Observe and Report is not as easy a film to review as I initially assumed it would be. It exists almost in an effort to defy itself. Sold as a comedy starring comic regular Seth Rogen it has a few laughs, but considering Rogen’s character, Forest Ridge Mall security guard Ronnie Barnhardt, is a bipolar man child with delusions of grandeur, a fetish for firearms and is still living with his alcoholic mother we have a bit more than comedy to consider. Early on these personality traits are played for comedic effect, but as the film plays on we realize they define a very real and unstable individual just aching to crack at any moment. Next comes women bloggers screaming “date rape” all while the character being raped is last seen screaming for more. Add police brutality, slow motion naked fat men and the most powerful handgun in the world delivering a serious blow to the chest and we have just eclipsed comedy.
So what exactly is Observe and Report?
Most will call it a dark comedy, and while it is dark and has its funny moments that is to completely ignore the reality of it all. Writer/director Jody Hill (Foot Fist Way and “Eastbound and Down”) has said comedies shouldn’t be limited to jokes alone. Violence and/or drama in comedies doesn’t need to be funny is his assertion. Citing Taxi Driver as his primary influence Hill has created his own Travis Bickle, but there is a disconnect in this film that doesn’t allow the comparison to completely play out.
Over the course of the first half of this film Hill goes more for laughs, painting Ronnie as one of the most despicable characters you could meet. His self-designated purpose in life is to protect the weak and his attempts to do so are laughable, occasionally comic, but most times pathetic. He has zero social skills and is entirely unaware of just how dumb he is. To put it plainly, Ronnie is an ass of the worst kind, and as a result the character is unlikable in every way. The Bickle connection, however, is lost as Hill walks the fine line between comedy, reality and lunacy proving there isn’t room for everything.
Along with Rogen the other “star” of the film is Anna Faris as Brandi, a make-up counter girl embodying all the short-comings you can throw at her. She’s a dimwitted, drug using slut that has caught Ronnie’s eye and won’t give him the time of day until the night he manages to catch her coming home stumbling drunk, which is when he sees no problem in making his move. Their “date” dissolves into some of the funnier moments of the film, but at the same time has drawn questions regarding date rape from various corners. Considering Ronnie’s disturbing behavior throughout the film I think it is an overreaction, but the fact Warner Bros. is selling this film as a laugh-out-loud comedy, and the scene in question has one of the most comedic moments in the film, the criticism has its merits.
I bring up this date rape issue not in an attempt to be morally correct, but to show the primary flaw this film has going for it. Despite the comedic aspects, one could argue Observe and Report is a serious film looking at the life of a disturbed individual and society’s reaction and involvement in making him what he is and even, at times, reinforcing his behavior. I have no idea how far Hill actually intended audiences to take the serious nature of the film and how much he expected us to laugh, but based on what I have read he didn’t intend for audiences to necessarily feel good about what they were laughing at. What Hill has attempted is inspired, and maybe in the hands of another director it would have worked, but with Observe and Report it just dissolves into utter chaos, which again may be intentional, but that would just be reaching too far.
For what it’s worth I didn’t really enjoy the film. I had a few moments of laughter, one of which involves Ronnie alone on a dark street corner surrounded by crack heads led by Danny McBride (Tropic Thunder and “Eastbound and Down”) and the subsequent scene with Ronnie and Detective Harrison played by Ray Liotta, whose character actually disappointed me. I originally expected Harrison to be the counterpunch to Ronnie, but instead the two were one-in-the-same. If this is Hill’s way of making a point that’s great, but to know a police detective can be just as crazy as a bipolar mall cop doesn’t do much for me and really adds nothing to the movie.
With Observe and Report we are talking about something I would define as an anti-comedy and it bucks the system at every turn. I can’t say I have seen a movie like it, but that doesn’t mean it gets extra points for being original (Okay, maybe a few). Yet, when all is said and done, it will be interesting to see how audiences take to the film overall and how many, like me, will have their share of laughs, but come out ultimately disappointed.
