Review of Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) by Markb. — 23 Jan 2009

Has there been an unusually large amount of full moons lately? Believe it or not, 3 (count 'em, 3) comedies released by Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions in the past year have turned out to be, well, not totally terrible! Last summer's You Don't Mess With the Zohan wasn't hugely amusing or accomplished, but at least by Sandler standards it lacked most of the mean-spiritedness and cruel edge that most of his starring vehicles (The Longest Yard, Click) possess in abundance, while the Labor Day hit The House Bunny, though typically dumb and lowbrow, showcased a sparkling, endearing comic performance by Anna Faris.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop is the best of the bunch, which, mind you, doesn't make it all THAT good. The idea of spoofing Die Hard has genuine potential, and there are some nice ideas sprinkled throughout (particularly the inclusion of a Paul Gleason-ish law enforcement dumbass) but the writing and direction feature more holes than Dunkin Donut's entire 2008 output.

If a group of master criminals wants to rob a mall, why do so on Black Friday rather than a somewhat less busy but still profitable sales day, the better to cut down on possible glitches and x-factors? And wouldn't a mall that large employs some REAL cops as well as mall cops on the biggest projected sales day of the year? And how truly easy is it to clear a 200-store-plus shopping center of patrons in such a short time without causing massive mob hysteria, panic, accidents and injuries? (For that matter, how likely is it that a mall that huge wouldn't include a multiplex cinema--the emptying of which would cause a whole different set of logistical problems.

..and comic possibilities?) Paul Blart: Mall Cop nevertheless works to the degree that it does partially because of...Paul Blart himself, played by KIng of Queens' Kevin James, who was tremendously likable in Will Smith's Hitch and ably carried the grieving-widower heavy baggage in Sandler's I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry; here he's an underdog overachiever who generates notable rooting interest as he pursues both the bad guys and his dream girl Amy, the curator of a hair-extension kiosk in the mall.

Speaking of which, Jayma Mays as the object of Paul's affections is even better: an actress who's just as skilled at playing truly nice people as Amy Adams is--no small compliment!--Mays stole Wes Craven's Red Eye a few years ago as a sweetly beleaguered hotel clerk, and here generates tremendous kindness, warmth and concern for Blart; when he gets sloppy drunk and makes a fool of himself, Mays exudes just as much embarrassment for him as she does discomfort at being in his presence.

Director Steve Carr's smartest decision is to cut to as many Amy reaction shots as humanly possible; kudos also to the wonderfully straightfaced music score, which is in the fine tradition of Elmer Bernstein's work on Animal House, Trading Places and Airplane! All in all, the relative nonsuckitude of Happy Madison's latest effort is as pleasingly unlikely as.

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