# Date rape in Observe and Report? (SPOILER warning) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 10, 2009, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/date-rape-in-observe-and-report-spoiler-warning/492648 "2009-04-10T15:14:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/date-rape-in-observe-and-report-spoiler-warning/492648/21 "2009-04-13T18:22:53Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I saw the movie. She wasn’t unconscious. The gag (such as it is) is that Rogen is pounding away, looks down to see that she appears to have passed out and stops. Farris then opens her eyes and says, “why are you stopping, motherfucker?” Okay, cool. This definitely doesn’t sound like a rape to me. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/date-rape-in-observe-and-report-spoiler-warning/492648/22 "2009-04-13T19:08:27Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > I haven’t seen the movie yet (though I plan to), but part of the problem here is that it’s a Jody Hill movie (_Foot Fist Way_) being presented as a Judd Apatow comedy. From what I’ve heard, and what I would have assumed anyway, it is a weird, dark little movie that got screwed by the success of fucking _Mall Cop_, as was alluded to in a recent _SNL_. So instead of baw shucks underdog Paul Blart, you’ve got a royally fucked up, flawed (anti)hero who has serious issues with masculinity and with women. That’s what I would have said, if I’d thought of it. So far, besides _Observe and Report_, Jody Hill’s written _Foot Fist Way_ and the HBO show _East Bound and Down_. _Foot Fist Way_ is clearly unpleasant, yet I enjoyed it. (And the deleted scenes show that it was originally going to be even darker than it was, before two death scenes were changed or removed.) _East Bound and Down_ made me laugh, and then feel ashamed for laughing. It takes place in an odd world where almost any level of cursing and asshole behavior is tolerated without consequence. Hard to describe. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/date-rape-in-observe-and-report-spoiler-warning/492648/23 "2009-04-13T19:14:29Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I saw the movie. She wasn’t unconscious. The gag (such as it is) is that Rogen is pounding away, looks down to see that she appears to have passed out and stops. Farris then opens her eyes and says, “why are you stopping, motherfucker?” Not nearly as bad as the scene from Revenge of the Nerds that no one seemed to have a problem with at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/date-rape-in-observe-and-report-spoiler-warning/492648/24 "2009-04-13T19:14:54Z")
> [@Cuckoorex](#): > > If the guy AND the girl are both drunk, and therefore “incapable of rational thought,” is the drunk guy still guilty of rape if the drunk girl gives her drunken consent before he begins drunkenly screwing her? Of course not. When people are drunk that can’t be held responsible for their actions, ever. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/date-rape-in-observe-and-report-spoiler-warning/492648/25 "2009-04-13T20:18:36Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Of course not. When people are drunk that can’t be held responsible for their actions, ever. I know you’re being sarcastic (I hope!) but I often get that response from people. That is, that if you’re drunk, you can’t consent. If I were a guy, I’d probably err on the side of caution and not have sex–also, vomit is grody. But as a woman, if I were getting into that situation (get drunk, have sex, regretting it when sober), I’d blame myself, not the guy. (Assuming the guy isn’t forcing me.) I feel like if I’m drunk enough to make it ambiguous and I tell him, “FUCK me” and he’s all, “Are you sure? ok,” then is it really his fault if I later feel violated? Or is it my fault for being so ambiguous. I’m the last person to blame the victim, but I feel like it’s my responsibility to protect myself, not some random potential sex partner. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/date-rape-in-observe-and-report-spoiler-warning/492648/26 "2009-04-13T20:30:48Z")
From the linked article: > [@](#): > > Rape is not funny. Ever. Not true. And if you disagree: imagine Elmer Fudd raping Porky Pig. [/George Carlin] ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/date-rape-in-observe-and-report-spoiler-warning/492648/27 "2009-04-13T21:04:23Z")
If drunkenness obviates an intent to consent to sex, doesn’t it also obviate an intent to rape? ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/date-rape-in-observe-and-report-spoiler-warning/492648/28 "2009-04-13T23:55:58Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > Not true. And if you disagree: imagine Elmer Fudd raping Porky Pig. OK, something is seriously wrong with me, because I can’t stop giggling. ---
**Author:** ![AdmiralCrunch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6f9a4e/32.png) [@AdmiralCrunch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AdmiralCrunch)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/date-rape-in-observe-and-report-spoiler-warning/492648/29 "2009-04-14T01:20:13Z")
Date rape has the connotation that Ronnie(Rogen’s character) got her drunk and dosed her with drugs in order to have his way with an unconscious victim. If you’ve seen the movie, this is clearly not the case. She takes the date as an opportunity to get drunk on his dime, and asks him for his prescription medication that he takes to manage his bipolar disorder. A normal person wouldn’t take this as a signal of affection, but he clearly does. Rather than endorsing it as a “deserved” rape of a snotty bitch, Jody Hill is showing how undeserving Anna Farris’s character is of Ronnie’s love. And that’s what he thinks he’s giving her. He’s a deeply disturbed individual suffering from multiple delusions. The movie plainly makes this point repeatedly. It even drives the point home during all the scenes with his mother. His mother’s been a drunk all his life, so he’s been raised on slurred sincerity. This _is_ rape, just not quite as insidious as people who haven’t seen the movie are claiming it is. Ronnie doesn’t mean to harm, but that certainly doesn’t excuse his actions. What bothers me is people singling out this scene for outrage, when the whole damn movie is disturbing insanity played for laughs. If you don’t find it funny, be genuine and condemn the coke and heroin-fueled beating of teenagers, the racist punching of Daily Show correspondents, the manic brawl with the police, and the use of deadly force against a flasher. I found it all hilarious, because it’s a funny movie once you realize you’re not watching Paul Blart with swearing. If you want to have the drunken consent discussions, have it somewhere else. This movie doesn’t glorify or excuse it either way, it just throws in some laughs to ease you back into a comfort zone that gets violated again and again. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/date-rape-in-observe-and-report-spoiler-warning/492648/30 "2009-04-14T01:54:07Z")
This movie might have the most forgettable title in recent memory (ha!). But seriously, it’s two non-specific non-hooky words sandwiched around “and”. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/date-rape-in-observe-and-report-spoiler-warning/492648/31 "2009-04-14T02:44:52Z")
Eh, the title made me laugh, or at least smirk. As a twist on the police officer’s more noble-sounding charge “to serve and protect” (alternatively, “to protect and serve”), it gives you an idea what the film’s going to be about without being as simplistic as something like “Ronnie Barnhardt: Mall Cop.” By the way, no way am I buying Anna Faris’ story that she never thought the tender love-making date rape scene would make it into the movie. She’s been in the business way too long to be that naive. If you don’t want something on screen, you don’t do it in front of a camera. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/date-rape-in-observe-and-report-spoiler-warning/492648/32 "2009-04-14T09:01:41Z")
> [@AdmiralCrunch](#): > > Date rape has the connotation that Ronnie(Rogen’s character) got her drunk and dosed her with drugs in order to have his way with an unconscious victim. Or that he ignored her drunken state, and her inability to rationally consent, and took her drunken ascent as sufficient to engage in sex. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/date-rape-in-observe-and-report-spoiler-warning/492648/33 "2009-04-16T11:26:44Z")
Saw it yesterday; liked it a lot. Definitely a departure for Seth Rogen, from loveable schlub to seriously disturbed individual. ---
**Author:** ![amaguri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@amaguri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amaguri)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/date-rape-in-observe-and-report-spoiler-warning/492648/34 "2009-04-16T15:40:42Z")
some movies are so badly marketed (or intentionally mis-marketed) that I could understand the outrage. this isn’t a typical rogen movie… it’s seriously twisted, bleak, even depressing. there are a few funny moments but i would hardly classify this movie as a comedy at all. nonetheless, i still mostly liked it, and i thought the acting was surprisingly good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/date-rape-in-observe-and-report-spoiler-warning/492648.md?page=1)