reviews by Shannon Bowman-Sarkisian

Cedar Rapids

November 2011— Can leading man Ed Helms carry a film? This is the biggest question raised by Cedar Rapids. The answer is: kind of. Helms is a skilled comedian, known for his work in The Hangover, The Daily Show and The Office. He’s funny as a put-out everyman and does well playing an innocent among chaos. John C. Reilly, as uncouth Dean Ziegler, bounces off of Helms’ man-child-in-the-big-city character Tim Lippe and hilarity ensues. But much of Cedar Rapids is ultimately pointless. Yes, the protagonist and his friends resolve some issues, and of course it’s important for people to learn how to be adults, and sure, characters who think of Cedar Rapids as a “big city” are inherently funny to those of us that don’t — but so what? Do we really want to get to know these characters and their lives?

Cedar Rapids has a lot going for it. The actors are game — Isiah Whitlock, Jr. as straight-faced Ronald Wilkes steals every scene. But somehow the film still falls flat. Perhaps the problem is with Phil Johnston’s script. It’s entirely believable that a man from a small Midwestern town might leave home for the first time and be baffled by his surroundings. He could get misled and fall in with the wrong crowd. But a leap from selling insurance to smoking crack with a prostitute almost overnight requires a little more suspension of disbelief than most audiences can muster. And there are seemingly no repercussions for his actions. “What happens in Cedar Rapids stays in Cedar Rapids,” one character tells Lippe. In this movie, that’s certainly true. Not only does Lippe end up with a clean slate after his downfall, he ends up much better off.

Cedar Rapids, available on DVD, is rated R for crude and sexual content, language and drug use. Running time: 87 minutes.

Buck

Director Cindy Meehl’s debut documentary, Buck, is a tender film about an extraordinary man. Buck Brannaman — a horse trainer whose work inspired the book and film versions of The Horse Whisperer — survived a brutal childhood and became a gentle, quiet man who uses a nonviolent approach when working with equines. Contrary to the traditional method of “breaking,” Brannaman uses an uncanny ability to internalize and understand the psychological needs of horses. Nine months out of the year, he travels the United States giving seminars to horse owners.

Brannaman is an intriguing star, affable and easygoing. The film chronicles his journey as he zigzags across the country, sharing his insight with clients or stopping at home to visit with family. Poignant interviews with his foster mother, wife and clients are interspersed throughout the narrative. An incident with a young, mentally disabled horse that had been raised without proper care drives a powerful message home: Horses can be strongly affected by their owners’ actions and emotions.

It would be easy to tell this story through a saccharin lens. A young boy and his brother, nationally famous rope-trick champions, abused by their widowed father, are taken to a loving foster home and overcome adversity. But Buck is heartwarming without using cheap tricks. Meehl simply lets the tale unfold and Brannaman speak for himself. “Your horse is a mirror to your soul,” he says, “and sometimes you may not like what you see. Sometimes, you will.”

Buck, available on DVD, is rated PG for thematic elements, mild language and an injury. Running time: 89 minutes.