Observe and Report (2009)

Director: Jody Hill

Writer:  Jody Hill

Composer:  Joseph Stephens

Starring: Seth Rogen, Ray Liotta, Michael Pena, Anna Faris, Dan Bakkedahl, Jesse Plemons, John Yuan, Matt Yuan, Celia Weston, Collette Wolfe, Randy Gambill, Aziz Ansari, Patton Oswalt, Danny McBride

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Right now, the world needs a hero.

Plot:  Bi-polar 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.

My rating: 6.5/10

Will I watch it again?  No.

This picture had me as conflicted as Ronnie (Rogen).  It's definitely a comedy but it's also dipping into dark drama territory.  I enjoyed it and I especially liked the darker moments but then I would've preferred it go even darker or maybe just embrace the drama more than it did.  A good example is Ronnie's takedown in the mall near the end.  It takes a long time to finally stop Ronnie and he's like the Terminator all through it.   I guess it's possible that it would take a dozen cops to take him down but it's unlikely and it's only done that way because it's a movie and he's the main character.  At once it's sad, it's also being a little funny and not taking advantage of the true horror of the situation.  Yeah, I wanted it to go to that dark place and stay there.  They could've even just played it out like Ronnie would've imagined it and then play the same scene as Detective Harrison (who would've give us the real version) saw it.  The film does have some good laughs and Rogen largely gets the character right, even if he does often go too silly.  The supporting cast is good and it's a treat to see Ray Liotta in this.  I dug the picture but it felt like it should've gone farther than it did and go for that rare serious picture that has some humor but it's also got something to say and say it well.