rated R

Writer-director David Wain used some “Dungeons and Dragons” players and a 20-sided die to save summer camp in “Wet Hot American Summer.” And so it’s not much of a surprise that live-action role playing and KISS fandom figure so heavily in his latest film, “Role Models.”  What is surprising is how well the heavy doses of irony and non sequiturs that Wain and co-writer Ken Marino are known for turn what could have easily been a Judd Apatow knock-off into something more inspired.

Wain was one of the founding members of The State comedy troupe and is currently a member of Stella with Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter. These sketch comedy roots were apparent in “WHAS” and “The Ten,” both of which amounted to a series of vignettes strung together around a loose framing device (1980s summer-camp movies, in the case of “WHAS” and the Ten Commandments in “The Ten”). For “Role Models,” Wain seems finally to embrace a more conventional narrative, and while it results in a more cohesive movie, it takes a little while for the comedic momentum to build.

The role models in question here are Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott, here playing shills for an energy drink company. Rudd wears a suit, Scott wears a Minotaur costume, and they spend their days traveling from school to school, urging kids to say no to drugs and yes to energy drinks. Disgusted with his job, depressed after being dumped by his girlfriend and thoroughly dissatisfied with life, Rudd has a minor freak out—one that results in a number of criminal charges and eventually forces him and Scott to do 150 hours of community service instead of going to jail. Maybe jail would have been easier, though, as their service consists of volunteering for Sturdy Wings, an after-school program that pairs troubled kids with adult mentors. Rudd, a sarcastic curmudgeon, is partnered with a socially-awkward nerd played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who lives for his live-action role-playing group (where he is known as Lord Bluffkin), while Scott, a ditzy horn-dog, is paired with a trash-talking Chris Rock-wannabe played by Bobb’e J. Thompson, who dishes out obscenities with reckless abandon.

By the halfway mark, Rudd’s snarky cynicism gives way to some emotional earnestness and the movie gets back the sense of smart, anarchic humor that made “WHAS” a cult favorite. It’s not hard to imagine that Wain, Rudd and co-writer Ken Marino first came up with the climax—involving live-action role playing and an awesome display of KISS fandom—and wrote the rest of the film around it.

It works, and it’s mostly because of Rudd. Always a co-star and never a leading man, Rudd finally gets a chance to carry a film here and, not surprisingly, he’s great. Rudd’s droll delivery and arch putdowns are the bitter balance to the ultimate good nature of the movie. Comparisons to movies from Judd Apatow’s camp of performers are inevitable (but apt, as Rudd is part of that group, as well), but “Role Models” is a little subtler and more measured in sweetness, its humor more focused on the strained, awkward way people interact than on gross-out set pieces. Co-star Seann William Scott is no slouch either, and in this case, his frat-boy bombast is the perfect counterpoint to Rudd’s soberness. While Rudd winces at passing double entendres and misused language, Scott gets to excitedly explain the subtext behind KISS’s “Love Gun” (“The gun is his dick!” he informs his young charge).

The supporting cast is just as strong. Mintz-Plasse has a little more to work with here than he did as McLovin in “Superbad.” Instead of being a nerdy kid trying hard to be cool, he is comfortable with his dorkiness and only wants others—namely, his parents—to accept him (and leave him alone). Jane Lynch has a great turn as the founder of the Sturdy Wings charity, a recovering addict who can’t keep her metaphors straight. Elizabeth Banks has a small role as Rudd’s girlfriend, but compared to her performance in Kevin Smith’s “Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” her relatively weak part here is barely worth mentioning. 

“Role Models” is way too normal to achieve the cult status of “WHAS,” but it’s funnier and smarter than expected. It’s irrefutable evidence that Rudd should be given more than just bit parts in the Apatow Comedy Axis, but “Role Models” may also be proof that Wain and company are tempering their normally scattershot approach to comedy into something a little sharper. That’s something to look up to.