Cedar Rapids is a quirky delight. It features Ed Helms (of The Hangoer, and The Office) as Tim Lippie, a naive insurance salesman whose sent to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to attend an insurance convention after the head honcho at his firm croaks. What follows is a chain reaction of incidents that open Helms' eyes to the real world beyond his insular existence. Of course, Cedar Rapids doesn't paint a picture of the real world. Not really. Its the real world filtered through the comedy world. Just the way I like it. Cedar Rapids is really funny, and I love how director Miguel Arteta and screenwriter Phil Johnston paint the majority of their middle aged characters as teenagers at heart.

Helms is terrific playing the man/child shtick to strong effect. John C. Reilly is a riot as a big mouth who ends up not being the obnoxious tool you might expect. I also really enjoyed a lively Anne Heche as a perky insurance sales-lady who has her eyes on a clueless Helms. Cedar Rapids does slip into raunchy terrain, but it has an unexpected charm that really sneaks up on you. There are elements of this picture that reminded me of Jason Reitman's brilliant Up in the Air, only Cedar Rapids is far more light hearted in its approach. The final act of the film, which features a slightly distraught Helms letting lose at a party, doesn't quite measure up to the the earlier portions of the film, but overall, I enjoyed the dry, subtle wit at the heart of Cedar Rapids. The ethics message at the core of the film might be somewhat familiar, but the offbeat characters make this a comedy well worth checking out.