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Since I’m still trying to recover from the humorless mess that was Paul Blart: Mall Cop, it’s understandable that I was pretty hesitant to get back on that horse and watch another movie about a mall cop—even if it does star Seth Rogen. Fortunately, though, despite the similarities, Paul Blart and Observe and Report have one major difference: Observe and Report is actually kinda funny.
Rogen plays Ronnie Barnhardt, head of security for the Forest Ridge Mall. When a flasher chooses to harass the mall’s customers, Ronnie and his fellow guards beef up security to find the pervert who’s responsible. And when the flasher targets gorgeous makeup counter girl, Brandi (Anna Faris), Ronnie sees it as his chance to save the day and get the girl. The only thing standing in his way is Detective Harrison (Ray Liotta), the hotshot detective who’s been assigned to the case.
The mall is Ronnie’s turf—and he’s not going to let some smooth-talking outsider take that away from him. So Ronnie declares war—on Detective Harrison, the flasher, and anyone else who dares to try to get between him and his dreams.
Now, since the two mall cop movies were released within a few months of each other, it’s pretty much impossible to avoid comparisons. So let’s just get it over with, shall we?
First of all, Paul Blart was rated PG. It was actually supposed to be family friendly, which might explain the skateboarding crooks and the overabundance of sophomoric humor. On the other hand, Observe and Report is a comedy that stars Seth Rogen as a real, live person (as opposed to an animated blob), so you can pretty safely assume that (a) it’s not a family movie, (b) the language and humor will be as crude as possible, (c) there will be random drug use, and (d) someone will be naked in a shocking way. If that stuff offends you, it’s best to pick a different movie.
Of course, there are also plenty of similarities between the two. Both, for instance, focus on a mall cop who takes himself (and his job) much too seriously. Both characters are in love with some mall hottie, and both attempt to get into boot camp. The stories are pretty similar, too—and, like Blart, Observe seems to suffer from Screenwriting ADD. Just when you think you’ve figured out what, exactly, the main plot of the film is, it once again shifts gears. The movie could be about finding the flasher—or the shoplifter who later targets the mall. It could be about Ronnie’s competition with Detective Harrison…or Ronnie’s decision to apply to the police academy…or Ronnie’s attempt to get the girl. Mostly, though, it’s just about a whole bunch of random stuff.
So what makes Observe and Report better than Paul Blart? For starters, the writing is often rather clever. Obviously, it’s not original. And it’s not necessarily smart, either. But it’s also not the same old stupid jokes over and over again. It’s dark and outrageous, and it will often shock you into laughing when you least expect it. It’s not always funny—and, sometimes, the jokes fall flat and the story drags on. But when it’s funny, it’s really funny.
And, well, Observe and Report has Seth Rogen. He may play the same goofy clueless guy in just about every one of his movies, but there’s still something about him that makes you keep laughing anyway.
Observe and Report isn’t a brilliant comedy with intelligent humor and a flawless story. It’s a dark stoner comedy with amusing characters and crude (and occasionally gross) humor. But, for what it is, it’s pretty entertaining. Rogen’s fans will love it, and the rest of you will still get a hearty (brainless) laugh or two.
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