This came out on Blu-ray/DVD fairly recently, so I took the opportunity to rent it. From remembering previews, I wasn’t sure if it would be any good, but a few friends said it was hilarious, so I was pretty excited to watch it.

Danny Donahue (Paul Rudd) and Wheeler (Seann William Scott) are 30-somethings with fairly empty lives. Danny feels like he’s stuck in a rut, and his bad attitude ends up driving away his perfect girlfriend, Beth (Elizabeth Banks). Wheeler, on the other hand, is content to chase any and every girl for empty sex. They work together and have a fairly dead-end job, and one day it all gets to be too much and they get into an argument with a tow-truck driver. To avoid jail, they opt into community service and are assigned to be big brothers (“role models”) for two kids. Danny gets Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), a geek who likes to participate in a Medieval re-enactment society, and Wheeler gets Ronnie (Bobb’e J. Thompson), a small but foul-mouthed kid. After a rocky start, things seem to be going wonderfully for everyone, until Danny and Wheeler make some huge mistakes, which they of course must attempt to make up for.

Danny and Wheeler are stuck as reps for an energy drink company

This movie felt the same as so many movies I’ve seen before it. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it did subtract from my enjoyment of it and made it feel far less original, and far less “fresh.” That’s kind of to be expected, however, as I’ve experienced the same sort of thing with lots of the Frat Pack-type movies, and while this one doesn’t necessarily fall into that category, it’s still the same sort of thing.

Augie participates in L.A.I.R.E. (Live Action Interactive Role-playing Experience).

The movie had a bunch of funny parts (good, since it’s a comedy), especially one exchange between Danny and a barista when Danny is having a bad day and orders a “large” instead of a “venti,” only to be “corrected” by the insistent barista. I got a chuckle at that, as I refuse to order a “grande” when I want a medium.

"Do you mean a venti?" "No, I mean a large."

The acting was fairly good. My favorite character was Gayle Sweeny (Jane Lynch), the former drug addict who is now head of the big brother program (thus in charge of Danny and Wheeler). While I suppose Lynch just had to play a role similar to the one she played in Talladega Nights, she was still just as, if not more enjoyable here. Overall the performances were done well and everyone had fairly good chemistry. No complaints there.

Gayle (Jane Lynch), the head of Sturdy Wings, the big brothers program to which Danny and Wheeler are sentenced

This movie surely isn’t the best, or even the funniest movie out there. It’s good for the occasional watch, and it’ll definitely have you laughing.