Observe and Report (2009)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:181
Fresh:91
Rotten:90
Average Rating:5.4/10
Consensus: Though it has a mean streak, and does not cater to all tastes, Observe and Report has gut-busting laughs and a fully committed Seth Rogen in irresistible form.
Theatrical Release:24-04-2009
Synopsis: At the Forest Ridge Mall, head of security Ronnie Barnhardt (SETH ROGEN) patrols his jurisdiction with an iron fist. The master of his domain, he combats skateboarders, shoplifters and the... [More]
Reviews for Observe and Report
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
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 1/5 |
Click to read the article Full Review |
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 3/5 |
Does this film warrant one star for being so ugly, violent, misogynistic, sexist and racist — or five stars for being a daring and disturbing study of the violence, ugliness, sexism and racism of the ordinary American male? Full Review |
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3/5 |
Often more funny peculiar than funny ha-ha, this cult flick will offend and baffle plenty an audience member.
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3/5 |
If writer-director Jody Hill provides Rogen with pretty slim opportunities, the biggish man remains a gloriously robust talent. Heck, he's even able to ring laughs from such fundamentally unfunny topics as bipolar disorder and alcoholism. Full Review |
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3/5 |
An odd one. Rogen’s latest clown is an angry, confused man who you never feel entirely comfortable laughing at. There are laughs — you’ll just feel guilty afterwards... Full Review |
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4/6 |
Bracing, bleak and berserk, this is a film which laughs in the face of American intolerance, and comes up punch-drunk and grinning. Full Review |
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2/5 |
The bleakly savage comedy Observe and Report is very nearly a great, if somewhat disturbing, film. What lets it down is not the gratuitous violence and foul language — it’s that it doesn’t go far enough. Full Review |
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1/5 |
Again and again, you almost laugh at something that is almost good, and then there is a clumsy and misjudged moment of crassness. I'm all for bad taste and black comedy and grossout. But it has to be funny. Full Review |
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1/5 |
Dark, subversive and politically incorrect humour can be brilliant in capable hands and with the right purpose (like the wonderful South Park), but here it's offensively bereft of any wit and is simply unpleasant. Full Review |
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Offbeat and violent with laughs that frequently stick in the throat, this isn't Knocked Up but if the idea of Napoleon Dynamite meets First Blood appeals, you'll go home smiling. Full Review |
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2/5 |
This mall cop may be more Bickle than Blart, but Observe And Report tries too hard to be edgy, while its gloomy observations fail to produce a cohesive whole. Shop elsewhere. Full Review |
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2/5 |
Having observed Seth Rogen's latest comedy, may I report that it's not very good. And if that seems like a tedious pun (even by my standards), that's because I've just sat through an hour and a half of them. Full Review |
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This dark and bleak comedy is an oddball affair, with Seth Rogen brilliant as a bipolar guard. Full Review |
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Lovable Seth Rogen tries something a little different in Observe And Report and it really doesn’t work. Full Review |
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3/5 |
Far from being another lazy comedy about a fat rentacop trying to prove himself, Observe and Report is an extremely disturbing comedy about a fat rentacop trying to prove himself. Full Review |
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2/5 |
Observe and Report desperately wants to be Bad Santa, but its handful of decent moments fail to compensate for a wildly uneven tone, several badly misjudged scenes and the fact that the film just simply isn't funny. Full Review |
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1.5/5 |
Seth Rogen's reliable charm finally meets its match in this strained, unfunny script Full Review |
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Watching Observe And Report is like babysitting a hyperactive boy -- it's precocious, unpredictable and amusing in small stretches, but after a while you wish it would settle down and focus. Full Review |
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C- |
Here's an observation--Jody Hill's bum comedy fails to live up to the potential of its two talented stars, Seth Rogen and Anna Farris. As for the story, here's the report. It's stupid. Full Review |
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2/5 |
If this were an audition reel and I was the head of a studio I'd call security to make sure this guy Seth Rogen and his writer-director Jody Hill never got near enough to my office to cast a shadow on it. Full Review |
CommentLatest News for Observe and Report
September 21, 2009:
RT on DVD: Observe and Report, Classic Star Trek, and more.
Coming out on home video this week are a few new releases from earlier this year (such as Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and Observe and Report), as well as a couple of collections... More...
April 12, 2009:
Seth Rogen more shocking than funny as crude mall cop. 
More...
April 09, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Hannah Montana Hits A Flat Note
This week at the movies, we've got a pop songbird (Hannah Montana the Movie, starring Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus), a mall cop (Observe and Report, starring Seth Rogen and Anna... More...
April 09, 2009:
Observe And Report: Better Than Blart, And Dirtier Than Harry. And the wicked humor never lets up, as the tone deliciously darkens just when it seems there's nowhere left to go.
More...
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