Observe and Report Just Plain Nasty

Mall-cop flick soaked with sadism, critics say

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 10, 2009 12:29 PM CDT

(Newser) – Critics have observed, and they’re reporting that the latest mall-cop movie is brutal and sadistic with little cause: Seth Rogen's character is no Paul Blart.

"If you thought Abu Ghraib was a laugh riot then you might love Observe and Report," writes Manohla Dargis in the New York Times. “Sadism is this movie’s currency,” she says of the “dumber-and-dumbest yukfest.”

Observe and Report treats nastiness as if it’s “some new form of hip,” but “it doesn’t work: the jokes are just sour,” writes David Denby in the New Yorker. Viewers are “treated in much the same way as the flasher’s victims.”
Filled with “head-bashing,” “stomach-kicking,” and “nightstick-beating,” the film “heaps piles of bad, crazy stuff at our feet then walks away,” Betsy Sharkey writes in the Los Angeles Times. “There is no moral to this story, and there's not much comedy either.”

[Videos (1)]

In this image released by Warner Bros., Anna Faris, left, and Seth Rogen are shown in a scene from "Observe and Report." (AP Photo/Warner Bros., Peter Sorel)

Cast member Seth Rogen arrives at the premiere of "Observe and Report" in Los Angeles on Monday, April 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 3 comments

lonewolf17

Apr 11, 2009 8:22 AM CDT

they didn't understand the movie at all. it's a throwback to the 1976 Scorsese film "Taxi Driver". it's SUPPOSED to have no moral, it is SUPPOSED to be sadism. that's the point of the movie, and not just for comedic purposes. there was definatly an underlying message with this movie, its much deeper than meets the eye. for these movie critics to miss that is frankly perplexing, as they should be able to draw the rather obvious parallels...

riffran

Apr 11, 2009 7:27 AM CDT

The more critics hate it, the better it usually is....They raved about Mama Mia, ......so I digress

maevealleine

Apr 10, 2009 6:09 AM CDT

whatever. i don't listen to critics. i like to make decisions for myself.

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Observe and Report Just Plain Nasty

Mall-cop flick soaked with sadism, critics say