Observe and Report
Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: April 10, 2009
6.2
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 138 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
68
Mixed:
42
Negative:
28
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
5
AkutoSep 11, 2011
Overall a pretty funny movie, but a bit irritating if you're the type to notice details, like how Seth Rogen can commit crime after crime in public, sometimes against police themselves, with little repercussion. Or how handfuls of pills andOverall a pretty funny movie, but a bit irritating if you're the type to notice details, like how Seth Rogen can commit crime after crime in public, sometimes against police themselves, with little repercussion. Or how handfuls of pills and alcohol aren't lethal.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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6
SpangleAug 19, 2016
Ever watch a movie and realize you are wildly incapable of putting together your thoughts on what you just watched? Well, that was me with Observe and Report. A disturbing look at a man suffering from extreme mental illness and rife with darkEver watch a movie and realize you are wildly incapable of putting together your thoughts on what you just watched? Well, that was me with Observe and Report. A disturbing look at a man suffering from extreme mental illness and rife with dark jokes and dark scenes (date rape...). That said, the film can be quite funny at times and is reminiscent of a lesser Taxi Driver-esque look at those suffering from violent mood swings and violent inclinations such as Seth Rogen in this film. Rogen is very good in the lead role and encapsulates this delusion and the man different sides of Ronnie. Though he can be quite awkward and creepy, this is all part of his character and can be very tough to watch. Essentially, Ronnie is a very good antihero and thoroughly unreliable narrator. You can be misled into rooting for him many times, even if his actions dictate that he is certainly not the hero of this tale. Overall, Observe and Report is never quite as funny as it thinks it is, but the dark picture portrays of its protagonist/antihero is richly rewarding and thoroughly disturbing. Observe and Report plays less as a comedy and more as a drama about a man who suffers from a serious mental illness and for that, it really hits hard at times. Unfortunately, its tone is all over the place and the film can never decide whether it wants to horrify you, make you laugh, or extract drama and tears from the situation. For this inconsistent tone, the film winds up being only slightly above average. If it remained more focused, it could have been far better.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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4
AMovieCriticApr 10, 2009
Yeesh. Had some funny moments but this dark comedy's at times so dark that it's almost hard to watch. Rogen's character's a delusional and psychotic person with a very bleak life who simply has no grasp of any sort of Yeesh. Had some funny moments but this dark comedy's at times so dark that it's almost hard to watch. Rogen's character's a delusional and psychotic person with a very bleak life who simply has no grasp of any sort of reality, and watching him's just not funny. Yes, some jokes work, but overall it's hard to get any enjoyment out of a movie that tries to play up a character, who so obviously needs psychiatric help, for laughs. And when the laughs do happen, they're really not all that funny. Plus, towards the end, the movie goes completely into fantasy land, and it just doesn't make sense considering the realism before it. I dunno. An unfortunate miss.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
ChadSApr 10, 2009
Even at his most heroic, during the movie's major action set-piece, the filmmaker undermines the mall cop's heroism with a quick excursion into racially-motivated violence as he strives for a redemptive outcome to his Even at his most heroic, during the movie's major action set-piece, the filmmaker undermines the mall cop's heroism with a quick excursion into racially-motivated violence as he strives for a redemptive outcome to his citizen's arrest. Ronnie Barnhardt(Seth Rogen) is a genuine anti-hero, the rarest of things in a contemporary mainstream comedy, let alone, contemporary mainstream film, period. At times, the mall cop can be downright hateful, especially in a politically incorrect scene with an Arab vendor that will give large portions of the audience pause. Although "Observe and Report" makes compromises galore, making amends with the skin-care expert he derisively calls Saddamn(Aziz Ansari) isn't one of them, thankfully. Ronnie remains fundamentally Ronnie. It helps offset some of the film's inevitable banalities. After the major action set-piece climaxes in a heart-stopping act of violence, for a split-second, "Observe and Report", you think, went all the way with a truly subversive coda. But alas, the film plays it safe, and slaps on a happy ending, which is the unfortunate mandate for all studio films, comedies especially. "Observe and Report" never goes the distance with its "Bad Mall Cop" sensibilities; the film goes depressingly mainstream when it counts. For instance, the character of Nell(Collette Wolfe), who is obviously pretty in spite of her temporary dismobilization and bad hair, should be plain, the complete opposite of his dream girl Brandi(Anna Faris), appearance-wise, because their convergence is supposed to be the union of two lonely people. All dolled up and cast-free, Nell now seems ill-fitted for the down-and-out security guard, but that's the Hollywood way: obsessively ramming happy endings down its customers' throats. For a racist with anger management problems, who in one scene, comes close to raping a girl, "Observe and Report" seems awfully forced in its attempts to make Ronnie likable.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
AlexHApr 24, 2009
A very stupid movie that will cause a few laughs credited to Michael Pena, for once not Seth Rogen.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
JayH.Sep 15, 2009
Not too bad, but I must say I was a bit disappointed. Anna Faris is great as always, but for a comedy, it has a lot of meanness to it, which kind of spoils the fun. It does have some great scenes, I just wish it was more consistent.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
ToddFSep 24, 2009
Eugene, I agree with you that the movie wasn't that great, or even that funny. But it did have a few funny moments. But to walk out of a movie and give it a 0/10 because YOU are too fragile to handle the f word? Thats deplorable. I give Eugene, I agree with you that the movie wasn't that great, or even that funny. But it did have a few funny moments. But to walk out of a movie and give it a 0/10 because YOU are too fragile to handle the f word? Thats deplorable. I give it a 4 for entertainment.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
moviegrabbagJun 12, 2011
This movie is exacly what you think it is. It is stupid mind numbing humor. Thats it, if you go into this expecting the next Boondock Saints or Godfather then you are horribly confused. This movie is nothing more then stupid joke with lameThis movie is exacly what you think it is. It is stupid mind numbing humor. Thats it, if you go into this expecting the next Boondock Saints or Godfather then you are horribly confused. This movie is nothing more then stupid joke with lame punch lines, but my god is it funny. The ending made it all worth while for me. Watch this movie to kill a couple hours and just veg out.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
5
alexandergreenSep 4, 2011
This is a strange movie. Regular fans of Seth Rogen movies will either love it because of him, or be disturbed by his dark turn in this one. Playing a sociopathic, bipolar mall guard, it serves as an adult alternative to Kevin James's similarThis is a strange movie. Regular fans of Seth Rogen movies will either love it because of him, or be disturbed by his dark turn in this one. Playing a sociopathic, bipolar mall guard, it serves as an adult alternative to Kevin James's similar premise family comedy, Paul Blart: Mall Cop. All in all, I found myself bemused more than amused by the whole thing, and the as the end credits rolled in front of my eyes, I thought "what the **** did I just witness?"… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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4
Tss5078Jul 13, 2013
Observe and Report is a great film, if you're 12 years old and find the obsessive use of the 'F' word funny. I usually love Seth Rogan, I think he's one of the best comedic actors out there, but unfortunately every actor is going to have aObserve and Report is a great film, if you're 12 years old and find the obsessive use of the 'F' word funny. I usually love Seth Rogan, I think he's one of the best comedic actors out there, but unfortunately every actor is going to have a few misses. Observe and Report is one of those films that just doesn't cut it. In the film, Seth Rogan plays Ronnie Barnhardt, who is the equivalent of Paul Blart on a bad trip. He's a mall cop, who is obsessed with his job and with the hot girl who works the make-up counter at the local department store. Literally the only funny part of this movie is the flasher, that Ronnie is trying to catch. It's simplistic humor, but a man running around a mall, flashing his penis at people, and making dirty comments is funny! The rest of this film is not, as it's one big racist, childish, romp, through a world of sex, drugs, and the abuse of power. Rogan is terrific, but his character was a rambling, confused, uneducated guy, that just wears on every last nerve. Observe and Report is a film that has been done, many times and in many different ways. The producers hoped that an all-star cast would help the film, but sadly it doesn't. The film plays as though it was written by a teenager, and all that's missing is the fart jokes. I'm a big Seth Rogan fan, but I was sadly disappointed by this film.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
Sosmooth1982Jan 6, 2023
Not the greatest movie. Really funny though. He always dreamed of becoming a cop. A runs his security team at the mall like he's the captain. They spend most of the movie trying to catch a male flasher.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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