DVD review - Role Models

Role Models was one of my favorite movies of 2008. Watching it for a second time, I was reminded of how long it takes to get going. The first 15 minutes or so are not that good. Its not until the kids show up that the movie really takes off. Christopher Mintz-Plasse is enjoyable (though not as funny as he was in Superbad), but Bobb'e J. Thompson steals half the movie. He has so many funny lines. My favorite is "F*** you, Miss Daisy!" If you're wondering who steals the other half, that would be Jane Lynch.

The DVD opens with a strange assortment of trailers: Bring It On: Fight to the Finish, Wanted: Weapons of Fate (the video game based on the movie Wanted, and the game looks much more interesting than the movie), a 'smoking is bad for you' ad, the Fast and the Furious trilogy on Blu-Ray (of course, with the new movie coming out ...), and Kings (an NBC series).

After the trailers and before the main menu, you are asked to choose 'rated' or 'unrated'. The bonus features are:

Deleted Scenes and Alternate Takes (24:20) - there are 19 of these, and the Play All option is always appreciated. None of these are very good but a handful are worth watching once. But the first one - The Night Before - is a complete waste.

Bloopers (3:52) - I always enjoy bloopers, and these were very good. But I really wish there were more. 15 seconds in, best blooper ever: the director is telling Seann William Scott to not sound so disappointed when he delivers a specific line.

On the Set of Role Models (7:41) - pretty typical interviews with the cast and crew talking about the movie. Way too short to be a good making-of, but definitely worth checking out.

Game On: Creating a Role Playing World (9:46) - similar to the previous feature but with an emphasis on LAIRE and its inspiration LARP (Live Action Role Playing).

In-Character & Off-Script (8:07) - this features Martin Gary (A.D. Miles), Kuzzik: Proud Xanthian (Joe Lo Truglio), and Davith of Glencracken (Matt Walsh). The three actors (in character) talk directly to the camera. Better in theory than execution. You can skip this.

The last bonus feature is the Feature Commentary with Director / Co-Writer David Wain. This feature is only available on the theatrical version of the movie. As far as solo director's commentaries go, this one is pretty good. He very rarely lapses into silence for more than a few seconds. Its a very entertaining commentary but it would have been much better with some members of the cast. Considering how good the cast members are at improvising, I can just imagine how entertaining a cast commentary would have been.

Overall I would definintely recommend this DVD.