Movie Review 10 - Role Models

Danny Donahue (Paul Rudd) and Anson Wheeler (Seann William Scott) were two energy drinks salesmen in "Role Models" and their career was going well until Danny was struck with the epiphany that his life was not going anywhere. While Wheeler tried to convince his friend that the job was enjoyable, Danny couldn't help but think that he was stuck at one point of life where he couldn't move. Danny became rebellious and picked a fight with everyone, including a cashier at a coffee shop that enraged his girlfriend, Beth Jones (Elizabeth Banks), and eventually to their break-up. Feeling even sucked down, Danny and Wheeler were in a hassle with authority that landed them into a community service at Sturdy Wings.

Sturdy Wings was a community service for kids who were in need with brotherly companionship. In the service, Danny was assigned with a shy and medieval-hero obsessed teenager, Augie, while Wheeler was paired with a rebellious and profane kid, Ronnie. Of course both had their own sets of problems to deal with, but one thing that the both must always look out for was their attitudes and behaviors because they were the 'role models' for the two kids. Augie already realized that Danny didn't really want to be there, but when Danny ruined his chance to be in Laire, a mock medieval kingdom, Augie sulked away that led to a nasty confrontation between Danny and Augie's parents. Wheeler and Ronnie were bonding but when the former was busy having fun and being distracted with a girl, Ronnie went away too.

The two guys were very close to being jailed up because of their not-so-favored performance in Sturdy Wings, but they were determined to fix the situations. While Wheeler begged Ronnie to take him up again as his big brother, Danny tried to find for Augie another chance to participate in a mock multinational wars at Laire. The opportunity ended up making all of them, Danny, Augie, Wheeler, and Ronnie, to be the warriors for a newly established country they just set up to defeat the cocky king. A series of fake but real war between three countries led to a final battle between Augie and the king, and after his hand being cut off, Augie stabbed the king in the heart and won.

'Role Model' is a funny and smart, although very profane, kind of movie that teaches you that being a role model isn't easy. Especially for children, because they keep looking up to their adults, because that is where they get to learn how to behave and act in various conditions. Albert Bandura, a psychologist who termed observational learning, said that not just behaviors, children observe our attitudes and expressed ideas and determine if those are viable to be followed and imitated. But sometimes, when things are too much, they can get confused.

Augie, for example, had parents who were worried sick because their son was too obsessed with the medieval stuffs, but Danny clearly had a different kind of thinking. But since Danny matched his own attitude, Augie really looked up to Danny, until Danny ruined his position in Laire, which in the same time, ruined Danny's status as a role model. Especially when he already knew Danny was forced to be a big brother, Augie felt like he was a lost cause and he didn't know where to go and what to do, since his parents were disapproval of his interest and Danny didn't have a clue of how to act in any given situation.

Ronnie really felt that Wheeler was a guy he could depend on, but when he was dumped because Wheeler had a girl to play with, Ronnie realized that his role model wasn't such a model after all. This led to confusion too. All this emphasizes on the importance of consistency and trust, because in order to be a role model, children need to be able to identify with the models, and if the models lose that, observational learning can't take place. So, if you are a big brother or a big sister and you wish you want to instill good values within your younger ones, be consistent and walk the talk. Give them the feeling that they can depend on you, and that you yourself walk the the whole big talk about what you preach.