Observe and Report

Written by Isikins on April 29th 2009, 6:01 PM (1)

A summation of a brilliant comedy ... or - A summation of a deep, disturbing, comedic thriller ... or - A summation of a pitch black tale of sociopathic endeavors ... or -

Isikins's Final Verdict!

OriginalityInteresting, daring, and consistently funny throughout ... I think.

ActingIt's nice seeing Seth Rogen play someone other than himself ... even though he himself is just fun to watch

SoundtrackHilarious and fitting.

Effects/PresentationIt's a Jody Hill production, and the effects are minimal, but the presentation is effective ... even if it's the tiniest bit sloppy.

StorylineVery weak, but that's not really the point of a movie like this. We're more invested in the characters.

Isikins WorthyI'd say so. A couple of gripes, but other than that, nothing HUGE worth complaining about. By no means a perfect movie.

Overall: 3.5833333333333/5

Agree? Disagree? Impartial? Stupid? Comment on it!

OBSERVE and REPORT

I'd submit that for hundreds upon hundreds of years, the human mind has been very deeply interested in the deepest thoughts harboured by our most terrifying human beings. Sociopaths are unique in their mindset, and are some of the most mysterious people ever to roam the planet. Statistics (throw that word at your mathematics professor and see what he thinks) from some unknown, god be-ridden source, state that 1 of every 100 males show signs of sociopathy, while 1 of every 300 females show signs. How does one adapt to this mindset? Or, does one adapt to this mindset at all? Is it a choice to be a sociopath, are we born this way, or do we arrive at it through our life experiences? The traits found in the mind of a sociopath are darkly anti-social (needless to say) and include the inability to sympathize or empathize with any human being. They see everything as a game, branded as such through the endless manipulation and lies they tell us in order to get the self-satisfaction they believe they deserve. They are people like anyone else. They get frustrated, aggitated, and bored ... but they arrive there because they have no other options. Some people wish they were sociopaths so that feeling is nothing more than some understated manipulative tactic to play on the heartstrings of others. Sometimes, even I wish I were that cruel.

BUT! It appears as though we have someone to play out our sociopathic wishes for us as Seth Rogen (Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Pineapple Express) takes us on a deeply disturbing, dark, and brutal comedy-ish thriller-ish roller coaster through the halls of a mall. Ronnie (Rogen) is another one of those Paul Blart types who finds nothing but boredom and lust around every corner of the mall, and can only entertain himself through keeping the other mall employees on their toes. I found Observe and Report to be an exercise in realizing the true danger in being around a person who wants nothing more than to manipulate you for their own amusement. Is there any heart in the things Ronnie does as a human being? You may think so ... but one of the main ingredients of a sociopath is their ability to mimic their way through human emotions, making them seem exquisitely real as though they were a professional actor. Granted: Seth Rogen is, in fact, a professional actor. Ronnie is not. But he could be.

 

PLOT

When Brandi (Anna Faris) is flashed by some old hobo in the parking lot, Ronnie, the mall's head of security, takes it upon himself to catch the guy who exposed himself to not just her, but to several other mall patrons roaming around the parking lot. Ronnie, however, only seems to take interest in such a case because it happened to Brandi, and Brandi, for some unknown reason outside her (clenched teeth)... uh ... devastating ... beauty ... is the object Ronnie's affection. The fact that such a heinus crime could be committed within the parking lot outside the wall of his mall is unthinkable, and unforgivable. What we have here is not a set up to some weird comedy thriller, but a set up to what strangely turns out to be one of the darkest comedies I have seen in a long, long time. The plot here may not be the most consistent, and it isn't built upon other than that of what's given initially. What we have here is a character study about a man who is so deeply disturbed, we are amused by it. Whether we're amused because it's funny, or we're amused because it's a defense mechanism, is a whole other story, and one that Observe and Report may not advertly mention. But the feeling of laughing at what we see, and feeling uncomfortable about it is most certainly present, and it takes one seriously daring film maker to pull it off. Hill does it without pulling his punches.

 

CHARACTER

The most interesting about this movie (and deservedly so) is Ronnie, who is played by Seth Rogen. Ronnie doesn't require a whole lot of background to get the gist of him, but just to say it, there are a few things that are absolutely indisputable right off the bat. One: This poor fucker takes his job very seriously, because inter-mall safety is some serious business. I wouldn't submit Ronnie into the pantheon of characters small children should look up to. (God forbid you ever bring anyone under the age of 15 into this movie.) I, however, would place him near the top of the list of characters that may-be-villainous-but-you're-not-exactly-sure-though-you-could-pretty-easily-assume character. Everything he does in the film, he pretty much does for himself whether it's for his own amusement, or for his own sexual thrill. The man is clearly turned on easily, and will commit heavily into keeping that on intact. This includes having sex with a seemingly blacked out Anna Faris (only to find later that she is somehow experiencing the whole thing), smoking pot with his buddy Dennis (Michael Pena in one of those Adam Sandler inspired performances) and smacking loiterers across their heads with their skateboards. Ronnie does live in with his mother who he may or may not care about depending on how closely you watch the film. Why does he put the blanket over her when she falls over on the floor, drunk? Does he fear that she may chill as she sleeps, and endure an impossible sleep? Or! Does he fear having to put up with the argument that may follow because he didn't put the blanket on her, and as a result she froze? Perhaps he just did it to do something with the blanket.

 

DIRECTION

This is my first experience with a Jody Hill film because I never did get around to seeing The Fist Foot Way, starring the newfound comedic gem, Danny McBride. The direction may not be anything technically innovating, but for a man to write and direct a film as dirty and as dark as this has got some serious guts. I give my props to him on that end because this is what a dark comedy should be. Dark, and comedic. Not light, fluffy, and full of teenage hormones like when Diablo Cody tried to pass off her Academy Award Nominated abomination Juno as a dark comedy. The subject matter may be heavy (there's nothing funny about teen pregnancy, though we all seem to be laughing at it) but it's presented in a Little Miss Sunshine sort of way. And I liked Little Miss Sunshine. But the point here is not to trash Juno for not being Observe and Report. The point is to commend Jody Hill on creating a brave film without pulling punches, no matter how flawed the film itself actually is. The bummer is that the comedy here is SO uncomfortable that we often question as to why we're laughing. The uncomfort is welcome because it's the point, and the laughter calms out comfort hormones out. But when it got to the point of uncomfort mixed with a state of rushing anxiety, something might be wrong. Perhaps I personally didn't enjoy the combination of the two, and maybe for that reason, the I am not entirely the audience they were getting at. I didn't feel dirty watching this movie, though I did feel that sense of unease. But, as I said, this IS a dark comedy.

 

ACTING

As I mentioned earlier, it was very nice seeing Seth Rogen play someone other than himself. Rogen, though he may not be the greatest actor, knows several human ticks that he uses to his advantage that you can't necessarily teach in acting school. I'm not sure if Rogen attended an acting school of any type, but it is obvious that Judd Apatow knew what he was doing when he wrote him into The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Seth Rogen doesn't take many risks, but if there ever was a risk he took, this flick would be the one. He has no audience to pander too, and his character is too dark and twisted to appreciate as a human being, which is why the movie we see ends up being as funny as it is.

Anna Faris does take a somewhat dive off the deep end, but it's pretty clear to me that her specialty lies in the purposefully melodramatic swagger of a young party woman who ... doesn't really know how to party just the right way. Faris might have been born to play Brandi, but after playing Cindy in all of the Scary Movie installments, this feels like charted territory to me. Granted, she plays it well, and I suppose in light of it all I might as well be complaining over an electric company producing electricity. For what it's worth, Faris wasn't exactly convincing in the role, but I don't think she was supposed to be. Faris overreacts, and overreacts again to the things that happen around her, and that is how she gets what she wants. Ronnie could maybe use a little lessons in manipulation from her if she'd ever give him the time of day when she's not drunk, or at a forced dinner with him.

Michael Pena gave a performance that Adam Sandler might have given if Sandler was cast in Tom Hank's place in the film Big. His voiced is high pitched, subtly latin, and thick with a listhp. The characater himself is nothing special, but in the end, I guess it doesn't matter. This character knows who he is in the life of Ronnie, and in the big picture of the mall. They don't care about him, he doesn't care about them, and that's why he ... oh never mind. You may end up chaging your mind to see it anyways.

Ray Liotta is the straight man in this move ... or something like that. His character is very professional, sure, but when Ronnie hits the scene claiming that Liotta is charging in on his home turf, the childish competitions begin. He even sneaks a fellow cop into a closet as he breaks the news to Ronnie that he can't become a cop, yet his friend aborts on the fun, realizing that it wasn't fun at all, and was actually rather sad. Liotta is such a talent that it's sad to see him have to resort to bad movie renditions based off of equally bad video games. (In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale) My personal opinion is that he must be redeemed, and given a roll worthy of the performance in Goodfellas.

 

OVERALL

I suppose if I had to put it on a scale of 1-10, I might have to roll with a five here. OR! How about this ... maybe a 3.4 or 3.5 out of 5? I think that's enough merit for a weird movie like this one. As I've been saying, though. Jody Hill's vision is very interesting, very dark, and very ... not for everyone. I may as well compare it to the old cliche: It's like watching a beautiful car crash, you can't look away from the terror. Or something similar to that. I think I've been talking out of my ass most of the time anyways.