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Movies / On DVD / Observe and Report
Observe and Report

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Observe and Report (2009)

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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.

Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for pervasive language, graphic nudity, drug use, sexual content and violence.

Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins

Genre: Comedies

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... 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 occasional unruly customer while dreaming of the day when he can swap his flashlight for a badge and a gun.

Ronnie's delusions of grandeur are put to the test when the mall is struck by a flasher. Driven by his personal duty to protect and serve the mall and its patrons, Ronnie seizes the opportunity to showcase his underappreciated law enforcement talents on a grand scale, hoping his solution of this crime will earn him a coveted spot at the police academy and the heart of his elusive dream girl Brandi (ANNA FARIS), the hot make-up counter clerk who won't give him the time of day.

But his single-minded pursuit of glory launches a turf war with the equally competitive Detective Harrison (RAY LIOTTA) of the Conway Police, and Ronnie is confronted with the challenge of not only catching the flasher, but getting him before the real cops.

Seth Rogen stars in the dark comedy Observe and Report, written and directed by Jody Hill (The Foot Fist Way). Donald De Line (The Italian Job) will produce, with Andrew Haas (Without a Paddle), Marty Ewing (Blades of Glory), Thomas Tull (The Dark Knight) and Jon Jashni (Sweet Home Alabama) serving as executive producers. The film also stars Anna Faris (The House Bunny), Michael Pena (Million Dollar Baby), Celia Weston (Junebug) and Ray Liotta (The Rat Pack).

The behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Tim Orr (Snow Angels), production designer Chris Spellman (Superbad) and editor Zene Baker (The Foot Fist Way). Music is by Joseph Stephens.

Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Legendary Pictures, presents a De Line Pictures Production, a Jody Hill Film, Observe and Report, . --© Warner Bros [More]

Starring: Seth Rogen, Ray Liotta, Michael Pena, Anna Faris

Starring: Seth Rogen, Ray Liotta, Michael Pena, Anna Faris, Celia Weston, Collette Wolfe

Director: Jody Hill

Director: Jody Hill
Screenwriter: Jody Hill
Producer: Donald De Line
Composer: Joseph Stephens
Studio: Warner Bros.

[See More Credits]

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    Is There Really a Pervert Here?
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    You Gonna Die
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    Medication
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1 - 4 of 9

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Reviews for Observe and Report

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121 - 140 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
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I have no affection for this movie but I have to admit to a grudging admiration for its willingness to be awkward, intrusive, and disturbing.

Full Review Source: Beliefnet | comment Comment
04/09/09
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Beliefnet

Given that the ordinarily likable Seth Rogen is portraying a delusional, violent, sexist, racist, homophobic mall cop with a bipolar disorder, there's not really a lot to laugh at.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
04/09/09
John Anderson
John Anderson
Washington Post

When Observe and Report is funny, it's often shockingly so. The characters can be nasty or self-absorbed, yet they still have a whiff of sweetness.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
04/09/09
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig
USA Today

Observe and Report is the evil twin of Paul Blart, which had a soft heart but no nerve. This flick is almost criminally cynical, but delinquents will think there's something arresting about a movie whose mission is disturbing the peace.

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
04/09/09
Joe Williams
Joe Williams
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Here's the simplest way to put it: if you liked the over-the-top, brutal finale of Pineapple Express, you'll most likely find yourself enjoying Observe and Report...

Full Review Source: FromTheBalcony | comment Comment
04/09/09
Bill Clark
Bill Clark
FromTheBalcony

Unsure if it's supposed to make you love or loathe all the ugly behavior and cheap gags, Observe and Report will make you squirm for all the wrong reasons.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
04/09/09
N.V. Cooper
N.V. Cooper
E! Online

There is no moral to this story, and there's not much comedy either.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
04/09/09
Betsy Sharkey
Betsy Sharkey
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Beyond the weirdness, if you can get there, is a quick portrait of trailer-park America pursuing its urges by any means necessary.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment 1 Comment
04/09/09
Richard Corliss
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A fascinatingly bizarre dark comedy, an abrasive and occasionally mean-spirited tale that succeeds by being completely committed to its ideas.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
04/09/09
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

Observe and Report tickets should come with a free breath mint, because however hard you've been laughing, that ending leaves a seriously bad taste in your mouth.

Full Review Source: Slate | comment Comment
04/09/09
Dana Stevens
Dana Stevens
Slate

It's a film made with the naughty rush of kids getting away with something crazy behind their parents' backs.

Full Review Source: Metromix.com | comment Comment
04/09/09
Geoff Berkshire
Geoff Berkshire
Metromix.com

Here's hoping the talented Rogen, in the future, sifts out junk like this from the many opportunities before him.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment 1 Comment
04/09/09
Tom Keogh
Tom Keogh
Seattle Times

It’s a flimsy premise, one ripe for the silliest of sitcom material, but Rogen and writer-director Jody Hill wring out of it a scary-funny character study about a warped man and his twisted sense of what it means to be a hero.

Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
04/09/09
William Goss
William Goss
Orlando Weekly

As funny as it is sick (and it's plenty of both).

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
04/09/09
Steven Rea
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer

In other words, if Paul Blart were a monthly comic, and Alan Moore took over the writing, this might be the result.

Full Review Source: LYTRules.com | comment Comment
04/09/09
Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson
LYTRules.com

Something of a cross between the formalist whimsy of Wes Anderson and the God’s-lonely-man psychosis of Taxi Driver, the film breaks all the rules, but the tonal schizophrenia that results isn’t an accident.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
04/09/09
Scott Tobias
Scott Tobias
AV Club

There won't be a more polarizing comedy released in 2009 than Observe and Report. This audacious, subversive action comedy turns two of our cuddliest performers, Seth Rogen and Anna Faris, into poster kids for atrocious misbehavior.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment 1 Comment
04/09/09
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune

Not only is the movie itself upsetting, but there's the thought that Paul Blart has turned out to be the funny mall cop movie.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
04/09/09
Sue Pierman
Sue Pierman
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Like "Foot Fist," "Observe and Report" is about grating, dysfunctional males and the sluts they love and inappropriate behavior alone does not equal comedy.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/09/09
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

[Director Jody] Hill can create only one sort of protagonist, and half the time he's stuck in a gray area between satirizing the firearms-obsessed, multidirectionally offensive Ronnie and embracing him.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
04/09/09
Michael Phillips
Michael Phillips
Chicago Tribune
 
 
121 - 140 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
all

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. Opens in new window
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. Opens in new window
More...

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