Ed Helms finally at the helm with vacation
COMMENTARY
Ed Helms has had supporting roles in successful comedies on both the big and small screen, like The Hangover movies and mockumentary series The Office.
Apart from these two projects, his bit parts in other flicks have been embarrassingly minor.
Evan Almighty? Night At The Museum? We're The Millers?
Yes, he was in them, and no, you're not the only one who can't remember.
Though the 41-year-old US actor snagged his first lead in 2011's little-seen Cedar Rapids, he has spent most of his career acting opposite more famous comedians like Steve Carrell and Will Ferrell.
Until now, that is. He's on his own again as the lead in new mainstream comedy Vacation.
Unlike Ferrell, Helms does not resemble an overgrown man-child. He actually looks like a once-handsome, now-uncool dad.
Which is exactly what he plays in Vacation, the latest sequel in the National Lampoon's Vacation series.
The original 1983 film starred Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo, who appear in the latest instalment.
Helms and Christina Applegate play Rusty and Debbie Griswold, a suburban couple who plan a trip to theme park Walley World with their sons (Skyler Gisondo and Steele Stebbins).
What follows is a decidedly un-family-friendly vacation, with theme park fist fights, shady motels and a dip in a "hot spring" filled with poo.
In one scene, Chris "Thor" Hemsworth even shows up in his underwear, showing off his gorgeous body and a suspicious bulge.
Helms, a big fan of the original National Lampoon's Vacation film, says he relates to his character.
"I may be a little similar to Rusty in my own life... I'm a goofy optimist who thinks things can always work out," he told the Los Angeles Times.
Helms, as the a cappella-loving, snivelling Andy Bernard, replaced Carrell's Michael Scott in The Office.
So can he pull a Carrell and become a top-billed comedian in his own right?
I think Helms has a good chance. For one, he has got the loser-dad humour down pat.
His rendition of Seal's Kiss From A Rose in the car, while trying in vain to get his family to sing along, reminded me of my own hilariously shameless father.
After Vacation, Helms will be voicing the titular character in 2017's animation Captain Underpants.
Finally, after years of playing second fiddle,it looks like Helms is ready to be the hero.
Hopefully with his pants on.
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