OBSERVE AND REPORT (B-)
It's funny to think that this past weekend when Seth Rogen hosted SNL that as a joke they called this film the sequel to Paul Blart: Mall Cop. Not mere minutes into Observe and Report you know that is far from the truth. This film is littered with comedy that definitely pushes the envelope.Rogen and Anna Farris have a conclusion to a date that will be the most outrageous moment of this year.
Rogen plays Ronnie, a psychotic, self-empowered mall cop that patrols a regular everyday mall. The film starts with a hilarious scene following a trench coat wearing sicko who flashes his goods to unsuspecting women in the mall parking lot. Ronnie takes it upon himself to protect the women of the mall, especially the two cutest mall employees Farris and Collette Wolfe (seen below).
Because of the repeated public indecency and some mysterious theft at the mall, the police get involved. This is when Ray Liotta enters the scene as a detective, and Ronnie feels like his territory is being trampled. These two characters have more than strong distaste for each other; it provides excellent humor and conflict in the story.
This form of comedy is definitely dark, and nothing you expect happens in many scenes throughout this film. An example of this, is the relationship Ronnie has with his drunken mother played by Celia Weston. Their relationship actually reveals Ronnie's lighter side, and some redeemable qualities. However, most of the time his character is so despicable, vulgar, and conceited he is not very likable...or always entertaining to watch. This was definitely Rogen's best work in a role so far showing a little range as an actor, and his character even changed throughout the film.
The sad thing is the script definitely does not have the strength to keep the audience captivated the duration of the film. There is a decently developed plot (and even subplots) that has a nice twist towards the end. The characters are good, but not great. The supporting cast is engaging, but it is not because their characters were well written. Anna Farris is fun because she will do anything for a laugh; she plays her normal bimbo role.
The ending will definitely shock you, as will many parts in the film. Observe and Report will either be loved or hated. Viewers that aren't devoted Rogen fans or have a dark/unique taste for comedy will probably not like this film at all. There are so many scenes that seem useless, and could have been edited to make the film flow better. And as viewers we beg the question, "Is this story supposed to be believable?"
Overall, not the best comedy this year like I had hoped. I did enjoy the many hilarious parts in Observe and Report, and the story as a whole. The sad thing is that there are so many scenes that I can only describe as odd, viewers sometimes do not know what to think. Especially with Rogen's character. Ronnie is so up and down, he is bi-polar, it is hard to really gauge his true character. I say see it, and give it a chance. The sad thing is Observe and Report gets the same rating as Fast & Furious. Neither film I need to see more than twice...
*
