274. Cedar Rapids (2011)

Starring: Ed Helms, John C. Reilly, Anne Heche

Director: Miguel Arteta

Running Time: 86 mins

Cedar Rapids is an American film about an insurance agent who is sent to an insurance convention in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he meets three convention veterans that show him the ropes to how to enjoy life as an insurance man.

This was a really nice film. It may not have had the most enthralling story, and perhaps it wasn’t the funniest or most entertaining film ever, but it was definitely very nice to watch in my opinion.

The main thing that I was pleased by was the fact that the story was not very predictable. From what seemed like a typical sort of storyline developed into something different; a pleasant surprise for me, so it was enjoyable to follow.

Also, the characters were very good and well-developed throughout, and by the end of the movie, I did feel as if I had a strong bond with the principal characters, willing them onto success, making it feel like you were in the story with them, which is actually rarely done well.

Overall, then, I’ll give this 7.2, because it wasn’t a laugh-out-loud comedy, but the story was good enough, the characters were great, and its sense of calm made it a very fun and pleasant film to watch.