Cedar Rapids

What Happens at a Conference Stays at the Conference?
Cedar Rapids, R, ***1/2, Ed Helms, John C. Reilly, Anne Heche, Sigourney Weaver, Isiah Whitlock, Stephen Root, Kurtwood Smith. Fox Searchlight film. Director Miguel Areta. Length 86 minutes.

Anyone who has attended a conference out of town will identify with the characters in this movie. We have all seen each and every one of the individuals in this movie while making our way around all of the conference meetings. Look at each member and decide which one is most representative of the reader’s behavior at a conference. The wild and crazy antics that take place after the work sessions are over will bring laughter to the audience. In other words, the night life takes over – happy hour, mischievousness, and debauchery take place and bring its toll on those who participate.
The movie begins in the small town of Brown Valley, Wisconsin. Tim Lippe (Ed Helms) is a salesman for Brown Star Insurance Company who is honest and helpful to all of his clients. His boss Orin Helgesson (Kurtwood Smith) has won two prestigious awards for the home town insurance company. When awards are won customers believe the company is somehow top notch. Of course, this is not necessarily the case. Awards, when won by achievements, are a major contributor to the strength and character of the employees. The review will share more about this as the story unfolds.
Tim is having an affair with his former school teacher Macy (Sigourney Weaver). He has had a crush on her since elementary school, and she is now divorced. Of course, he is a grown man – in some ways.
Orin always goes to the Insurance conference in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Unfortunately, Orin dies in a very embarrassing and unusual way. Attending the conference falls on the shoulders of Tim, and he has never been on a plane or does he have any concept about the carnal goings on at conferences.
Tim has orders to do everything possible to win the Two Diamonds Award. However, he is about to be introduced to party time and carnal knowledge. Will he give up his integrity?
Tim arrives at the Cedar Rapids Insurance conference and meets Dean (John C. Reilly), Joan (Anne Heche), and Ronald, (Isiah Whitlock). The audience will recognize these individuals as people at conferences that everyone has met while there. Joan is the lady looking for a discreet good time, Ronald is Tim’s roommate who is honest and upright, and Dean is the party hearty guy who drinks a lot and chases women.
All of these characters provide lots of laughs and mischief. Dean may be a party animal, but he does have common sense along with Ronald. Ronald is the most stable of the entire group. He also has a unique way of delivering his lines that make several scenes hysterical.
This is definitely a movie that is laugh out loud funny. Of course, along with lots of laugher is a message waiting to be delivered. When everything is all said and done, the message is predictable. However, the journey to the diamonds at the end of the rainbow is well worth the trip.
The conference is full of laugher and sarcastic dialogue. Bringing an original story to life about a small town individual who gets a taste of life in the big city will tickle the funny bone and warm the heart before it is all over.
I recommend this movie for laughter and a message for people interested in doing the right thing. Will honesty win? The reader will have to view the film to obtain the answer.