If Paul Blart: Mall Cop was supposed to be the sugar-coated, ridiculous take of what is commonly considered the least respected law official, Observe and Report was supposed to be the edgy, hilarious portrait of a mall security officer who takes himself and his job too seriously. Writer-director Jody Hill sets the bar pretty high and expects some major laughs, yet achieves almost none. Though most expect star Seth Rogen to shine no matter the screenplay, his spark is not even enough to turn a terrible script into a decent movie.
The story centers around Ronnie Barnhardt (Rogen), the head of mall security who’s convinced his job entails much more responsibilities than it actually requires. Backed up by his “infantry” of other security officers that probably know full well that Ronnie is off his rocker but still let him lead blindly, he spends most of the film hunting down the mall flasher. When Ronnie feels that his job is being threatened by a hot-shot detective, played by Ray Liotta, he crashes and burns in a downward spiral as his obsession with protecting the mall at all costs grows.
Rogen’s performance is only mildly entertaining at best and somewhat disturbing at worst. The rest of the ensemble is not much better: Anna Faris as Brandi reverts to her typical, over-the-top ditz routine and Liotta is still banking on his Goodfellas persona. The “infantry” of security officers (Michael Peña and John and Matt Yuan) are either awkward or annoying, but consistently not funny. The only likeable character is Nell (Collette Wolfe), an adorable employee of the mall with an obvious affection for Ronnie.
The plot of the film is mostly unclear. Multiple times the viewer is left scratching his head, wondering what’s going on and what’s the point. The plot also lacks a central focus — no light at the end of the tunnel. Everything unfolds in a hodgepodge fashion that could have been entertaining if the actual events happening were funny or enjoyable to watch. Most of the time, the action elicits an uncomfortable, even repulsed response, punctuated by only a few — and it really is only a few — comedic moments.
The most disconcerting part of Observe and Report is the light and airy handling of the character of Ronnie. Hill was likely going for the depiction of a pathetic, but likeable guy who is intensely earnest in his protection of the mall, a job most consider not too serious. The film, however, seems much more like an unsympathetic dissection of mental illness. Ronnie is obviously deluded and everyone around him knows, but doesn’t seem to care enough to say anything. Instead of laughing at his illusions of grandeur, the audience just feels sorry for him. Also, the fact that the story seems to return to the status quo at the end is not uplifting — it’s depressing.
Who knows what Rogen was thinking when he signed on for this project? For his first real shot at carrying a movie, he picked one that does absolutely no justice to his gifted sense of humor. Observe and Report simply flops and it shows that it was not fully thought through. The acting is weak and safe, and the plot is a bunch of random events thrown together and jumbled up in a mostly disappointing and unpleasing attempt at a comedy.
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