(Long Island, NY) Observe and Report is a very unusual movie. How, you may ask? First of all, the advertising campaign: the film that it’s portraying in ads is nothing like the film you see when you actually go to the theater. Observe and Report’s commercials paint a picture of a silly, happy-go-lucky romp that doesn’t take itself very seriously. A typical romantic farce, if you will.
The reality is the exact opposite- Observe and Report is actually a very black comedy that occasionally delves into some very dark places. Don’t get me wrong…there are some laughs and plenty of sophomoric humor on display, but it’s not exactly what I would call a “date movie”. But does the deceptive marketing campaign mask a good yet unconventional film, or attempt to hoodwink the public into seeing something the studio has little confidence in? Honestly, I’d have to say the answer lies somewhere in-between.
In the Forest Ridge Mall, justice is dispensed by the head of mall security, Ronald “Ronnie” Barnhardt (Seth Rogen) and his crack team of misfit a disgusting flasher (Randy Gambill), complete with raincoat and knee-high socks. Ronnie, having little else going on in his life, takes it upon himself to capture the pervert, hoping to achieve two objectives: protecting the public at large, and winning the affections of Brandi (Anna Faris), his dream-girl and latest victim of the flasher. In reality, however, Brandi is an air-headed floozy with little interest anything other than getting drunk and…well, getting drunk again once she sobers up. But alas, Ronnie is in love, and doesn’t even notice a true chance for happiness in the form of Nell (Collette Wolfe), who spends every day pining away for him while working in the mall’s food court.
Meanwhile, the mall is being robbed at night by an unknown masked bandit, leaving stores ransacked, cash registers empty, and Ronnie looking fairly incompetent. But while hoping to take on the brunt of these investigations himself, Ronnie is upset to discover that his boss has lost confidence in him and called in the police to look into these matters. Feeling threatened, Ronnie immediately finds himself butting heads with the officer in charge of the case, Detective Harrison (Ray Liotta), who in turn despises Ronnie’s bumbling interference in his case. Hoping to circumvent Harrison’s hindrance, Ronnie attempts to become a real police officer, but I’d really have think twice about living in any city that would ever allow a goof like him to carry a badge.
Things start taking a bad turn for Ronnie, as the flasher starts striking at will, the robberies continue, and problems arise with his barely-there relationship with Brandi. Soon, Ronnie’s job is at risk, not to mention his mental health and freedom…will he pull it together, solve the crimes, and get the girl? Or will he just watch as his life slowly goes down the drain?
Like I said in my opening paragraph, Observe and Report is NOT the movie the ads make it out to be. It’s actually a very dark film at times, with some segments that seemed purposely designed to make its audience squirm a bit. Such scenes involve Ronnie casually interacting with his hopelessly alcoholic mother, actually getting the empty-headed Brandi out to dinner (the resulting alcohol binge and subsequent sexual encounter barely manages to avoid being date rape…I think), and rampantly using street-drugs (including shooting up Heroin!). And that’s not to mention that the climatic chase scene at the end involves more exposed male genitals ever featured in a major studio film that wasn’t pornography. By the way, all of the scenes I just described (in addition to numerous more) are actually played for laughs. Yes, Observe and Report is not the light-hearted family fare the commercials make it out to be.
But while it is indeed a comedy, the question remains…is it actually funny? The answer: sometimes. There’s genuine laughs, especially early in the movie, but eventually things start getting bogged down with irrelevant sub-plots that go nowhere, outlandish acts that don’t have the consequences you’d expect in real life, and the film’s pace drags in spots. And while I do happen to have a deep love for well-done black comedy, the filmmakers here don’t display the ability to take the morbid and consistently present a humorous spin on it. That’s not to say that it isn’t funny when it DOES work- it takes a certain amount to raw talent to craft a legitimately funny scene in which the main character’s drunken mother swears off liquor in favor of beer and the main character is actually happy and supportive about it. Tender mother and son moments like that always warm my heart…
All that said, the cast of Observe and Report makes the most of the uneven script they’re presented with. Seth Rogan seems to be in a new movie every month, and while he appears poised to become a top guy when it comes to comedy, average films like this aren’t going to get him there any faster. Still, he tackles the role of Ronnie with his usual energy and excellent comic timing, so the film’s shortcomings aren’t really his fault. Anna Faris expertly channels the spirit of the stereotypical party-girl you’d meet in any club or disco, which is impressive and a little repulsive at the same time. And I’m always happy to see the great Ray Liotta in any film, and he lives up to his extensive and impressive pedigree, despite being mired in this mediocre film.
Overall, Observe and Report isn’t the film you though it was, and it isn’t all that great, either. However, it fails while trying to do something different from the norm, so while I can’t really recommend it to the average moviegoer, I can’t really condemn it, either. I’d say that you should only check it out if you’re the sort looking for something strange yet flawed, which is a risk I’m always willing to take (and sometimes I pay the price). Otherwise, wait until it hits DVD.
