Expectations are funny. They can make you love a movie by surprise, like Adventureland. I went into that movie with no expectations for greatness, and left the movie blown away. sadly, the same can be said the other way around. Going into a movie with high expectations can ruin what that movie really is. so for instance, when you walk into Observe and Report thinking "This movie is gonna kick Kevin James' ass!", it can spoil a truly good movie.
I expected Observe and Report to be just another hilarious Seth Rogen movie, complete with a lovable slacker protagonist, a wisecracking, yet kind best friend, and an incomprehensibly attractive yet down-to-earth friendly love interest. What I got was a hilarious Seth Rogen movie, with a chemically imbalanced, racist, violent protagonist, a thieving, drug addicted, equally violent best friend, and an incomprehensibly idiotic, alcoholic, mean-spirited party-girl love interest. And although i walked out of the movie feeling a bit unfulfilled, the more I mull the movie over in my mind, the more I recognize it as a revolutionary work of art.
I expected Observe and Report to be just another hilarious Seth Rogen movie, complete with a lovable slacker protagonist, a wisecracking, yet kind best friend, and an incomprehensibly attractive yet down-to-earth friendly love interest. What I got was a hilarious Seth Rogen movie, with a chemically imbalanced, racist, violent protagonist, a thieving, drug addicted, equally violent best friend, and an incomprehensibly idiotic, alcoholic, mean-spirited party-girl love interest. And although i walked out of the movie feeling a bit unfulfilled, the more I mull the movie over in my mind, the more I recognize it as a revolutionary work of art.
As I mentioned, the main character is Ronnie Barnhardt (Seth Rogen), a crazed lunatic mall cop, who takes his job a bit too seriously. A flasher is on the loose, and it's up to Ronnie to stop him. unfortunately, detective Harrison (Ray Liotta) is reluctantly assigned to the job, and ends up clashing with Ronnie. Harrison just wants to get the job done, but Ronnie takes this as his opportunity to prove himself as a hero, and win the love of Brandi, a stereotypical blonde that works in a women's cosmetics store. Barnhardt and Harrison then embark on what can only be described as a buddy cop movie. on crack.
the film is very well acted. although I could go on forever about how hilarious Seth Rogen is, and how much I love him, he does tend to play the same character in everything he appears in. no longer in Observe and Report. although you could say that Ronnie is sympathetic, he is certainly not the lovable guy that rogen seems to always play. Anna Faris plays a familiar role, but does it well. The rest of the cast is great, with a special mention to the Yuen brothers, who make me laugh hysterically in every scene they are in. also, the cameos are great. Aziz Ansari, Danny McBride, and Patton Oswald are all hilarious.
my only complaint is that the tone feels very awkward. it is lighthearted and fun, but often goes to very depressing, sometimes frigntening places. for instance, at one point, when Ronnie is feeling down, his best buddy Dennis (Michael Pena), introduces him to his way of dealing with life. it then cuts to a hilarious, yet offputting montage of the two friends snorting coke, beating up kids, peeping at women in the changing rooms, and shooting up heroin. although i was laughing my ass of through the entire montage, I couldn't help but feel it was a bit to heavy for a comedy.
This being said, O&R is a real gem. The soundtrack is really great too. all of the music comes together perfectly, and the Pixies cover at the end was great. the script is great, and really funny. it's well acted, well directed, and everything else, but what makes this movie great is the fact that it crosses all types of boundaries. i remember in 2001, when I saw Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, I was blown away by all the profanity, drugs, sex, and chimps, but today, after the recent wave of hilarious Apatow comedies, a movie like Jay and Silent Bob seems tame in comparisson. All things considered, the dirty R-rated comedy has become the norm for today, but along comes Observe and Report, upping the ante of todays comedies to outrageous proportions.
the film is very well acted. although I could go on forever about how hilarious Seth Rogen is, and how much I love him, he does tend to play the same character in everything he appears in. no longer in Observe and Report. although you could say that Ronnie is sympathetic, he is certainly not the lovable guy that rogen seems to always play. Anna Faris plays a familiar role, but does it well. The rest of the cast is great, with a special mention to the Yuen brothers, who make me laugh hysterically in every scene they are in. also, the cameos are great. Aziz Ansari, Danny McBride, and Patton Oswald are all hilarious.
my only complaint is that the tone feels very awkward. it is lighthearted and fun, but often goes to very depressing, sometimes frigntening places. for instance, at one point, when Ronnie is feeling down, his best buddy Dennis (Michael Pena), introduces him to his way of dealing with life. it then cuts to a hilarious, yet offputting montage of the two friends snorting coke, beating up kids, peeping at women in the changing rooms, and shooting up heroin. although i was laughing my ass of through the entire montage, I couldn't help but feel it was a bit to heavy for a comedy.
This being said, O&R is a real gem. The soundtrack is really great too. all of the music comes together perfectly, and the Pixies cover at the end was great. the script is great, and really funny. it's well acted, well directed, and everything else, but what makes this movie great is the fact that it crosses all types of boundaries. i remember in 2001, when I saw Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, I was blown away by all the profanity, drugs, sex, and chimps, but today, after the recent wave of hilarious Apatow comedies, a movie like Jay and Silent Bob seems tame in comparisson. All things considered, the dirty R-rated comedy has become the norm for today, but along comes Observe and Report, upping the ante of todays comedies to outrageous proportions.
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