Rainn Wilson’s comedy chops are what he is most well-known for, but he has a much wider range than just playing for laughs. In his latest film, Code 3, from director Christopher Leone, Wilson shows that range well. This dramedy, which examines a day in the life of a paramedic, offers us an opportunity to explore the ups and downs of a profession that most of us hope never to need, but are often grateful to experience when we do.
Randy (Rainn Wilson) is exhausted. After 15 years as a paramedic, he decides that he needs out and has secured a new job. He goes to his boss, Shanice (Yvette Nicole Brown), and explains that he doesn’t want to offer any notice; he just wants out now. She tells him that he has to do his final shift to help the new girl, Jessica (Aimee Carrero), learn the ropes. He agrees to join her, along with his regular partner, the ambulance driver, Mike (Lil Rel Howery), for one last shift.
Code 3 does a really excellent job of taking us through some of the horrors that paramedics encounter as they go about saving lives. Of course, the horrors aren’t simply grisly accidents, but they include dealing with a bureaucratic system that makes it hard for them to do their jobs, racism that puts certain clients at risk, and doctors who belittle their value as healthcare professionals. And, of course, the trauma associated with some of those horrific accidents which stays with them long after.
The film starts out with the team running across a local unhoused man who is running around without any pants. It is a comic scene, but it highlights the benefit of paramedics being familiar with the people in their area. Because Randy and Mike have been around for a long time, they are able to assess his situation more clearly and provide him with the help that he needs. That knowledge makes things safer for them and for him.
The script, co-written by Leone and Patrick Pianezza, does an excellent job of showing this dynamic over and over. Pianezza was himself a paramedic and wrote his script from his own experiences in this field. When Randy says that he knows what brains smell like, that is because Pianezza knows what brains smell like. Code 3 is filled with gallows humor, but it also includes a number of genuinely heartfelt moments, like when Mike is trying to keep a black man who is off his meds calm so that the police don’t shoot him. That scene clearly illustrates the intersection of multiple broken systems in America.
There is a lot of emotional whiplash that happens throughout the film, but it holds together thanks to the impressive performances of the three lead actors. Carrero does an amazing job highlighting the gap between knowledge and experience without coming across as annoying. She is clearly new to this position, but possesses the necessary expertise to perform it, even if the rules need to be bent here and there to achieve a better outcome for everyone.
Howery offers the bulk of the comedy in Code 3, providing a balance to Randy’s continuous pessimism. He has a clear understanding of what their job is and how it can be difficult to navigate, but he also refuses to fall into the full despair that we see in Wilson’s character. Nevertheless, he is able to show his range as well, providing us with moving scenes throughout.
But it is Wilson who shines most brightly in his role as Randy. He is gruff, calm, angry, sarcastic, caring, authoritative, and meek at various moments throughout the film, and is entirely believable through each of these emotions. We see him in charge when he is guiding Jessica through her training, but then completely cowed when he encounters Dr. Serano (Rob Riggle), who constantly berates him for not having a medical degree. And his performance throughout the final emergency is genuinely impressive in its scope.
One aspect that didn’t work as well for me was the decision to break the fourth wall at various times throughout the film. It isn’t terrible, but it pulled me out of the story of Randy’s last day, which felt frustrating. I understand that there are elements of the life of a paramedic that might want to be explored, while being unable to include everything in one day, but the exposition of it all just felt a little too forced and unnatural, especially with the visceral nature of so much of the movie.
I went into this movie with very little knowledge of the inner workings of what it means to be a paramedic, and I left with a much greater appreciation for the work that these folks do. Code 3 is a funny, informative, and thought-provoking look at the people we hope never to meet, and it gives us a much deeper respect for their service.
Rating: 4/5
Code 3 is now available on digital.
Learn more about the film at the IMDB site for the title.
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