Observe and Report

2009 "Right now, the world needs a hero."
5.7| 1h27m| R| en| More Info
Released: 10 April 2009 Released
Producted By: Legendary Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: https://www.warnerbros.com/observe-and-report
Info

Mall security guard Ronnie Barnhardt is called into action to stop a flasher from turning shopper's paradise into his personal peep show. But when Barnhardt can't bring the culprit to justice, a surly police detective is recruited to close the case.

Genre

Drama, Comedy, Crime

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Observe and Report (2009) is now streaming with subscription on Prime Video

Director

Jody Hill

Production Companies

Legendary Pictures

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Observe and Report Audience Reviews

LouHomey From my favorite movies..
CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.
KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.
Python Hyena Observe and Report (2009): Dir: Jody Hill / Cast: Seth Rogan, Anna Faris, Ray Liotta, Michael Pena, Celia Weston: Hilarious film about the difference between seeing and translating it. Seth Rogan plays head security at the mall where a flasher has struck. Director Jody Hill avoids formula by taking circumstances and relationships in different directions. Rogan's mall cop desires to be a police officer yet is subdued by poor judgement. He lives with his alcoholic yet loving mother, and makes it his mission to score with the cosmetics girl. Anna Faris plays the cosmetics girl he is obsessed with. She is self absorbed although becomes the object of Rogan's desire after she is flashed in the parking lot. Her attitude is returned full force during a shocking comedic climax. Ray Liotta plays a cop whom Rogan dislikes because he is investigating the flasher scene at the mall. This is problematic due to Rogan's initial outbursts. Perhaps had Liotta made the first conflicting motion then the security guard might have had more credibility. Rogan will retaliate when the need for a badge doesn't distinguish who he is. Michael Pena plays Rogan's partner with a secret and a massive drug high. Celia Weston is hilarious as Rogan's drunken mother who offers support when she can muster it. More detailed than the inferior Paul Blart: Mall Cop, with smaller factors celebrated within one of the best comedies of the year. Score: 9 / 10
yokozome You have to admit that when you are watching most comedies there are a number of things that you have to overlook. Be it plot, plausibility, dialog, depth of purpose etc. One in a thousand comedies can be considered high brow art. I think the thing most critics missed in their analysis is that they didn't like Ronnie's many highly socially awkward moments. It makes the critics sense of sensibility go into crisis lock down mode then they hate it all. This film has a great plot (for a comedy), it has really exceptional cinematography, good social commentary. I did like how well they captured the grandiose nature of a type 1 bi-polar person with hilarious grand Hollywood style epic scenes. The cop fight, the skateboarder beat down/drug binge, shooting the flasher etc. also there were subtle things in the movie that were hilarious. Ronnie's detective board, the candid shots of people in the mall, looks that the flasher made during the chase. Normally I hate the moments of heart in comedies. But there were some good ones Especially with the cop in slicked back hair, the drunk mom and Ronnie at the end of the date.The film left me questioning my dreams and possible grandeur by showing how easy the social fabric of society can turn on you based on one conversation or bad relationship with one person. It also showed how many times those socially unacceptable conversations or situations can be irrelevant. I guess the critics can't handle that.
Omega One This a simple story about a character who is self obsessed and arrogant. This is a movie about mall life and revolves around the mall's head of security. The story will seem a lot of cliché but the ending is not. Not to be expected too much of the movie but not too disappointing also. The central character has the bad habit of saying all out as he thinks in mind which annoyed all the people. last but not the least It does have a background teaching for the viewers about how you should keep pursuing your dreams. It surely is a one time watch (without a lot of expectations).Story: 5/10 Direction: 6/10 Acting/Actors/Characters: 6/10 Cinematography: 6/10 Structure and Impact: 7/10
Mathias Nagy (rocdoc2004) On the surface, Observe and Report looks like the sort of cynical black comedy your parents would love to hate. Yet to my surprise I found it to be a movie of genuine substance. Rather than just giving me another reason to laugh at the chaos of life, it sneakily suggests an uncomfortable truth - that maybe everything is not meaningless, and maybe, just maybe, there is still something of value worth fighting for in this superficial pre-packaged life. When you "get" this movie, you realise it's not the post-modern mental chewing gum kids want, but rather a twisted but moral tale that parents should cheer... and it's this fact that made me laugh the most. This is a clever, interesting movie that betrays the expectations of the modern liberal audience - and I think this is why so many critics have panned it. They just wanted mental chewing gum, but got mental All-Bran instead. Observe and Report is a smirking, cynical tale about a typical "white trash" guy that few people have respect for, someone altogether forgettable and easy to mock - the mall security guard. Ronnie is the typical mall security guard supervisor, someone we know and generally dislike - a jumped up pseudo-cop who's modicum of power gives him a sense of excess, undeserved pride. Ronnie starts off as the fairly pathetic nobody we expect him to be - and we laugh at his antics. Yet despite his weaknesses, obsessions and sad life, Ronnie slowly proves himself to be someone bigger than he should be, and it's all because he believes in something genuinely good and real. Regardless of his borderline insanity, by the end, his stand for what he believes in earns him something we all want - respect and meaning in life. This movie cleverly takes us from using our own prejudices to laugh at Ronnie (as most movies do), to uncomfortably realising that maybe we suck for having these prejudices, because Ronnie, despite his own prejudices, limitations, and crappy life, actually believes in (and acts on) something good - and this alone makes him a valuable human being. So what if his achievements are small. So what is his life has its crappy parts. So what if he's borderline delusional. Ronnie has a belief in something that valuable to others... and in the end, he wins.There are enough reviews out there giving details of this movie's plot, so I won't get it that much. I just wanted to let you know that Observe and Report is on the surface a black, post-modern comedy, but underneath it's a story using a theme we all love, delivered in its own quirky way - the little guys overcomes adversity, takes up the challenge and in the end, wins the girl and the respect of his peers. I really enjoyed this movie and look forward to watching it again. If you like black humour and character-driven drama that doesn't pull its punches then you will really enjoy Observe and Report.