Review of Observe and Report (2009) by Bill M — 15 May 2012

Observe and report is one of the darkest, most perverse, daring and subversive mainstream american comedies of the century. Playing almost like a comedy version of taxi driver, this film has some deeply twisted and very troubling laughs, mining comedy from uncomfortable material, with Seth Rogen in the lead you think you are in safe territory, but it subverts even his comic hug-able bear persona in to something violent and warped, in short you've never seen Rogen like this, a delusional, brutal, bi-polar fascist, his outlook on the world at first seeming more silly and deluded, but as the film goes on we see something much more disturbing, explosive and unhinged.

It's a brave and hilarious film, that wont be to everyone's tastes, and will likely offend about 50% of people with jokes about date rape, mental illness, heroin abuse, racism and vigilante violence, but the other half of us with a depraved and more attuned sense of humour will see a brilliant dark comedy about the male american psyche.

Violent, vicious, sick, shocking and extremely funny, this is a classic and Seth Rogens best film so far.