A static one-ring circus revolving around a ringmaster who's also a low clown.
Comment
04/10/09
Observe and Report (2009)
50
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:181
Fresh:91
Rotten:90
Average Rating:5.4/10
Consensus: Though it has a mean streak, and does not cater to all tastes, Observe and Report has gut-busting laughs and a fully committed Seth Rogen in irresistible form.
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Genre: Comedies
US Box Office: $23,993,605
Synopsis: At the Forest Ridge Mall, head of security Ronnie Barnhardt (SETH ROGEN) patrols his jurisdiction with an iron fist. The master of his domain, he combats skateboarders, shoplifters and the... [More]
Reviews for Observe and Report
101 - 120 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
It's a comedy in which the humor is based on taking everything to the extreme, not only in terms of grossness, but also in terms of messing with our expectations.
04/10/09
[T]he upbeat ending--which comes on the heels of a genuinely shocking climax--is so incongruous that, as with The King of Comedy, it almost seems we're being dared to question whether it is real or delusion.
04/10/09
[Director] Hill evidently intends his film to be satirical. But satire requires intelligence to succeed. Observe and Report has a moronic sense of humour, trading in racism, sexism, profanity and violence at every predictable turn.
04/10/09
With admirably funkiness and bold flavor, Hill has made the anti-Blart...but at a time when we've seen seven mass shootings in a month, do we really need the comedy version of Taxi Driver?
04/10/09
Rogen's character -- like Jim Carrey's Cable Guy -- is a sad, fascinating fellow who will deserve re-visiting and re-considering in subsequent viewings.
04/10/09
Observe and Report is...not afraid to take chances, to push envelopes, and explore elements that usually don't make it into a satire or spoof.
04/10/09
It's like there's a really great dark comedy in there desperately trying to get out, but it can't because fart jokes make more money.
04/10/09
A spiritual exercise for the heart that offers us a chance to look for the good in a socially awkward, bigoted, violent, and loathsome individual.
04/10/09
Parental Content Review
04/10/09
Some funny performances are lost in the cloud of cruelty.
04/10/09
The Jody Hill aesthetic is an acquired taste %u2013 one I thought I had but which Observe and Report tested severely.
04/10/09
Walking out of Observe and Report, I was torn between categorical loathing and perverse admiration.
04/10/09
Edgy and exploitive, this vigilante story earns its R-rating for pushing the acceptable boundaries of crude, dark comedy - but it's not for mainstream audiences.
04/10/09
Observe and Report is one of those films that leaves you feeling confused about what you just watched. Luckily the last five minutes make up for the rest of the film.
04/10/09
A potentially brilliant conceptual comedy that fizzles because its writer and director, Jody Hill, doesn’t have the guts to go with his spleen.
04/10/09
Top CriticI just think it could have gone further, which is to say I'm so desensitized to violence that beating up children and vandalizing public spaces feels too tame to me.
04/09/09
One of the ballsier comedies to come from a big studio in some time that's likely going to tear at audience's expectations but, hopefully, will have them appreciating its creators.
04/09/09
It is so good and funny that as far as I am concerned, Jody Hill has officially been forgiven for "The Foot Fist Way."
04/09/09
Consumer America and flashers? Both ripe for laughs. But in Hill's hands, they're sad and frightening instead.
04/09/09
Latest News for Observe and Report
September 21, 2009:
RT on DVD: Observe and Report, Classic Star Trek, and more.
Coming out on home video this week are a few new releases from earlier this year (such as Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and Observe and Report), as well as a couple of collections... More...
April 12, 2009:
Seth Rogen more shocking than funny as crude mall cop. 
More...
April 09, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Hannah Montana Hits A Flat Note
This week at the movies, we've got a pop songbird (Hannah Montana the Movie, starring Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus), a mall cop (Observe and Report, starring Seth Rogen and Anna... More...
April 09, 2009:
Observe And Report: Better Than Blart, And Dirtier Than Harry. And the wicked humor never lets up, as the tone deliciously darkens just when it seems there's nowhere left to go.
More...
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