I imagine a future where film buffs will sit down for a double-feature of Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Observe and Report, discussing how the latter subverts the former and how they both fit into American culture in 2009. Observe & Report director Jody Hill was reportedly upset that another film about a mall cop had beaten his to theaters, and he had harsh words for the Kevin James starring comedy. He needn't fret. Paul Blart is exactly the sort of character that Hill's film deconstructs. Observe and Report is a black comedy that takes a look under the surface of this character that we've become used to as of late--the lovable idiot, the inept but noble hero, the man who wants to do something special even though he is thoroughly unspecial in every way. The only reason Paul Blart is worthy of anyone's attention is because he is the main character in a movie. Observe and Report's mall cop, Ronnie Barnhardt (Seth Rogen), tries to be the hero of his one movie, with tragic results.
     This is not a pleasant movie. It is not a light-hearted comedy like the Rogen-starrers we've grown accustomed to. Pineapple Express had some darkness to it, but this film takes it a very large step further. Observe and Report has more in common with Fight Club than with Knocked Up. That's not to say that the film won't make you laugh, just that you might feel guilty afterward. This film features date rape, rampant drug use, and graphic violence. There are lighter moments as well, most of them early on in the film. To subvert the Paul Blart mode, first you have to embrace it. There are some great moments between Ronnie and his fellow security guards, as well as between Ronnie and his alcoholic mother. But the light moments only serve to make you comfortable so that you will be more shocked when the film takes a disturbing turn halfway through or so.
     After an encounter with a grizzled police detective (Ray Liotta), Ronnie decides to pursue his dream of becoming a police officer. He has "dreams inside of [him]," according to his mother, and that much we can see is true. He wants to carry a gun more than anything, but he wants to do it in service of justice. Unfortunately, Ronnie is clearly not fit to join the force, and this realization leads him down a dark path. Does Ronnie fail the system or does the system fail him? He wants to serve his country, and the culture he is a part of tells him that a gun will help him do that. He knows that a weapon represents power--it can make him more than just "another scared man." This film tells the story of what happens when an unexceptional man tries to take matters into his own hands because, well, that's what he's been told an exceptional man does--surely the only difference between the two is the will to do something.
     This is a tragic American story. Ronnie lacks a father figure and it shows. His mother loves him, but can't give him what he needs. She's willing to try: "I'm switching to beer. I can pound those all day and still keep my shit together!" She tells him that he's special, because well, that's what moms are supposed to say. She's right in that there is good inside of Ronnie. In his heart he is not evil. He has dreams of saving good from evil. But that good in his heart is let down by everything else in his life. He tries to express it in the ways that society has told him he should, which just leads to violence.
     Eventually, Ronnie's dream comes true. The end of this film is likely to be somewhat divisive among viewers. It bears some similarities to the tidy conclusion of Adaptation. It doesn't take much stretching of the imagination to see the ending as just a fantasy of Ronnie's. He gets to use a gun, he gets to save the day, he gets the girl, everyone applauds. But of course, the fantasy doesn't just have to be in Ronnie's head. For this is our fantasy too. We are implicated because, after all, we encourage this character that we've seen in so many movies before. We cheer for him too, we root for him to shoot the bad guys and save the day. It is our fantasy that this unexceptional man will become a hero. It has to be too, for that's the only way we can avoid blaming ourselves or our country for our inability to succeed. It's the only way we can live out our lives without admitting the darkness that lies within us. Observe and Report exposes that darkness and isn't afraid to lay blame. The only one who is not to blame however, is noble, kind-hearted Ronnie, because he really is, "our hero."

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Observe and Report