Role Models Starring Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott Directed by David Wain New Regency… Role Models Starring Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott Directed by David Wain New Regency Pictures What occasion is so special that it unites ‘American Pie’s’ Stifler, ‘Clueless’s’ Josh, ‘Superbad’s’ McLovin, ‘Reno 911’s’ Trudy and ‘W’s’ Laura Bush?’ A championship duel at a medieval fantasy battle, of course. This battle sets the concluding scene of ‘Role Models,’ a new comedy directed by David Wain, who is a former correspondent on ‘The Daily Show.’ ‘Role Models’ is a coming-of-age tale for both the flick’s children and adults. It follows friends Danny (Paul Rudd) and Wheeler (Seann William Scott) as they combat work, relationships, kids, an ex-junkie and each other. Danny and Wheeler, who is the spokesman and minotaur mascot for a Shrek-pee-inducing energy drink, begin their journey by choosing mentorship over prison after getting arrested for crashing their work truck (pimped out as a bull, complete with a silver-hooped nose ring). Danny’s usual negativity is at an extreme level during this day from hell when he loses both his girlfriend and his job. His cynicism is so extreme that it even rubs off on his usually easy-going, carefree counterpart, Wheeler, as both must endure the consequences. Instead of 30 days in jail, they opt to act as ‘Bigs’ in a Big Brother/Big Sister-esque mentor program called ‘Sturdy Wings.’ Sentenced to 150 hours of quality time with their ‘Littles’ brings not only obstacles and laughs, but also self-discovery. Their initiation into ‘Sturdy Wings’ introduces them to ex-addict Gayle (Jane Lynch), who runs the program. Gayle, who overcame a diet of ‘cocaine for breakfast, lunch and dinner’ sets the friends up for failure by placing them with an extreme nerd and an ultimate badass. Danny’s Little, Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse, a.k.a. McLovin), is a glasses-wearing, cape-sporting kid obsessed with his medieval fantasy world, LAIRE.’ Wheeler meets his alter ego in miniature form in Ronnie (Bobb’e J. Thompson), a ‘booby-loving,’ porn cartoon-drawing, elementary school kid fit to beat a sailor at a swearing contest. The entire film is laced with foul language, but it spews out in greatest excess from Ronnie. And, given his tender age, it is unexpectedly entertaining while sometimes unnerving. But the mixed reaction to Ronnie’s attitude and language adds an edge to the film. Thompson’s performance also matches the performances of other supporting cast standouts, most notably Lynch and Mintz-Plasse. As eccentric tough gal Gayle, Lynch gives a solid and humorous performance to match her comedic appearances in everything from roles in Christopher Guest films to guest-starring spots on primetime sitcoms. The most endearing performance comes from Mintz-Plasse, who, following his breakout role in last year’s ‘Superbad,’ nails it as Augie, a nerd even geekier than McLovin. The cast of supporting actors gives the film its wittiest moments with dead-on timing and deliveries. Leading man Rudd, as always, delivers a great performance. But the weight of the cast’s performances isn’t heavy enough to land ‘Role Models’ a top spot on the scale of recent comedies. With so many outrageous, laugh-out-loud comedies out lately ‘mdash; think the Apatow-led flicks like ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin,’ ‘Knocked Up’ and ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” ‘mdash; ‘Models’ falls short.’ Because of the high quality of these preceding films, audiences will likely enter ‘Role Models’ with heightened expectations. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t quite hit the mark. Certain parts of the film do deliver solid laughs, though. The LAIRE scenes, fueled by ridiculous costumes and Shakespearian language, provide a unique and amusing layer to the movie. The medieval fighting scenes ‘mdash; set in a forest ‘mdash; not only enhance the storyline of the film, but also add color to the bleak surrounding of trees and rocks with multihued attire and decorative team crests. Concluding the film in these colorful woods shows that Danny and Wheeler’s journey has brought them out of their dark and pessimistic funk by catapulting them into a more vibrant and open place in their lives. As the 150 hours of community service slowly dwindle, ending at the LAIRE competition, the Bigs lend support and confidence to their Littles. It’s the kids, though, who help the adults mature and find themselves in the end. ‘Role Models,’ although never lacking lewd material, sends a message of encouragement. In the words of Danny to a sullen Augie, ‘You gotta do what you love and be yourself.’