Comedy? Action? Drama?…You Decide.

“Observe & Report” is the first film of 2009 that is guaranteed to draw a sharp line between critics and viewers. Seth Rogen has a lot of potential that goes way beyond the Apatow fraternity, and he proves it so in this film, but director Jody Hill is so dependent on borrowing Scorsese techniques from “Taxi Driver” and “King of Comedy,” that it seems as if he can’t be original even when he tries.

And since Kevin James has already starred in a much better comedy about mall security this year (Paul Blart), “Observe & Report” almost feels like one of those missing puzzle pieces that gets lost along the way, but because it fits in the broad one-dimensional background, we really don’t need it in order to get the full picture.

Rogen plays Ronnie, a sharp-as-nails security guard who likes to play it tough in the most unlikely scenarios while he’s on duty. It’s one thing to tell vandalizing skateboarders to leave, and another to bust shoplifters, but Ronnie handles both scenarios (along with many others) as if they were an opportunity to show everyone he means business, especially a beautiful make-up clerk (Anna Faris) who hardly notices him.

Things get serious when a perverted flasher tramples into Ronnie’s mall, and local police try to handle the situation. Up against an entire force (including Ray Liotta), and with nobody supporting his motives, Ronnie sets out to bring down the crook on his own so that maybe he can finally get his flashlight traded for a gun.

If there is anything intriguing about “Observe & Report,” it would have to be the vast similarities in the attitudes of Ronnie and Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro’s character in “Taxi Driver”). Both men know they have worthless jobs, but are so hell bent on making the absolute most of them that we can’t help supporting them as the film progresses.

Amidst the driven potential in its lead star, there is quite a bit of controversy to the way Jody Hill structures this dark indie film by blending content from several unlikely genres. We’ve all gotten our share of kicks from “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz,” but because those parodies were meant to shock viewers with a goofball sense of violence, it was easier to just scratch your head with a grin. “Observe & Report” takes a lot of risks by including drug content, male nudity and some pretty rough fights. This is one time I actually dread not sharing the screening with more people because had there been others watching, I think I might’ve waited to hear if anyone else started laughing before I let my two sense flow.

Dark comedies always have a unique sort of appeal to me, and more often than not, I can find a decent amount of positivity in one to name it a “keeper.” “Ice Harvest” was a keeper simply because John Cusack is a master of the dark comedic form, and Billy Bob Thornton just can’t recycle his “Bad Santa” roots enough. There’s certainly nothing wrong with showing respect for all of your inspirations as Jody Hill has done here, but unless viewers come in hoping to see Seth Rogen sport a new type of role, and a notable loss of weight (in preparation for “The Green Hornet”), “Observe & Report” is really not much of a “keeper;” it’s just a familiar idea that already had a better execution three months ago.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Apr 10 2009. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry