Observe and Report is one of those movies that's truly misrepresented by its marketing. Warner Bros. Studios is trying to make you think this is a light comedy about a lovable, self important doofus that's just like another movie about a mall security guard that came out earlier this year and became a surprise hit. For some reason, they seem to think you'd be less likely to go see a sad, dark film about a man is slowly sinking into madness because of his bipolar disorder. Turns out WB was right since it opened at a distant fourth place about 11 million bucks behind third place finisher Monsters Vs. Aliens. Hell, they got their butts whooped by Hannah freakin Montana and she's on TV just about every day.
Seth Rogen plays Ronnie Barnhardt, the aforementioned bipolar security guard. Ronnie has delusions about himself, his job and their importance to the world and those delusions turn out to be infectious as his fellow security guards come to embrace them. First and foremost among Ronnie's crew is his best friend Dennis (Michael Peña), a man who nearly worships him and backs up even his craziest ideas. Ronnie is presented at the movie's beginning with what he perceives to be the Joker to his Batman, a flasher who's been exposing himself in the mall's parking lot. Ronnie and Dennis elevate the flasher to the level of heroic myth and describe him in terms that make it seem as if he's a mortal threat to everyone in the mall. One of the flasher's first victims is Brandi (Anna Faris), a girl who doesn't seem to own anything that's not low cut and form fitting who is also the love of Ronnie's life. His delusions make him think he has a shot with her and he bonds with her by telling her that the flasher will eventually take her life.
The most sadly realistic moment in the movie comes on Ronnie's first date with Brandi when he decides he no longer needs the anti-psychotic drugs that allow him to manage his condition. You may have seen the commercials where Ronnie is comically describing himself as a force that separates light from darkness. This isn't quite so funny when presented in the movie itself since Ronnie is saying all this from a place of deep madness and really believes it. This advanced bipolar state causes him to lose his chance at being a real police officer when, during his psychological evaluation, he cheerfully describes his desire to casually blow people away, an action Ronnie thinks will cause the public to love him. Ronnie's nemesis, Detective Harrison (Ray Liotta) who's also investigating the flasher, gleefully gives Ronnie the news about his failure and adds insult to injury by screwing Brandi in the backseat of her car. All this sends Ronnie into a depression spiral that is disturbing to watch.
So, fun time at the movies, eh? There are quite a few laughs in Observe and Report and I would call it a dark comedy with special emphasis on the word "dark." I pretty much guessed how the movie would end* but all that proves is that it's a big budget studio release. All in all, it's ok, but I'd skip the theatrical release and wait for the DVD though I shudder to think about the chambers of horrors that will be the deleted scenes considering the stuff they felt perfectly comfortable about putting into the theaters including several scenes of full frontal male nudity and one particular moment you may have heard about that is lovingly referred to around the internet as, "The Date Rape Scene," about which more will be said at a later date.
*Golly, will he eventually wind up happy with the nice coffee shop girl who's taken an abstinence pledge or miserable with the slutty Brandi? Who could possibly know?
No comments:
Post a Comment