I think there is a little Ronnie Barnhardt is all of us. Take away the bi-polar disorder and you are left with someone who didn't quite amount to what he had hoped for and he is desperately trying to fit into society, even though he just doesn't. This is a man who so desperately wants to be accepted but the worst part is he doesn't realize it. Why else would he go to such lengths to prove his wits and his charm and his crime solving acumen? Inside of Ronnie Barnhardt is a sweet man, but there is also a dangerous individual. Observe and Report is not an all out comedy, in fact, if there was someone else in the lead, this would be considered more of a serious drama with a black sense of humour than it would be a comedy with a bit of drama.
Seth Rogan plays Ronnie Barnhardt, the head of mall security and he has three missions in life right now. One is to catch the flasher who has been roaming his mall and disturbing the patrons. Two, he wants to date and or sleep with Brandi, played by Ana Faris the vacuous, slutty and very pretty girl who works at the makeup counter. She hates her job so much but like most people who work at a mall, she is just doing it for some extra cash. Third, his mission is to become a police officer, to basically prove to people that he is not a screw up. And except for the fact that he is bi-polar, which causes him to fail his psychological part of the police test, he would probably make a great cop. He is very passionate about the entire ideology of what it takes to be a cop, and in perhaps the best scene in the movie, he single-handedly takes on a gang in the worst part of town, and wins.
There is a subplot about someone robbing the mall and this too irks Ronnie. When you finally find out who did it, and what the results are of this, you know you are in a different movie. Again, this shouldn't have been billed as a comedy. There are many dark elements to the film and for all the times you chuckle here and there, you are kind of shocked in many other areas. This is not the kind of comedy you take your mom to see.
Part of the problem with the film is writer director Jody Hill doesn't really give you anyone to really like. I know not every film has to have an all out here, but every major character in this film is somewhere in between an all out jerk and someone who you just don't or can't like. The exception is Nell, the young girl who works at the Cinnabun place who takes a liking to Ronnie. She is basically berated and made fun of daily from her boss and co worker. There is another very satisfying scene with Ronnie dishing out his form of comeuppance to her boss.
Observe and Report has a lot going for it. It is risky, brash and unapologetic. But it is also a bit of a mess. It is extreme and over the top and it could of toned it down just a tad. But I guess this is the year of the penis, whether it is blue or white.
6/10
Seth Rogan plays Ronnie Barnhardt, the head of mall security and he has three missions in life right now. One is to catch the flasher who has been roaming his mall and disturbing the patrons. Two, he wants to date and or sleep with Brandi, played by Ana Faris the vacuous, slutty and very pretty girl who works at the makeup counter. She hates her job so much but like most people who work at a mall, she is just doing it for some extra cash. Third, his mission is to become a police officer, to basically prove to people that he is not a screw up. And except for the fact that he is bi-polar, which causes him to fail his psychological part of the police test, he would probably make a great cop. He is very passionate about the entire ideology of what it takes to be a cop, and in perhaps the best scene in the movie, he single-handedly takes on a gang in the worst part of town, and wins.
There is a subplot about someone robbing the mall and this too irks Ronnie. When you finally find out who did it, and what the results are of this, you know you are in a different movie. Again, this shouldn't have been billed as a comedy. There are many dark elements to the film and for all the times you chuckle here and there, you are kind of shocked in many other areas. This is not the kind of comedy you take your mom to see.
Part of the problem with the film is writer director Jody Hill doesn't really give you anyone to really like. I know not every film has to have an all out here, but every major character in this film is somewhere in between an all out jerk and someone who you just don't or can't like. The exception is Nell, the young girl who works at the Cinnabun place who takes a liking to Ronnie. She is basically berated and made fun of daily from her boss and co worker. There is another very satisfying scene with Ronnie dishing out his form of comeuppance to her boss.
Observe and Report has a lot going for it. It is risky, brash and unapologetic. But it is also a bit of a mess. It is extreme and over the top and it could of toned it down just a tad. But I guess this is the year of the penis, whether it is blue or white.
6/10