So how is it that two movies about mall cops come out months apart when there’s never been a movie made about this profession ever before? I guess two writers were lucky enough to realize the hilarious potential of the profession of the semi-cop at the same time. It’s just one hell of a coincidence (It must really be this time, because no one is being sued). And after the shocking success of ‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop’, just how does ‘Observe and Report’ stack up? Here’s a look:
Well, Seth Rogen’s character in ‘Observe in Report’ has a less memorable and less Blarty name: Ronnie Barnhardt, and, thanks to dieting and exercise, he looks less Blarty as well.
Kevin James’ weight is a running joke in ‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop’, and Seth Rogen obviously worked on running his weight off for ‘Observe and Report’, disappointing fans who love him only for his chubbiness (How shallow can you be, people?)
Kevin James is a former beer-guzzling UPS guy who was married to a hot chick, and Seth Rogen is a former beer-guzzling slacker who knocked up a hot chick.
Seth Rogen shared a bit of a bromance fling with James Franco in ‘Pineapple Express’, but Kevin James took things even further with Adam Sandler in ‘I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry’.
Seth Rogen gets to play with a laser pointer and lose his signature curly hair in ‘Observe and Report’, and Paul Blart gets a segway and a ‘stache.
In ‘Observe and Report’, the enemy is a pervert; in Paul Blart, it’s just your run-of-the-mill thief.
‘Observe and Report’ is full of Queen music, and ‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop’ has… who cares? ‘Observe’ has freakin’ Queen!
Paul Blart suffers from hypoglycemia; Seth Rogen’s character is bipolar.
Paul Blart has an ex-wife who married him for a green card and hair extension kiosk girl Jayma Mays; Seth Rogen’s character has make-up counter girl Anna Faris.
Both want to be real cops.
There’s full-frontal male nudity in ‘Observe and Report’.
‘Observe and Report’ is a dark comedy that’s apparently actually funny; ‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop’ is, well, Blarty.
You could say Kevin James’ Paul Blart is a grown-up version of Seth Rogen’s Barnhardt. But you’d be wrong. Paul Blart is a doofus whose whole life has been a bad Hollywood comedy; Barnhardt is a guy whose whole life has been bleak, black, and comical. Life really is a dark comedy, so that’s why I appreciate this kind of character most.
Blart was a hit with the family crowd, and it looks like Barnhardt will really strike a chord with the hipsters. But as different as these mall cops movies are, they both make us respect the profession and appreciate these men for their ability to pick up a phone and call the cops when need be.
SOURCES: http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/17/sxsw-review-observe-and-report/
www.imdb.com
