Tuesday, Apr. 14, 2009

'Observe and Report' rises above rut of its genre

By Edward Robertson, atomictown.com

There's nothing more fun for everyone than ultra-hip arguments about whether that guy who used to be cool is still cool now that he's all popular and junk.

In that spirit, I raise the question of Seth Rogen: Still awesome now that he opens a new movie as frequently as most of us think about what huge disappointments we are? Or has America had enough of chubby, sexy, amiable stoners who seem like they would be tons of fun to hang out with even though they never reply to my emails about how great I think he is and I think I'm developing a relationship ulcer? In short, is it time we come together as a people, join hands, and fire up the Internet Hate Machine?

Thus went my thinking about Observe and Report, the first Rogen feature I haven't been excited to go see. But midway through, you know what I realized? Overexposure isn't the problem. A good movie's a good movie, no matter how many other idiots you hate are going to be there at the theater with you. It's just that, sooner or later, even the most talented actors, writers, and bands start to suck, and this so often coincides with the time they get really big that we naturally think the one is caused by the other.

Wrong. They just made the mistake of getting old or having kids or getting sober or any of the other ways someone cool can transform themselves into someone you never want to see again.

Seth Rogen is a mall cop defined by and devoted to his job. When a flasher starts terrorizing his mall, he makes it his mission to bring the pervert to justice.

Thing is, he's got the spirit, but the talent is lacking. Soon, the flasher springs his goods on Anna Faris, the makeup counter employee Rogen's smitten with. With no other choice, the mall manager turns to the police for help.

Rogen and detective Ray Liotta butt heads from the start. In danger of having his thunder stolen by the real deal, Rogen begins to pursue his secret dream of joining the real police, a job he may not be as well suited for as he fervently believes.

Observe and Report starts off as nothing special, a moderately funny, overfamiliar story of incompetent but enthusiastic men who may or may not have mild brain damage and the useless but pretty girls they pursue. Also, there are quirky sidekicks.

If this sounds like something you've seen before, that's just a sign you've been alive at some point in the last 15 years since that particular subgenre apparently became the only thing young men are allowed to enjoy. (Don't get me wrong, it can be awesome — insult Billy Madison in front of me and you'll have to drive me to the hospital after we brawl.)

If Observe and Report had done nothing more than follow that well-traveled path — you could call it a "rut," but that would make you a jerk — it would have ended up OK. It's got a couple hilariously dark jokes, and Rogen brings his usual charm to the role.

Wisely, writer/director Jody Hill takes a bizarre, depraved turn with the film's third act. Zagging like a Soviet submarine just when you'll think you've got the ending all figured out, it hits a madly funny momentum that turns the last 20 minutes into messed-up gold.

They even find a way to redeem Rogen's troubled soul without resorting to the standard cliche where he learns responsibility is rad and it's time to be in a committed relationship forever. The effort goes a long way towards justifying Observe and Report's existence. As long as Rogen and the crew keep finding weird, funny ways to tell old stories, they'll be worth watching.

Grade: B