Review of Observe and Report (2009) by Jeff B — 01 Jan 2011

Both more interesting and less comedic than I was expecting. I'm not entirely sure what this movie is about, but I think there's more to it than meets the initial eying. It ostensibly is about a mall-cop who suffers from both emotional instability and delusions of badassery. He obsesses over an indecent exposer terrorizing women at the mall, which leads him to dream of becoming a real cop. Hijinks, some funny and some serious, all dark, ensue (Danny McBride's cameo's showdown is ACE). He wrestles with his dipshitity along the way, and may or may not descend into something before the end.

Rogen does a very good job of portraying a mean, stupid, delusional dipshit. Ronnie is unlikability incarnate. And sure enough, nobody likes him. Except for a burista or something he gets free coffee from. No idea why she likes him. Nearly every sentence he utters invites hate. The plot is both illogical and over-the-top in its unbelievability. The frequent violence in this movie never has consequences for any of the characters. Yet most of the characters are officers of the law in one form or another. Could two mall security guards flatly get away with beating the shit out of a bunch of skateboarding minors in the parking lot in broad daylight? I swear it makes no sense. I found that interesting, more interesting perhaps than if things had made sense. I wonder if Jody Hill knew exactly what was going on with his script. Is the whole thing a delusion?

In general, the comedy is mediocre-to-great, the editing is fantastic, the violence is wanton and hard-hitting, and the first climax is awesome and the second confounding. A much odder movie than can be relayed through reviews and synopses.