by D Server

Created on: September 12, 2010

Most of the characters played by Seth Rogan are pretty similar. Whether it’s in Knocked Up, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Funny People or Pineapple Express, he’s usually a lazy, girl-chasing, foul-mouthed loser. In his best movies, though, there is usually a charming side to his character which eventually comes out. But none of that is apparent in Observe And Report, which, instead of charming, eventually just seems foolish. 

There are a few laughs in the movie, but they aren’t really witty, just pretty stupid. Rogan’s character Ronnie is a mall cop with ambitions of something more, though his talents don’t warrant it. He hopes to make his fortune by catching the mall’s roving pervert. Along the way, he tries to impress his dream girl Brandi, played by Anna Faris. Along the way, a police detective, played by Ray Liotta, is called in to help with the investigation. All the while, Ronnie is still living at home with his alcoholic mother.

The topics of the jokes in Observe And Report are meant to be shocking, dealing with bipolar disorder and alcoholism. This might have worked if the jokes were funnier, but instead, they are just unpleasant. Rogan tries hard to get the most out of the material, but it is a losing cause.

The only appealing part of the film comes when Ronnie befriends a girl, Nell, who is in the mall selling coffee. She has a bad foot, which apparently was another attempt at outrageous humor. However, she is being verbally abused by her boss and she has real problems with expensive medical bills. Her story is the only real moment of humanity in the movie.

One of the co-stars in the film, Michael Pena, who has done some fine work in serious films such as Shooter and The Lucky Ones, is just wasted playing a fellow mall cop with a secret. He speaks with a lisp, apparently another detail meant to shock. Ray Liotta as the detective tries his best, though there is not much to his character other than to work as a foil for Rogan. The other co-star, Anna Faris, gives a particularly over-the-top performance. This is her normal style of acting, as in the Scary Movie series, but she seems particularly out of control here. The writer and director of the film, Jody Hill, apparently didn’t understand that she needed to be toned down, but there were all sorts of problems with this film he didn’t seem to notice.

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