I’m so glad that when Ed Helms finally attached himself as a lead in a movie, he waited for a good script. Remember in the ’90s when poor Pauly Shore was so desperate to star in a film he chose Biodome? The difference is Ed Helms is a true talent and didn’t choose to be a comedian to impress his mother. Helms has been proving himself as an outstanding member of the ensemble in The Office and The Hangover, but this movie was the test to see if he’s ready to be the lead. Cedar Rapids is an amalgamation of good decisions and talented people coming together to make a quite amazing final product. It’s one of those rare films that’s absolutely hilarious down to it’s core, yet is so rooted in reality that it feels incredibly relatable, honest, touching, and sometimes downright dark.

Helms plays insurance salesman Tim Lippe, from the tiny town of Brownstone, Indiana. After years of being the number two salesman a tragedy takes the life of the first place salesman, and it’s up to Tim to take his place at the big insurance conference/competition in Cedar Rapids. Although most of the story is, on a base level, derived from him being a small town guy in a big city, the writer luckily took the story down paths that the formula doesn’t usually follow. It relies strongly on the main character’s moral compass, which is spinning every which way in the new big city. Sometimes his problem is as simple as getting drunk with new friends over working or as complex as when finding out the girl you’ve been friendly with is actually a prostitute.

And after all, it takes good actors to portray a story well and even with all of the creative talent in this film, it’s the casting department that really takes the cake. I first off just cannot say enough good things about the depth in which Helms plays Lippe, who could of easily been a one note dumb-guy character. Then we have the main supporting cast of John C. Reilly as a bloated party animal, Anne Heche as a sexy cougar, and Isiah Whitlock from The Wire as the straight man who coincidentally loves The Wire. While each character could have equally been as one note as Lippe, the performances give all of the characters fully rounded worlds and emotions and make them feel more like actual humans. And if you’re a comedy nerd like I am, you’ll be glad to see Tom Lennon, Mike Birbiglia, Seth Morris, and Rob Corddry amongst others knock it out of the park with the small parts they have.

The ending of the movie feels a little too convenient in the cloud of ambiguity set through most of the film, but it did leave me with a smile on my face. And while I enjoyed it enough that at 86 minutes it was almost too short, I admit that I’m stretching to find something that I didn’t like about the movie. It somehow manages to be completely lighthearted, funny, and easy to watch all while dealing with problems that can still feel incredibly serious and real. Cedar Rapids is an incredible heartfelt comedy, and one of the best I’ve seen In a while. But most importantly it proves that Ed Helms is ready to star in movies. All we can do is hope that they’re all this good.