Observe and Report (R)

What better way to celebrate All Fool’s Day than with a goofy, slapstick comedy movie, paired with a tub of butter drowned popcorn and a large cola. Comedic actor Seth Rogen is quickly becoming a Hollywood go to guy for roles that require a slovenly and slow witted jackass to lead the piece. Rogen co-starred with the queen of buffoonery Anna Faris in the 2009 title “Observe and Report.” Following suit with “Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” which was released just three months before, “Observe and Report” piles on the humiliation and total lack of respect that snobbish American teens, and lets face it many adults too, have for security personnel tasked with monitoring petty crimes that occur in suburban shopping malls. Having never seen “Blart,” I can’t tell you whether or not Kevin James is a superior choice for the central character. I can say that love him or hate him, Seth Rogen is a pretty perfect option. In a way similar to Will Farrell, Rogen’s on screen persona is great in moderation but can get tired after a while. At 86 minutes, “Observe and Report” hits the level of max tolerance.

In “Observe and Report,” Rogen plays Ronnie Barnhardt, the head of security for a typical shopping mall. In standard mock a mall cop fashion, Ronnie takes his job to the next level of seriousness, conducting military style training routines for his subordinates and treating customers and mall management as if the mall wouldn’t exist without him. Playing opposite Rogen is the cute and quirky Anna Faris. Faris plays Brandi, a vapid and demeaning counter girl at an upscale department store. Ronnie is infatuated with Brandi, though she could care less. In Ronnie’s efforts to pursue Brandi, he overlooks Nell (the adorable Collette Wolfe) a cashier at the fast food restaurant where Ronnie gets his daily coffee.

“Observe and Report” makes no attempt at being an award winning film, understanding its place in cinema history as a sub par and silly story. Stand up comedians like Patton Oswalt and Aziz Ansari fill up the cast with backing roles. Even veteran tough guy Ray Liotta doesn’t try to reign in the gigglefest with his role of Detective Harrison, brought into the mall to assist Ronnie in the tracking and apprehension of a serial flasher. Rogen does what he does best – make you chuckle. The movie is funny enough to keep you interested, and loaded with stupidity from all sides. The love story and mall cop gags are somewhat drowned out by Detective Harrison’s investigation and a strange side turn where Ronnie attempts to fulfill his dreams of becoming a real police officer.

I’m not sure why mall cops are so funny, but comical attacks on them probably exceed jokes made about any other career choice. “Observe and Report” is an average comedy. It will make you laugh while simultaneously shaking your head in a way that beckons the question; “Why am I watching this?” If you are a fan of Rogen’s humor, its not a bad choice, though definitely not his best work If you want an easy watch with zero in the way of thought, “Observe and Report” could be a perfect option.

– by Matt Christopher