Observe and Report
Observe and Report is one strange movie. Is it a comedy? Is it action? Could it even be that Seth Rogen, currently Hollywood’s king of comedy, is in a drama? This movie had all of these genres packed into just 86 minutes. It would not be completely out of place to want to compare this movie with another strange Seth Rogen film, Pineapple Express. Both Observe and Report and Pineapple Express have moments of seriousness and action rooted in a comedy base. However, with Pineapple Express, you knew it was a comedy. Observe and Report is much more difficult to figure out. It seems the only thing that is certain is that I liked the movie, for whatever reasons.
Observe and Report is, what seems to be, Seth Rogen’s hundredth movie in the last two years. Rogen plays Ronnie, a mall security guard (Don’t call him a mall cop unless you have a death wish). The movie seems to have several different plots. One involves Ronnie trying to win the heart of a cosmetics sales rep played by Anna Faris. However, on the other side of the mall Ronnie seems to not notice that the girl at the coffee shop has a crush on him. Another plotline involves Ronnie trying to catch a serial flasher who enjoys exposing himself to women in the parking lot. The final plot has Ronnie training to become a real cop.
One aspect of the film that confused me immensely was Ronnie’s mental stability. On one hand, he seems to be a simple security guard trying to protect the shoppers. On the other hand, he shows signs of a mass murderer bent on protecting the shoppers through ways of excessive force. Seth Rogen is a great comedian, but only in small doses. I don’t know about the rest of the world but I am getting pretty tired of seeing Rogen in a new movie practically every other month. In the last 2 ½ years he has appeared in 13 different movies. The way I see it, if he doesn’t slow down he is going to wear out his welcome pretty quickly.
But enough about that. The funniest parts of the movie involved Ronnie’s security sidekicks. Michael Pena, typically a dramatic actor (See Crash and World Trade Center), is the funniest actor in the film. He plays a mall security guard with a lisp who has a much more laid back attitude than Ronnie. Then there are the Asian twins. They barely say anything throughout the whole movie but their presence on screen is enough to make you giggle. Ray Liotta (Goodfellas) plays the real cop who is sent to the mall to investigate the flasher and a string of robberies. Throughout the course of the film he and Ronnie butt heads constantly over how to deal with various situations.
Overall, Observe and Report is a pretty entertaining film. I just wish I could more accurately pinpoint the genre. It can be tough when one minute you are laughing hysterically and the next a serious moment occurs and you don’t know whether to continue laughing or not. Either way, I give Observe and Report a B-.
Observe and Report is, what seems to be, Seth Rogen’s hundredth movie in the last two years. Rogen plays Ronnie, a mall security guard (Don’t call him a mall cop unless you have a death wish). The movie seems to have several different plots. One involves Ronnie trying to win the heart of a cosmetics sales rep played by Anna Faris. However, on the other side of the mall Ronnie seems to not notice that the girl at the coffee shop has a crush on him. Another plotline involves Ronnie trying to catch a serial flasher who enjoys exposing himself to women in the parking lot. The final plot has Ronnie training to become a real cop.
One aspect of the film that confused me immensely was Ronnie’s mental stability. On one hand, he seems to be a simple security guard trying to protect the shoppers. On the other hand, he shows signs of a mass murderer bent on protecting the shoppers through ways of excessive force. Seth Rogen is a great comedian, but only in small doses. I don’t know about the rest of the world but I am getting pretty tired of seeing Rogen in a new movie practically every other month. In the last 2 ½ years he has appeared in 13 different movies. The way I see it, if he doesn’t slow down he is going to wear out his welcome pretty quickly.
But enough about that. The funniest parts of the movie involved Ronnie’s security sidekicks. Michael Pena, typically a dramatic actor (See Crash and World Trade Center), is the funniest actor in the film. He plays a mall security guard with a lisp who has a much more laid back attitude than Ronnie. Then there are the Asian twins. They barely say anything throughout the whole movie but their presence on screen is enough to make you giggle. Ray Liotta (Goodfellas) plays the real cop who is sent to the mall to investigate the flasher and a string of robberies. Throughout the course of the film he and Ronnie butt heads constantly over how to deal with various situations.
Overall, Observe and Report is a pretty entertaining film. I just wish I could more accurately pinpoint the genre. It can be tough when one minute you are laughing hysterically and the next a serious moment occurs and you don’t know whether to continue laughing or not. Either way, I give Observe and Report a B-.
Old Dogs
Many people will criticize this movie for being a recycled version of Wild Hogs, the last movie on which John Travolta and director Walt Becker collaborated. It is easy to see why people would think this and, in many ways, they would be correct. In both films a collection of middle-aged men try to deal with getting older and facing the reality of not being as vibrant as they used to be. However, Old Dogs is, in it’s own ways, a very different film. Old Dogs deals more with having to prioritize your life as you get older. Many people reach a point in their lives when they have children and the time comes to stop living for yourself and start living for your children. More or less, this is the moral of Old Dogs.
Old Dogs stars John Travolta and comedic legend Robin Williams as successful business partners. One day a woman with whom Williams had a one night stand, shows up and tells Williams she is going to jail for a couple weeks and she needs him to look after her 7-year-old twins. The catch? Williams is their father. Over the course of the following two weeks, Williams goes from being a content bachelor to a loving father of two who act as though they’ve known him their whole lives.
This is not a film that will make you rethink your life and it is certainly not going to be known as one of Williams’ or Travolta’s better movies but it might warm your heart. You might even feel silly for enjoying such a corny film but don’t. Many critics are calling Old Dogs unoriginal and lackluster but they forget that sometimes it’s just fun to get away and see a movie that will leave you in high spirits. The movie does not have to be completely original or even laugh-out-loud hilarious, as is the case with Old Dogs. None of the performances stand out, especially Kelly Preston’s ridiculously over-the-top performance as Williams’ one night stand. All in all, Old Dogs is just a fun movie that anyone looking to pass the time should consider seeing. I give Old Dogs a C+.
Old Dogs stars John Travolta and comedic legend Robin Williams as successful business partners. One day a woman with whom Williams had a one night stand, shows up and tells Williams she is going to jail for a couple weeks and she needs him to look after her 7-year-old twins. The catch? Williams is their father. Over the course of the following two weeks, Williams goes from being a content bachelor to a loving father of two who act as though they’ve known him their whole lives.
This is not a film that will make you rethink your life and it is certainly not going to be known as one of Williams’ or Travolta’s better movies but it might warm your heart. You might even feel silly for enjoying such a corny film but don’t. Many critics are calling Old Dogs unoriginal and lackluster but they forget that sometimes it’s just fun to get away and see a movie that will leave you in high spirits. The movie does not have to be completely original or even laugh-out-loud hilarious, as is the case with Old Dogs. None of the performances stand out, especially Kelly Preston’s ridiculously over-the-top performance as Williams’ one night stand. All in all, Old Dogs is just a fun movie that anyone looking to pass the time should consider seeing. I give Old Dogs a C+.