This pitch black comedy has more in common with Taxi Driver or Oldboy than with a Judd Apatow flick.
Comment
04/12/09
Observe and Report (2009)
50
%
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
Imagine Taxi Driver or The King of Comedy if everyone in sight had been written and performed as a maladjusted loser.
04/12/09
Lets it all hang out, and we're not talking danglingly plot threads. And the wicked humor never lets up, as the tone deliciously darkens just when it seems there's nowhere left to go. Better than Blart and Dirtier Than Harry.
04/12/09
A comedy so dark you have to turn the house lights on to see the screen.
04/12/09
I suppose this movie could've been worse. I'm just not sure how.
04/12/09
[Celia Watson] steals almost every scene she is in, even when she is passed out drunk on the floor.
04/12/09
Dumb and pointless
04/11/09
Hill's lopsided laugher is bizarrely charming and frothy in its impishness of impropriety...Roguishly appalling but unapologetic in its mindlessness...
04/11/09
'O & R' focuses on characters instead of plot, which may bother some viewers. However, the movie worked for me because of its excellent performances.
04/11/09
Bitter, ugly and painful to watch. Given the choice between a repeated bludgeoning with a tire iron and sitting through Observe and Report, go with the tire iron, you'll feel better when it's over.
04/10/09
For people disappointed that Paul Blart didn't have more violence, booze, drugs, date rape, f-bombs, 'retarded' insults and full frontal penis shots.
04/10/09
Paul Blart: Mall Cop is TV squeaky clean. Observe and Report. has four-letter words, raunchy dialogue, drug use and female and male nudity. It is also light years funnier.
04/10/09
If you laugh at all - which I admittedly did - it is sometimes laughing at the political/social incorrectness of [the main character], and sometimes laughing at the sheer audacity of the film.
04/10/09
It's a comedy with a foot on the neck of the Zeitgeist, and it's this pressure on our trachea that crushes the laughter in our throats.
04/10/09
It falls short of brilliant but it's a lot more daring than what passes for 'dark comedy' these days, and it reminds us that 'feel bad' comedies may not always be as funny as 'feel good' ones but, when they work, they can ultimately be more satisfying.
04/10/09
Observe and Report is a lot better when it's being funny than when it's rummaging in the shadows.
04/10/09
If Paul Blart was a chubby but loveable friend of the family, then Observe and Report is its mentally unbalanced, just-out-of-prison, suicidal older brother.
04/10/09
I don't want to oversell it, but Observe and Report is the sort of offbeat studio movie that should be encouraged.
04/10/09
[It] has its laughs, but also has its moments where you're can't help but shake your head, saddened or appalled that someone thought this was funny.
04/10/09
Perfect; it's dark and strange and dances right on the edge of being completely mean and unfriendly, but manages to keep from tumbling over. It's f***ing amazing.
04/10/09
Latest 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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