Observe and Report (DVD, 2009)

Mall security guard Ronnie Barnhardt (Seth Rogen - Zack and Miri Make a Porno) stars in this comedy about the life of the guards at the Mall.

Sound familiar? Well it is so alot like Paul Blart Mall Cop (Released earlier this year starring Kevin James). Both movies have a security guard at a Mall who is in love with one of the workers at the mall and they are harrassed by a cop who thinks the guard is a Police wanna be.

But that is where the similarities end.

The movie starts with a flasher exposing himself to all the women in the Mall parking lot then we move inside where the Mall Cops are working on plans to capture the pervert. Ronnie has a crush on the perfume-counter girl (Faris) and "real" detective Liotta shows up to help capture him.

This movie has very little entertainment value other than it is funny at times. But be warned that this movie has a lot of profanity and even some very gross nudity.

The movie also stars Anna Faris (Scary Movie), and Ray Liotta (Wild Hogs).

If your a Rogen fan then by all means watch this movie. If you don't care for the type of humor that Rogen fans like then skip it.

Warning: Movie has a lot of profanity and there is nudity including full frontal male. Definitely not for younger viewers.

This is a very average movie. If you really want to see this I recommend you rent it instead of buying it.

Superficially, Observe and Report’s storyline sounds practically identical to that of Paul Blart. After all, both movies revolve around a bumbling but dedicated security guard who wants to become a real cop, who still lives at home with his mom and who has a crush on a cute clerk at the mall.
Unfortunately, the two pictures have precious little in common beyond that similar-sounding premise. For, where the relatively-clean Blart is a lighthearted romp that’s appropriate for the whole family, Observe is the direct antithesis, a relentlessly-dark and disturbing celebration of depravity unlikely to resonate with any decent demographic.
This raunchy teensploit is ostensibly-designed to up the ante in terms of the shock genre’s profane, prurient and politically-incorrect index. The subject-matter mined for laughs here includes drug addiction, date rape, stun gun tasering, stalking, bullying, stealing, sexual assault, abusive relationships, ethnic, gender and sexual preference slurs, and prolonged, full-frontal nudity. And despite pushing the envelope, the film breaks a cardinal rule of comedy by failing to be funny.
Most of the offensive antics unfold around the Forest Ridge Mall where we find head of security Ronnie Barnhardt (Seth Rogen) as obsessed with crassly courting a cosmetics consultant (Anna Faris) as with apprehending the flasher who’s been exposing himself to female patrons. For instance, consider the exchange between the intrepid protagonist and a suspect who feels he’s been racially profiled named Saddamn Hussein (Aziz Ansari) during which they take turns yelling “[Expletive] you!” back and forth at each other ad infinitum until the scene peters out.
Other lowlights make light of substance abuse, like the running joke about Ronnie’s foul-mouthed alcoholic mother (Celia Weston) and another about a co-worker (Michael Pena) hooked on heroin. The worst scene has to be the bloody finale featuring lingering, slow-motion shots of the pervert’s swaying private parts.
I suppose this movie could’ve been worse.

I normally like Seth Rogen but this film is one of the exceptions.

I know many people are saying this movie is nothing like Paul Blart's Mall Cop, and I am afraid they are both right and wrong.

For starters Paul Blart's Mall Cop was 100 times better film than this one.

Now on to the similarities of both movies.

First lets state the obvious -- They both happen inside a mall. Both the lead characters have scenes in each film where they attempt to join the police force. Both lead characters are considered jokes by the head of the police department. Both movies have mall security guards robbing the mall. Both the lead characters have something wrong with them physically or mentally. Paul Blart (has sugar deficieny) Seth Rogen's character has bi-polar disorder. Both the main characters fall for the prettiest girl in the mall and are rejected. There are also a ton of other similarities but I will stop here.

So what is different about each film. Paul Blart's Mall Cop is more family friendly than Seth Rogen's film. In Observe and report you are exposed to a flasher, Seth characters is dating a party girl who will have sex with anything, drug and alcohol abuse, and tons of profanity.

In the end if I had to choose between these two films, Paul Blart's Mall Cop wins hands down.

Seth Rogen trades his usual goofball type role for a darker comedy, yet still shines. Anna Farris holds her own as well. Little on the deeper side but still very funny.

Although this isn't like most Seth Rogan movies, it is a must see! The first time I watched it I had put it in as ambient noise while I studied. Needless to say, I've never laughed so hard by myself, cheered on a jerk, or got any of my homework done. It's a dark comedy, but I recommend everyone to see it at least once. I love this movie!