‘Observe and Report’: Trying to Laugh Without Much of a Purpose
- Director: Jody Hill
- Rated: R
- Running Time: 86 Minutes
- For: Seth Rogen fans, Those wanting to a different mall cop film
- Not for: Moviegoers seeking a smart/unique/different comedy
Seth Rogen joked on Saturday Night Live that Observe and Report should not be mistaken for Paul Blart: Mall Cop. He definitely is not mistaken. Observe and Report approaches its plot much differently with a hard R rating and a completely different type of humor so in that sense, Rogen has nothing to worry about and most likely, it will be a financial hit from the base of Apatow comedy fans. Is the film one of Rogen’s best though? The film has its moments of humor and Rogen is on top of his game as always, yet Hill’s lack of experience is shown here as this comedy, in the end, is inconsistent and ultimately, not as humorous or dark as it may have had potential for.
Observe and Report follows its lead character, Ronnie (Seth Rogen) who is the head of mall security. Proud of the position, he goes around acting as if he is in control of everything from crime scenes to romancing the make-up counter gal, Brandi (Anna Faris), until everything starts falling apart when a naked pervert starts harassing his mall’s customers. Threatened by actual police presence from Detective Harrison (Ray Liotta), Ronnie has to decide how to proceed in order to regain his self-confidence and take control of the situation from gathering back his crew of mall cops to trying to humiliate Harrison.
The missteps the film has are noticeable because of what it actually does well to begin with. Seth Rogen is still the great comedian and actor he was in his previous ventures, playing the loathsome yet heroic Ronnie. There is a fine line that Rogen has to play between being utterly idiotic and loveable, but it is kept well in balance throughout. Surrounding him are a decent supporting cast who may not all match Rogen’s humor but are at least not completely out-of-tune with their roles. The film is also littered with small, funny moments that are either a bit clever on how the skit is approached (Ronnie versus the gang) or stupid but hilarious (Ronnie’s big date with Brandi) and when the jokes work, they really are effective. Finally, Hill creates an interesting premise and approach to an all-too-common topic of redemption and cop films. A dark comedy at heart, Observe and Report starts on different footing, freed by its hard R rating and ends with a very satisfying payoff.
Yet this is all quashed by the haphazard structure and lack of any central purpose. The script and editing are probably the two worst pinpoints to blame for the lack of cohesion. Scenes mostly play out as small skits separate from each other. One scene will have Ronnie mourning over the loss of his friend when it then moves immediately to him fighting a bunch of people in what seems to be a parody of a kung fu action flick. A thin narrative strip of redemption lines the entire film yet it is not strong enough to give the film much purpose until the very end as it meanders around, trying to find its way. The editing is uneven as it lacks any real tempo and instead of being an artistic decision, it seems more like it was at the whim of whatever the length of that particular scene was. This can also be attributed to the lack of direction. The film thinks it’s gratifying or hilarious to stare at idiots slowly coming down an escalator when not enough hilarity or ‘coolness’ is given to make it so. This happens several times and instead of contributing any value to the film, it plods out as filler for a film that is already pretty short. This leads to the oddest part about the potentially smart script: its reliance on stereotypes both with its characters and plot. From the dumb blond to the backstabbing partner, it has all easily been seen and done before, and although at first, the plot may seem as if it has been approached differently, it ends up quite the same as any other comedy. Some of the jokes work, as mentioned before, yet many intended laughs fall flat due to its reliance on common territory and many stale situations.
Observe and Report is filled with some great laughs and moments that attempt to be above the cookie dough mold of common cop comedies. Seth Rogen leads with another excellent and eccentric role that is concurrently pitiful and heroic with a fairly satisfactory cast surrounding him. But the movie thinks its cool and composed when it really is not and ends up being neither helpful nor funny in the context. Unnecessary shots to inane dialogue wastes time in an already short comedy while the narrative is pretty much made up of short skits lightly intertwined by the central theme of Rogen’s character’s redemption. Observe and Report has problems understanding its own purpose in trying to create a smarter comedy. Some great moments and a satisfying payoff do not make up a great final product, and Hill demonstrates that he has some more maturing to do behind the camera before his next venture.
The Wie muses: ** ½ out of *****
Ratings:
*****: Excellent
**** to ****½: Great
*** to ***½: Good
** to **½: Mediocre
* to *½: Bad
0 to ½: Terrible
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