Sidewalks On The Corner

"Knocked Up's" Seth Rogen dons the mall badge in Jody Hill’s "Observe and Report," a film co-starring Anna Faris and Ray Liotta. Is the film good? Does it compare to another recent mall cop film, “Paul Blart: Mall Cop?”

Follow up:

OBSERVE & REPORT
Warner Bros. Pictures / Legendary Pictures
MPAA Rating: R for pervasive language, graphic nudity, drug use, sexual content and violence.
Cast: Seth Rogen, Anna Faris, Michael Peña, and Ray Liotta
Wriiten and Directed by: Jody Hill
Produced by: Donald De Line
Executive Producers: Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Andrew Haas, Marty Ewing

Studio Synopsis
At the Forest Ridge Mall, head of security Ronnie Barnhardt (SETH ROGEN) patrols his jurisdiction with an iron fist. The master of his domain, he combats skateboarders, shoplifters and the occasional unruly customer while dreaming of the day when he can swap his flashlight for a badge and a gun.

Ronnie’s delusions of grandeur are put to the test when the mall is struck by a flasher. Driven by his personal duty to protect and serve the mall and its patrons, Ronnie seizes the opportunity to showcase his under appreciated law enforcement talents on a grand scale, hoping his solution of this crime will earn him a coveted spot at the police academy and the heart of his elusive dream girl Brandi (ANNA FARIS), the hot make-up counter clerk who won’t give him the time of day.

But his single-minded pursuit of glory launches a turf war with the equally competitive Detective Harrison (RAY LIOTTA) of the Conway Police, and Ronnie is confronted with the challenge of not only catching the flasher, but getting him before the real cops do.

MICHAEL PEÑA as Dennis, JOHN YUAN as John Yuen, SETH ROGEN stars as Ronnie, JESSE PLEMONS as Charles and MATT YUAN as Matt Yuen in Warner Bros. Pictures' and Legendary Pictures' dark comedy OBSERVE AND REPORT, a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo by Peter Sorel

J.P.'s Verdict:
I have to admit I thought "Observe and Report" was going to be a hilarious laugh riot. Boy, was I wrong. This film, however, is the true opposite of "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," another security mall cop comedy film starring Kevin James that opened in January.

“Observe and Report” was a totally ridiculous, overly ambitious shock fest, with violent and raunchy overtones making this dark comedy into a frustrating mess. The only reason I laughed is because it was so pointless. Maybe that's what the filmmakers had in mind; I don't know. What ever the case, I missed the point entirely. Seth Rogan plays Ronnie Barnhardt, a bi-polar mall cop, who is an over zealous adrenaline junkie bent on catching a pervert terrorizing the mall. OH YEAH, and he wants to become a real police cop.

Watching the preview screening with “Sidewalks” executive producer Richard R. Lee, we could not believe what was unfolding on screen. In the first 15 minutes or so, we knew this wasn't going to turn out well. The "Mall Cop" spoof is riddled with clichés from racial slurs involving an Indian kiosk worker, to drug and alcohol use, the constant use of the f-bomb, and it goes on and on. The character development is a schizophrenic attempt at making them seem funnier than they are supposed to be. Unfortunately, this makes them highly dysfunctional. I don't know whether the filmmaker was trying to make a statement about how we think we've seen everything, or whether he was just trying to shock for shock value.

The only redeeming moments in this film comes from a couple of scenes. The scene where Detective Harrison (Ray Liotta) leaves Ronnie out in the in the middle of bad neighborhood, and Ronnie is confronted by crack dealers and dope slinging kids. To make a long story short, the crack dealers threaten to kill him. Ronnie appears to beg for his life, but it was really a diversion set up to beat the pulp out of them. And he does.

What gave this movie (if you can call it that) its human side is the scene where Ronnie comes to the coffee shop for his usual free coffee. He's angry and having a bad day. He starts verbally attacking the clerk Nell (Collette Wolfe). In seconds, she goes from a chipper and sweet woman into a ball of tears. You start to feel really bad for her because of the expression she makes.

I thought “Paul Blart” was a dorky, charming, very silly movie. The action and comedy was just enough to keep me slightly interested. In this case, I would take “Blart” over “Observe and Report” almost any day. This film is definitely the hardcore version of “Paul Blart,” as if someone threw those characters into an alternate dimension. My complete thought about "Observe and Report" is this: why did they bother to turn this story into a feature length film? They just could have aired it on HBO or On Demand, why take the risk? The choice and taste of the people is going to determine how well this movie does in the long run. There are going to be movie goers, who will totally be taken by surprise and be repulsed by it. Or those people with a sick, dark and warped since of humor will absolutely love it. Unfortunately, I'm the former. Maybe it's the "sign of the times."

This movie will surely get people’s attention, and it will certainly get them talking. I just didn't feel like it was executed well enough to be considered a classic dark comedy. It will either be a total cult film or one of the biggest flops in film history. I'm glad I didn't have to pay to see this one.

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J.P. Langston is a member of "Sidewalks Entertainment" team primarily as a videographer. He loves movies, especially sci-fi horror and action comedies. Some of his favorite films include "Blade Runner" and "Sin City." Since reviewing films for "Sidewalks," he has been expanding his palette for all types of films.