Review of Observe and Report (2009) by Spangle — 18 Aug 2016

Ever watch a movie and realize you are wildly incapable of putting together your thoughts on what you just watched? Well, that was me with Observe and Report. A disturbing look at a man suffering from extreme mental illness and rife with dark jokes and dark scenes (date rape.

..). That said, the film can be quite funny at times and is reminiscent of a lesser Taxi Driver-esque look at those suffering from violent mood swings and violent inclinations such as Seth Rogen in this film.

Rogen is very good in the lead role and encapsulates this delusion and the man different sides of Ronnie. Though he can be quite awkward and creepy, this is all part of his character and can be very tough to watch.

Essentially, Ronnie is a very good antihero and thoroughly unreliable narrator. You can be misled into rooting for him many times, even if his actions dictate that he is certainly not the hero of this tale.

Overall, Observe and Report is never quite as funny as it thinks it is, but the dark picture portrays of its protagonist/antihero is richly rewarding and thoroughly disturbing. Observe and Report plays less as a comedy and more as a drama about a man who suffers from a serious mental illness and for that, it really hits hard at times.

Unfortunately, its tone is all over the place and the film can never decide whether it wants to horrify you, make you laugh, or extract drama and tears from the situation. For this inconsistent tone, the film winds up being only slightly above average.

If it remained more focused, it could have been far better.