Henry Saw: Observe and Report

As always with comedies this will be a short review.

So Observe and Report is from the same writer / director (Jody Hill) that made The Foot Fist Way (reviewed here) and Eastbound and Down (The HBO mini-series). Both were pretty damn funny, Eastbound being hilarious at times, so I thought Observe and Report had a chance to be an under-the-radar gem.

Almost...

Observe and Report does have some very funny moments and lines. Seth Rogan, not a favorite of mine, is actually kinda good (if not that funny) as the deranged mall security officer he plays here. The surrounding cast however, from Patton Oswalt as a douche bag mall employee, to Michael Pena as a fellow security officer, to the reliable Anna Farris make for a strong comedic cast.

The plot, about a mall cop who desires to become a police officer, bang the hottest girl in the mall, and catch a trench coat wearing flasher is not wholly original except that this is a very dark film. The humor is pitch black and the main character is a very disturbed individual. So at least its a different kind of role for Seth Rogan. For anyone really. I've heard this described as a comedic Taxi Driver and that's not too far off.

Anyway, not a movie you should bother with in the theaters, but whenever this is on HBO and you're in a cynical and dark mood...Observe and Report is actually pretty funny. Yeah, it could have worked just as well as an HBO TV movie, and has some wasted opportunities and some useless material in there, but I was entertained.

Grade: C+

Best Scene: When Michael Pena's character convinces Seth Rogan's to take it easy.