# Observe and Report looks idiotic and completely unfunny **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 4, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observe-and-report-looks-idiotic-and-completely-unfunny/491977 "2009-04-04T15:33:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observe-and-report-looks-idiotic-and-completely-unfunny/491977/1 "2009-04-04T15:33:52Z")
I am a big fan of trailers. A good trailer can make even the most excreble piece of shit seem watchable. But I can’t for the life of me understand how the trailer for **Observe and Report** is supposed to make that movie seem funny. It looks seriously boring and makes **Paul Blart: Mall Cop** look genius by comparison. Seth Rogen grumbles through the whole thing and Anna Farris (who I normally like) is howling like a retarded monkey. Am I alone? Will this thing be the comedy hit of the year? Or is everyone else as turned off by this trailer as I am? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observe-and-report-looks-idiotic-and-completely-unfunny/491977/2 "2009-04-04T15:43:16Z")
Totally turned off, and Rogen’s appearance on the Daily Show impressed me not at all. I haven’t seen either movie, but what I have seen says that Paul Blart is a goofy, lovable guy who engages in wacky hijinks, but Rogen’s character is a crazy stalker who engages in wacky hijinks. No thanks. I suppose if you’re the sort of person who loves to watch assholes being assholes, Rogen’s probably hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observe-and-report-looks-idiotic-and-completely-unfunny/491977/3 "2009-04-04T15:44:18Z")
Fun with analogies (and a dose of speculation): _Elf_ : _Bad Santa_ as _Paul Blart_ : _Observe & Report_ Can’t claim it’s a slam dunk, but I’m looking forward to seeing it. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observe-and-report-looks-idiotic-and-completely-unfunny/491977/4 "2009-04-04T15:48:56Z")
The movie looks pretty bad, but Seth Rogen himself is looking much better. He’s clearly gotten back into shape. When I first saw him in _40 Year Old Virgin_ (I hadn’t watched Freaks and Geeks) I had no idea who he was but I thought he was pretty badass looking (I thought that all the tattoos he had in that movie were real), with shorter hair and a goatee, slightly chubby but with a physically imposing body build. Then from _Knocked Up_ until Zack and _Miri Make A Porno_, he really seemed to let himself go, and in the latter movie he _really_ looked like a fat, unkempt schlub. His appearance changes dramatically based on his physical condition. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observe-and-report-looks-idiotic-and-completely-unfunny/491977/5 "2009-04-04T16:02:26Z")
I think it looks great. It actually looks funny and edgy, and the reviews are pretty good so far (67% on rottentomatoes right now). I’m looking forward to this one. Rogen is not supposed to be a warm and fuzzy character, he’s supposed to be a riff on Travis Bickle. The whole movie is a riff on _Taxi Driver_. The director is Jody Hill, who made _The Foot-Fist way_, and who likes using egotistical assholes as protagonists. I think **ArchiveGuy’s** _Bad Santa_ analogy is apt. Paul Blart was fucking terrible, sitcom level mall fodder. O&R is at least trying to do something original. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observe-and-report-looks-idiotic-and-completely-unfunny/491977/6 "2009-04-04T16:08:32Z")
It’s amazing how bad this movie looks. I’m not a fan of Rogan, but the level of badness evidenced by this trailer makes even Pineapple Express (Rogan’s prior Worst Abomination) look like Citizen Fucking Cane. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observe-and-report-looks-idiotic-and-completely-unfunny/491977/7 "2009-04-04T16:39:53Z")
I’m looking forward to it. I like both Rogen and “assholes being assholes”. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observe-and-report-looks-idiotic-and-completely-unfunny/491977/8 "2009-04-04T17:28:27Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > The director is Jody Hill, who made _The Foot-Fist way_, and who likes using egotistical assholes as protagonists. I think this is a pretty important thing because Hill has a different style of humor than the rest of the Apatow clan of directors and actors. It’s a lot dryer and darker. Of course, if you don’t like Rogen, I doubt that this movie will change your mind. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observe-and-report-looks-idiotic-and-completely-unfunny/491977/9 "2009-04-04T17:44:25Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I think this is a pretty important thing because Hill has a different style of humor than the rest of the Apatow clan of directors and actors. It’s a lot dryer and darker. > Of course, if you don’t like Rogen, I doubt that this movie will change your mind. I saw a screening of Observe and Report at SXSW and thought it was hilarious. You are right in that it is pretty dark. There was a lot more violence than I was expecting. Rogen was hilarious, but it was a much different character than his usual affable stoner type guy. The director called the movie a “comedic Taxi Driver,” and that is a pretty good description of the movie. I didn’t see Paul Blart, so I don’t know how they compare, but I would recommend Observe and Report as a comedy you should go see, as long as you don’t mind violence, cursing, and some male nudity. ---
**Author:** ![pricciar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@pricciar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pricciar)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observe-and-report-looks-idiotic-and-completely-unfunny/491977/10 "2009-04-04T18:09:46Z")
Huh. I saw the trailer and thought it looked hilarious. I am particularly looking forward to the exchanges between Rogan and Ray Liotta. Fun stuff. pat ---
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observe-and-report-looks-idiotic-and-completely-unfunny/491977/11 "2009-04-04T18:16:01Z")
I’m still trying to figure out how two mall-cop movies are coming out so close to each other… Why does this always seem to happen? Two other examples I can think of are Turbulence and Air Force One. Seems strange… ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observe-and-report-looks-idiotic-and-completely-unfunny/491977/12 "2009-04-04T18:43:54Z")
From Wikipedia \*The film has drawn some attention for having a similar premise and protagonist to the 2009 film Paul Blart: Mall Cop. The similarity was apparently obvious to the writers of Paul Blart, as in one part of that film he takes an oath to “Observe and Report”[1]. Seth Rogen, in a recent interview with GQ, noted his awareness of a similar movie being made: ``` ROGEN: We knew the whole time, actually. And we’re friends with those guys, so we would literally send each other pictures of the wardrobe, just to make sure we weren’t stepping on each other’s toes. They’re totally different movies. ``` - ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observe-and-report-looks-idiotic-and-completely-unfunny/491977/13 "2009-04-04T18:54:05Z")
I want to have Seth Rogan’s babies (well, I mean, if I hadn’t had my tubes tied at 21), so of course I’m looking forward to this. I agree that Paul Blart was horrifically bad, but I expect this to be much better, to my sensibility anyway. The combination of Rogan and the director of **Fist Foot Way** is more than enough to get me there on opening day. And as a bonus, you have Anna Faris, who looks fun. I’m sure the two movies were in production at the same time, and Paul Blart just happened to get the first release date. Unfortunately for O&R, since PB was such a big hit 😕. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observe-and-report-looks-idiotic-and-completely-unfunny/491977/14 "2009-04-04T18:58:03Z")
It looks really bad - I’m hoping that it is bad enough to start the downhill turn where we won’t see so much of Seth Rogen. He is over-saturated in films - and I don’t find him that amusing. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observe-and-report-looks-idiotic-and-completely-unfunny/491977/15 "2009-04-04T19:18:43Z")
I think it’s one of those cases where Rogan is a little too big (ha) to make a movie this deliberately offputting. It’s sort of like Johnny Depp making Secret Window right after Pirates of the Caribbean when people were expecting charming, funny Depp, and not a grim psychological thriller. I caught the Taxi Driver parallel almost immediately from the trailer and also thought “hoo boy is this movie going to piss a lot of people off”. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observe-and-report-looks-idiotic-and-completely-unfunny/491977/16 "2009-04-04T19:36:39Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > It looks really bad - I’m hoping that it is bad enough to start the downhill turn where we won’t see so much of Seth Rogen. He is over-saturated in films - and I don’t find him that amusing. You’re kinda in the minority, and I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of Rogan, and for years to come. He’s in theaters right now with **Monsters vs Aliens** (well, his voice is), and after **O&R** the next Apatow film, **Funny People** is coming out this summer and is sure to be a hit, then next he’s up for the long-awaited (in some circles anyway) **The Green Hornet**. Sorry, wishful thinking is not going to make him go away. Easy solution though, just don’t go to see his movies. Problem solved. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observe-and-report-looks-idiotic-and-completely-unfunny/491977/17 "2009-04-04T19:37:36Z")
> [@Raygun99](#): > > I think it’s one of those cases where Rogan is a little too big (ha) to make a movie this deliberately offputting. It’s sort of like Johnny Depp making Secret Window right after Pirates of the Caribbean when people were expecting charming, funny Depp, and not a grim psychological thriller. I caught the Taxi Driver parallel almost immediately from the trailer and also thought “hoo boy is this movie going to piss a lot of people off”. That makes sense but Secret Window was a shitty shitty movie. I kept waiting for the “twist” to be something other than the thing they had been telegraphing since the first appearance of Shooter. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observe-and-report-looks-idiotic-and-completely-unfunny/491977/18 "2009-04-04T23:12:05Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > _Elf_ : _Bad Santa_ as _Paul Blart_ : _Observe & Report_ My suspicion as well. I speculated after the trailer that this movie might be trying to be Rogen’s _Punch Drunk Love_, and was just being misadvertised as a “wacky hijinx” flick. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observe-and-report-looks-idiotic-and-completely-unfunny/491977/19 "2009-04-04T23:21:12Z")
Meh, yet another [Mall Ninja](http://lonelymachines.org/mall-ninjas/) movie, pass… ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2009, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observe-and-report-looks-idiotic-and-completely-unfunny/491977/20 "2009-04-05T11:07:41Z")
The previews for Paul Blart did not inspire any desire to see it. The previews for O&R put me in hysterics. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observe-and-report-looks-idiotic-and-completely-unfunny/491977.md?page=2)