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DVD Review- Observe and Report (2009)
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Anna Faris is comforted by Seth Rogen in Observe and Report.
Director Jody Hill has only been making features for the last three years and already he seems to have established his own brand of black comedies. His scripts revolve around a central character who can only be politely described as an anti-hero, individuals who are insanely cocky and rude while remaining completely ignorant to how amazingly arrogant and ineffectual they truly are. His first film was 2006's The Foot Fist Way, which starred Danny McBride (Tropic Thunder, Pineapple Express) as an egotistical Taekwondo instructor. The Foot Fist Way, which is sporadically funny and far from Hill's best effort, garnered a large cult following and led to Hill doing features for major studios. Next Hill co-created and executive produced the hysterical HBO series Eastbound & Down, which also starred McBride, this time as a narcissistic baseball player who has lost his fortune and fame. Now Hill has directed and written Observe and Report, a 2009 dark comedy about a mall cop that is the antithesis of the same year's smash hit Paul Blart: Mall Cop.
Observe and Report centers around Ronnie Barnhardt (Seth Rogen; Knocked Up, Pineapple Express) who is the head of security at the Forest Ridge Mall. Ronnie is callous and crude, a self-involved and mentally unstable dolt who is a hero in his own mind and also happens to be bipolar. As the film opens, an anonymous and pudgy flasher stalks the mall's parking lot, exposing himself to female shoppers while dropping funny one-liners. Ronnie sees this as his time to shine. As he tells his drunken mother, "Part of me thinks this disgusting pervert is the best thing that ever happened to me...this is my chance to be great." However, Ronnie's hopes for such fame are dashed when his investigation is overtaken by an actual police officer, Detective Harrison (Ray Liotta; Goodfellas, Unlawful Entry), who in one of the funniest scenes of the film is not shy about telling Ronnie that he hates him.
And then there's Brandi (Anna Faris; the Scary Movie series, Lost in Translation), a beautiful and daft party girl who works at the mall's make-up counter. Brandi is the girl of Ronnie's dreams, who, of course, does not reciprocate his feelings. Then tragedy strikes when the flasher exposes himself to Brandi, which results in her having a mental breakdown and Ronnie coming to her rescue. Ronnie uses this opportunity to con Brandi into going out on a date with him, a date that ends in the most controversial (yet still hysterical) moment of the movie. Ronnie's confidence goes through the roof, and he decides that he wants to become a real police officer, seeking the help of Detective Harrison. Soon enough Ronnie stops taking his meds and starts hanging out with fellow mall security guard Dennis (Michael Pena; Crash, Million Dollar Baby), who helps to bring out Ronnie's more violent tendencies. But then things stop going Ronnie's way, and he becomes more unstable and psychotic, resulting in the film ending in a way that is entirely unexpected and very, very funny.
In fact, there's not much that happens as you'd expect in Observe and Report, which helps to make it one of the best movies released so far this year; however, this is not a movie for everyone. The marketing for the movie plays down the darker aspects of the plot, but with the popularity of such potentially offensive television shows as Family Guy and South Park it seems as if there is a growing portion of the general populace who can appreciate this type of black humor. This reviewer initially saw Observe and Report in the theater on opening night with a sold out audience and the response was largely positive, with even the more edgy scenes getting sizable laughs. It's been reported that before its release the studio requested that a new version that toned down the darker elements be produced, but this watered down version tested badly, so the original version is what was released.
Seth Rogen has made himself into a star playing affable stoners, so it's impressive to see him play so far against type in his role as Ronnie Barnhardt. This is also the last movie he filmed while he was still portly (the dude is downright skinny now, as seen in this summer's Funny People), which helps to add to the deluded nature of Ronnie's personality. The supporting cast is excellent as well. Jody Hill's reputation is growing so well to allow him to net major stars like Ray Liotta and Anna Faris. Also, comedian Patton Oswalt and Hill regular Danny McBride pop up in very funny cameos. While Observe and Report was not exactly a flop, it wasn't much of a hit either (to date, it's grossed the lowest of any movie to feature Rogen in the lead role). That's unfortunate, but Observe and Report is likely to garner a larger cult audience on DVD and cable. Highly recommended for those who are already fans of Hill's work. Seth Rogen fans should enjoy this as well, while his previous work is certainly not as dark as this, fans of Pineapple Express should certainly like Observe and Report as well. Not recommended for those looking for something like Paul Blart: Mall Cop.
DVD features include...nothing, nada, zilch, zero, zip. Not even the trailer, and that's a shame. Also available on Blu-Ray, which does include a second disc laden with extras. These features exclusive to the Blu-Ray version include a commentary with Seth Rogen, Anna Faris, and Jody Hill; 27 minutes of additional scenes; three featurettes entitled "Basically Training," "Seth Rogen & Anna Faris Unscripted," and "Security Recruitment Video;" and, a gag reel. Let's hope this isn't a new trend. It is encouraging to see major studios embracing a new technology like Blu-Ray, but DVD as a format isn't dead. Not yet at least.
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