With five Judd Apatow movies, three American Pies and a Road Trip between them, Seann William Scott and Paul Rudd continue to put their on-screen adulthoods on hold as a pair of energy drink promoters to whom ‘responsibility’ is a four-letter word.

Disguising their sales pitch as an anti-drugs roadshow, cynical Danny (Rudd) and oversexed Wheeler (Scott) peddle their turns-your-pee-green concoction Minotaur to assembly halls full of teenagers.

But when Danny is dumped by his lawyer girlfriend Beth (Elizabeth Banks, Zack and Miri Make A Porno) for being “a miserable dick”, their subsequent presentation ends with the Minotaur truck mounting a statue of a horse in front of the whole school.

The escapade lands them 150 hours of ‘big brother’ duty at the Sturdy Wings kids’ foundation, founded by an addled ex-addict (the terrific Jane Lynch) who’ll “take no BS” yet spouts nothing else.

Suddenly jail doesn’t seem so bad as Danny is dragged into the medieval fantasy world of teenage nerd Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse, aka McLovin in Superbad) and Wheeler is lumbered with pint-sized potty-mouth Ronnie (Bobb’e J. Thompson).

But in spite of their differences, they begin to find common ground, Danny learning the ways of the role-playing warrior and Wheeler and Ronnie bonding over the music of Kiss and a mutual appreciation of boobs.

Rife with puerile innuendo and unafraid to sneak in the odd bone-shaving one-liner, this finds Rudd at his deadpan, movie-quoting best and Scott serving up Wheeler as Steve Stifler Version 4.0.

Together, they raise the comedy way above standard lads-night fare. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly take note: you can't force chemistry.

Role Models matures with age, becoming sweeter and less raucous as it goes on.

Lessons must obviously be learned and all rifts mended, but as fraternity leads to sentimentality the gags soften and Dungeons and Dragons mucking about takes centre stage.

Ah but sirrah, the scurvy, sweary knaves herein keepeth the cup of laughter flowing o’er.

Elliott Noble