It’s Spring and we already have our second release focusing on shopping mall security. Not as romantic as the typical jobs seen in movies, but the comedic potential of this occupation is proving to have a high value. Not to be confused with Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Observe and Report is a raunchy and hilarious movie.
Ronnie Barnhardt (Seth Rogen) is an overprotective security guard at a shopping mall. He harasses kiosk workers, is generally offensive, and anxious to fight. Joined by Dennis (Michael Peña), and the Yuen twins (John and Matt Yuan); these guys offer a special brand of enforcement which routinely involves excessive force. Their comfy roles are put to a test when a trench coat dawning flasher declares war on their location.
When Brandi (Anna Faris), becomes the latest victim, Ronnie makes catching the perp his mission in life. A serial flasher is not a major breach to security, but to Ronnie it sure is and therein lies much of the fun. The way Rogen can curse up a storm with quasi-philosophy and rhetoric while being over serious and equally stupid, is amusing in the least. Anna Faris is a gem in comedic films, but she can usually get on my nerves after a short time. Though she is prominent in the trailers, her role in this film is smaller than I had expected. This was of course fine with me, because her loudness works better in spurts. Celia Weston, as Ronnie’s alcoholic mother, is an outright scene-stealer. Her absent-minded rambling is profound in how much it makes you thankful that you yourself are not her offspring. Michael Pena, who was drastically underused in Crash, also flexes versatility muscle.
On pure aesthetics, Observe and Report doesn’t blow me away with visuals. There are occasional manipulations of time with slow motion and time-lapse; little things that make it appear less a Hollywood production and more emulative of an independent film. It’s cleanly filmed with neutral colors, which conflict with the dark tone established by the dialogue.
If you can stomach a hard R, then this is worth taking a look at. By hard R, I’m talking about nudity from both genders, with an extensive (yet hilarious) sequence involving the male flasher. Though the language and some visuals imply lowbrow comedy, the jokes avoid the toilet and occasionally involve some form of brain activity in the viewer. Bear in mind that Miley’s romp is opening this week; an alternative to finding a sitter.
Comedy is not easy. Though my rating may make it seem like a masterpiece, it’s not perfect. At some points the direction of the plot appears lost, but it is eventually found. Regards of what was happening in the narrative, there was always something funny taking place. It doesn’t matter that a responsible mall manager would have fired all of these guys long ago; some of the outside forces show the needed real world sensibility. There is just enough reality to make the contrast of these bizarre characters hilarious. ***½
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