absolutely honest Dean. Directed by Miguel Arteta, Cedar Rapids occasionally trips over the fine line between condescending and affectionate, but there's enough that works here to make this a strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes (7 min.), a “Tweaking in the USA” behind-the-scenes featurette (6 min.), a gag reel (4 min.), a “Wedding Belles: Crashing a Lesbian Wedding” scene featurette (4 min.), a “Mike O'Malley: Urban Clogger” segment on the actor (3 min.), a brief “Top Notch Commercial,” and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are “Convention Connection” with interviews of cast members including stars Ed Helms and John C. Reilly (14 min.), the Fox Movie Channel interviews “Direct Effect with Miguel Arteta” with the director and “Writer's Draft with Phil Johnston” with the writer (13 min. total), a bonus digital copy of the film, and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an uneven comedy.] (F. Swietek)