By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
RAINN WILSON AND LIL REL HOWERY HANDLE "CODE 3"
"Code 3," from director/co-writer
Christopher Leone ("Parallels"), is a seriously funny dramedy that dives into the chaotic, heart-pounding, and often absurd world of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs).
The movie draws from screenwriter
Patrick Pianezza's own experience in the field and pulls back the curtain on a profession that is as emotionally taxing as it is wildly unpredictable.
In "Code 3" Rainn Wilson, (TV's "Lessons in Chemistry") is perfectly cast as a burned-out Los Angeles based EMT named Randy who is just trying to survive his last shift without completely losing it. Unfortunately for him, fate, his overworked boss Shanice (Yvette Nicole Brown, "Community: The Movie"), and the dispatch radio have other plans.
Randy is saddled with mentoring Jessica, (Aimee Carrero, TV's "Critical Role"), a new and eager recruit, but she's greener than a golf course. As if that weren't enough, to spike his blood pressure, Randy is also teamed with his long-time kooky partner, Mike (a funny Lil Rel Howery, "Vacation Friends 2" and "Unexpected Christmas").
Randy's chaotic energy is equal parts stress-inducing and laugh-out-loud funny. Together, they navigate one ridiculous emergency after another, all while dodging bureaucracy, burnout, and an arrogant, ER doctor (a crazy Rob Riggle, "Bad Man") who thinks he is God's gift to trauma medicine.
The chemistry between Wilson and Howery is what really fuels "Code 3." They play off each other like a couple of guys who have seen it all and stopped taking anything too seriously until they absolutely have to.
There are genuine moments of intensity, blood, loss, and heartbreak, but it's the rhythm between hearty laughter and sobering reality that makes "Code 3" work and feel authentic. There is a touching moment when Randy, overwhelmed and frazzled, walks away from the job and accepts a position in insurance. At first, it seems like a fresh start, but it doesn't take long for him to realize that, despite everything, being an EMT is part of who he is. It's the only world he truly understands. In the end, he finds himself missing the very things that once pushed him to the brink. When he returns to his old job he's welcomed back with open arms.
"Code 3" never tips too far into slapstick or melodrama. It respects the seriousness of the profession while still letting its characters and the audience take it all in and breathe.
Although EMTs have been featured in several medical dramas, "Code 3" gives them their due without turning them into saints or superheroes. Here, they are flawed, funny, and often fed up, but they show up, shift after shift.
And that's the heart of "Code 3." It's not just a comedy with sirens, but rather a nice tribute to the resilience of the people behind the wheel.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the
Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays at 5:17 p.m. and 6:47 p.m. on radio station
KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Look At This Trailer For
"CODE 3"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards).
