Review in a Hurry: Seth Rogen is a mashup of Paul Blart and Travis Bickle in this mean-spirited comedy about a demented, vigilante mall cop. Unsure if it's supposed to make you love or loathe all the ugly behavior and cheap gags, Observe and Report will make you squirm for all the wrong reasons.
The Bigger Picture: It's a clash of ideas. A bleak psychodrama focused on the misery of a lonely man and a raunchy comedy larded with zany wigs and d--k jokes. Either concept could be fine on its own, but writer-director Jody Hill is unable to rein in excesses on both sides, and the results are unnervingly sour.
Ronnie Barnhardt (Rogen) is a sad little tyrant. Armed with only a goofy hat and baby-blue uniform, he patrols a suburban mall with a delusional sense of authority. When a pervert starts flashing at the food court and makeup counters, the mall's higher-ups decide to bring in the police.
Outraged that anyone would trespass on his turf, the already unhinged Ronnie goes rogue and tries to solve the case solo. During his renegade pursuit, Ronnie tries to woo the mall's ice queen/premiere hussie (Anna Faris) and muscle out the investigation's top cop (Ray Liotta). Oodles of humiliation ensue.
Now this pitiable everyman formula can work (it did once upon a time for Adam Sandler) if you can strike the right balance of self-loathing and charisma. But Hill can't seem to figure how to make a comedy from such a heartbreaking character. Under Hill's direction, Rogen, who is generally loveable with his cherubic face and self-deprecating style, is a brutish, demoralizing ogre.
And in the few moments when Ronnie's suffering does begin to endear us to him, Hill ineptly thrusts some shock gag or blithering nimrod into the frame. Rogen is acting his heart out, and that's what makes the movie all the more difficult to watch. Unwilling to commit to either pathos-drenched black comedy or junior varsity slapstick schlock, Hill leaves us with an off-putting mess that could be applauded for taking risks but won't be remembered for much else.
The 180—a Second Opinion: It's clear that Observe and Report intends to defy genre and, while it may not be great, it is original.