“I thought it was going to be funny, but it was really kinda sad.”
Observe and Report delivers some classic sex, drugs and rock-n-roll, and 2009 is going to go down in film history as the year of the penis, there I said it. So, if you don’t want to see flapping ball-sacks and incredibly lewd and lascivious acts, avoid this film. I remember what an R-rating was to my generation, tits and ass and lots of swearing, I wonder what will warrant an R in a decade? Sure, penis has made its way onto the screen before, but lately mainstream films are making a statement, penis is here and you better get used to it, because they aren’t just flashing it for shock value for a frame or two, it is BOOM in your face, and quite literally stamped to your forehead in some cases. I’ll stop talking about the one-eyed monsters now. Let’s just say you will be seeing a lot more of them in the near future, so be warned.
This dark comedy, and second mall-cop installment of 2009, has some fairly stark subject matter despite the goofiness pepper sprayed throughout. Seth Rogen lends his mug to troubled dreamer, Ronnie Barnhardt who has two dreams, to make Brandi (Anna Faris), the slutty airhead cosmetic girl, fall madly in love with him and to be a police officer. Ronnie leads his crew of ne’er do wells, John and Matt Yuen played by John and Matt Yuan and Charles (Jesse Plemons) and Dennis (Michael Pena) with a veteran authority.
Ronnie has two big fans, himself and his alcoholic mother who has no secrets – and once you meet her, Ronnie’s frankness makes a lot of sense. While discovering his limits and taking an earnest look at who he is becoming, Ronnie befriends the ugly-duckling, coffee girl, Nell played tremendously by Collette Wolfe who is confined to a wheelchair and is facing limitations on her own dreams.
When some serious crimes start to plague the mall, the real cops are called in to investigate, enter Detective Harrison (Ray Liotta). Liotta does an excellent job in this film; he is always a solid performer – but one scene in particular in this film will definitely bring you back to his golden years when he was ‘amusing’ us all in Goodfellas.
Observe and Report delivers a few worthwhile guffaws and quite a few chuckles, but nothing will have you grasping your chest as you feel your heart exploding. Some unpredictable moments in the film will definitely have you chattering on the ride home. You’ll enjoy watching as Ronnie learns the hard (but fun) way that sometimes realizing your fantasies can leave you a little messy and unfulfilled. He grows as a character but really learns nothing in the end, save that he is still awesome in his own mind.
All-in-all a solid effort by those involved, albeit some of the more retarded characters left me wanting a group of masked thugs to storm the mall and blow them away forthwith (oh, wait, that was another movie). If you are a Rogenite, you should rent this one – you won’t be disappointed. If you are serious connoisseur of fine film all I have to say is run away, far away because your delicate senses will be offended on so many levels you may need some Clozapine to calm down.
