Cedar Rapids is very much a 'love letter to midwestern insurance.' The story centers around Tim Lippe, played by Ed Helms, an insurance salesman from Wisconsin, who has never left his hometown, is 'pre-engaged' (his own words) to his former third grade teacher, and plays everything in his day-to-day life by the book. He is sent to 'metropolitan' Cedar Rapids, Iowa as a representative for his company at the annual Cedar Rapids Insurance Convention where he experiences life and perspective-changing adventures. He meets and befriends several other insurance agents played by Isaiah Whitlock Jr., John C. Reilly and Anne Heche, who all show him how to push his boundaries a little and enjoy life, and as he grows he begins to shed some of his naivete yet still act upon his principles.
Something I enjoyed about the film was that it didn't play to the cliches of Midwestern culture. The characters were very well delineated, and the actors portraying them were all fantastic as well. Director Miguel Arteta (Youth In Revolt, The Good Girl, Chuck & Buck, The Office), said he finds something beautiful in the instance of meeting someone who afterward will always be your friend, and emphasized his fascination with films of people who are extremely damaged and then somehow learn to confront their problems and make themselves better. The film is, as far as I know, honest, poignant and straightforward, but manages to be funny and enjoyable too on top of all that.
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