Observe and Report (2009)

Seth Rogen as Ronnie Bard in one of his under-appreciated roles.

This is a bizarre movie because it’s marketed as a comedy, and while it’s hilarious, it’s also a very dark look inside the mind of a mentally unstable security guard. There will be people that will absolutely hate this movie because what the film puts out as a joke is actually quite offensive and what people say “in poor taste.” I found them to be hilarious. My humor is very different than most. I won’t laugh at poop and fart jokes, but when you swear and get vulgar and combine in with the right situations; I love it. This film puts its characters in one uncomfortable situation after another and just nails them. They range from borderline rape, racist profiling, and dick just shoved into your face unwillingly. All the while, you watch main character Ronnie go off his meds and slowly devolve into a sociopath that puts anyone in his way in danger. The bizarre manner in which this unfolds makes it not only shocking but often downright hilarious. In another film, his transformation could be the entire focal point and much more, but since it’s a comedy, they never dig into it. There is a lengthy showdown near the end involving the police and Ronnie that gets overplayed a bit and the relationship between Ronnie and Brandy never gets enough attention to make much of it, but it’s an otherwise hilarious comedy that got overlooked in 2009 because it came out a few months after the dreadful Paul Blart: Mall Cop.

As it stands right now and more than likely in the extended future, I believe this is Seth Rogen’s most overlooked comedic performance. He is practically perfect as Ronnie and the kind of shit he is known for is only further pulled into the characters role. He’s as vulgar as he’ll ever be and it never runs awkward; there is always a flow with his dialogue and actions that can really hamper these kinds of characters. For me, the swearing doesn't feel like forced, but rather an actual part of Ronnie’s everyday self. The other two involved characters are Ray Liotta and Anna Faris. I feel like they didn't bring much of anything here except to bring Ronnie into situations to make you laugh. They were never given the opportunity to be all that funny but I’m glad it turned out that way because that would have just took more time away from Rogen. The supporting cast in very minor roles have a few quotable gems with Aziz Ansari playing a terrorist store owner, the Yuan brothers playing Asian twins, Michael Pena playing a childish partner and the of them all, Celia Weston as his drunk mother. They all make great use of their little screen-time and create memorable characters that otherwise shouldn't. 

If you missed Observe and Report back in 2009, than you fit in with the millions of others that did as well. It’s strange to think because it was only 4 years ago, but I think this would be a successful hit for everybody involved had it come out today. The R-Rated vulgarity has become a more profitable tag right now. If you’ve liked what you've read here, I highly suggest you make time and give this a go. It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you uncomfortable, and it’ll make you not regret it. It only improved upon a repeated viewing.

Overall Grade: 8/10