Observe and Report (2009)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Jody Hill

Writer (WGA):

Jody Hill (written by)

Release Date:

10 April 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime

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. |

Plot Keywords:

Bi Polar | Mall | Flasher | Police Detective | Security Guard

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Seth Rogen	...	Ronnie Barnhardt
Ray Liotta	...	Detective Harrison
Michael Peña	...	Dennis
Anna Faris	...	Brandi
Dan Bakkedahl	...	Mark
Jesse Plemons	...	Charles
John Yuan	...	John Yuen
Matt Yuan	...	Matt Yuen
Celia Weston	...	Mom
Collette Wolfe	...	Nell
Randy Gambill	...	Pervert
Alston Brown	...	Bruce
Cody Midthunder	...	D-Rock
Deborah Brown	...	Female Reporter (as Debra-Jayne Brown)
Aziz Ansari	...	Saddamn
Eddie Rouse	...	Angry Store Owner
Patton Oswalt	...	Toast A Bun Manager
Lauren Miller	...	Girl Employee (as Lauren A. Miller)
Rafael Herrera	...	Janitor
Ben Best	...	Detective Nichols
William Sterchi	...	Department Store Manager
Robbie Hill	...	Tyler
Marlon Cunningham	...	Little Kid
Danny McBride	...	Caucasian Crackhead
Milos Milicevic	...	Random Crackhead
Antonia DeNardo	...	Hot Clerk
Danielle Martin	...	Young Girl
David House	...	Policeman
Fran Martone	...	Psychologist
Gail L. Harrington	...	Flashed Lady
Cody Weselis	...	Skateboarder #1 (as Cody Tyler Weselis)
Wyatt Tipton	...	Skateboarder #2
Shane Habberstad	...	Skateboarder #3
Dylan Hice	...	Skateboarder #4
Lucy Hill	...	Makeup Counter Lady
Parker Ewing	...	Young Girl Shoplifter
Ivan Kraljevic	...	Mall Patron
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kevin Christopher Brown	...	Police Officer (uncredited)
Shane Crown	...	Stationery Store Clerk (uncredited)
Jamie Haqqani	...	Detective (uncredited)
Alessandra Hayden	...	Mall Employee (uncredited)
William T. Johnson	...	Mall Patron (uncredited)
Carlton Liggins	...	Police Officer (uncredited)
Alexandria Morrow	...	Mall Girl (uncredited)
Michael Neal Powell	...	Postman (uncredited)
Z. Ray Wakeman	...	Mall Executive (uncredited)
Foued Zayani	...	CSI Agent (uncredited)

Directed by
Jody Hill

Writing credits (WGA)
Jody Hill		(written by)

Produced by
Donald De Line	....	producer
Marty P. Ewing	....	executive producer
William Fay	....	executive producer
Andrew Haas	....	executive producer
Jon Jashni	....	executive producer
Thomas Tull	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Joseph Stephens

Cinematography by
Tim Orr		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Zene Baker

Casting by
Jo Edna Boldin
Sheila Jaffe

Production Design by
Chris L. Spellman

Art Direction by
Masako Masuda

Set Decoration by
Helen Britten

Costume Design by
Gary Jones

Makeup Department
Enid Arias	....	department head hair
Tarra D. Day	....	makeup department head
Tarra D. Day	....	special makeup applications
Matthew W. Mungle	....	prosthetic supplier
Sheila Trujillo	....	assistant makeup artist
Corey Welk	....	special makeup applications

Production Management
Ravi D. Mehta	....	executive in charge of production
Todd Ulman	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gary Hymes	....	second unit director
Ivan Kraljevic	....	key second assistant director
Milos Milicevic	....	first assistant director
Denise Anderson Poore	....	second second assistant director
Darin Rivetti	....	first assistant director: second unit
Marcia Woske	....	additional second assistant director

Art Department
Brett Andrews	....	assistant property master
Jess Coffer	....	set dresser
Christian Di Salvo	....	set dresser
Leandro Di Salvo	....	set dresser
William Eliscu	....	graphic designer
Amy Giedraitis	....	props
Virginia Hopkins	....	lead painter
Kristen Kogler	....	art department coordinator
Sara M. Lewis	....	product placement/clearance coordinator
Ben Lowney	....	property master
Amy Marsh	....	art department coordinator
Ashley Michelle Marsh	....	art department production assistant
John McKey	....	storyboard artist
Nichole Miller	....	paint foreman
Randy Moffitt	....	property maker
Johanna Nelson	....	production design assistant
Christina Pizzala	....	set painter
Zack Shisslak	....	leadman
Juan Souter	....	set dresser
Leigh Anne Stoudenmire	....	set decorating coordinator
Thomas Traugott	....	leadman
Christopher Windisch	....	construction coordinator
Colin Zaug	....	on-set dresser

Sound Department
Bob Beher	....	foley supervisor
Sandy Berman	....	sound editor
Christof Gebert	....	production sound mixer
Charles Hamilton	....	temp-dub recordist
Steve Mann	....	sound editor
Jason Oliver	....	adr recordist
Steve Pederson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Mark Purcell	....	dubbing recordist
Terry Rodman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Terry Rodman	....	supervising sound editor
Edwardo Santiago	....	sound utility
Karen Spangenberg	....	dialogue editor
Joey Stephens	....	boom operator
Jake Wilson	....	foley mixer
Ryland Witten-Smith	....	sound utility
David Wolowic	....	first assistant sound editor

Special Effects by
Scott Forbes	....	special effects coordinator
Dick Hogle	....	pyrotechnician

Visual Effects by
John Carcieri	....	post production assistant
Erin L. Nelson	....	digital restoration
Wilson Tang	....	digital restoration
Chris B. Schnitzer	....	director of visual effects: Warner Bros. (uncredited)

Stunts
Laura Albert	....	stunt performer
Randall Archer	....	stunt double: Danny Mcbride
Mark Brooks	....	stunts
Christian J. Fletcher	....	stunt rigger
Al Goto	....	stunts
Sean Graham	....	stunt double
Mark Hicks	....	stunt performer
Gary Hymes	....	stunt coordinator
Michael R. Long	....	stunts
Tom McComas	....	stunt performer
Angelique Midthunder	....	stunt double
Lin Oeding	....	stunts
Steve Rizzo	....	stunt double: Seth Rogen
Jimmy Romano	....	stunts
Brady Romberg	....	stunt actor
Tomas Sanchez	....	stunt performer
Mike Seal	....	stunt performer
Russell Solberg	....	stunt performer
Sonny Surowiec	....	stunt performer
Shelby Swatek	....	stunts
Wyatt Tipton	....	stunts: skateboard kid
Jay Torrez	....	stunts
Jermaine Washington	....	stunt performer

Camera and Electrical Department
Matt Bizer	....	second video assist operator
James Black	....	rigging technician
Theodore Y. Bott	....	best boy electric: second unit
Jonathon Bradley	....	chief lighting technician
James F. Cornick	....	rigging gaffer
Jacob Cottrell	....	electrician
Ronald K. De torres	....	lighting console programmer
Allen Eaves	....	rigging electrician
Brent Egan	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Matt Ervin	....	electrician
Justin Geoffroy	....	video assist
Lamarr Gray	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Steven A. Guerrero	....	b dolly grip
Ian Hanna	....	grip
Greg Hewett	....	key rigging grip
Tom Hutchinson	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Jimmy E. Jensen	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Jason Kilgore	....	chief rigging technician
Kurt Kornemann	....	best boy grip
Otis Mannick	....	dolly grip: "b" camera
David Jaxx Nagro	....	dolly grip
Jeremy Antonio Oliver	....	rigging electrician
Matthew A. Petrosky	....	Steadicam operator
Matthew A. Petrosky	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Jessica Ramos	....	film loader
Nick Shuster	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Alejandro Snodgrass	....	grip
Peter Sorel	....	still photographer
Eric Steinig	....	dolly grip: second unit
Eric Steinig	....	grip
Mark Steinig	....	best boy rigging grip
George Stephenson	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Stefan Tarzan	....	additional camera assistant
Cody West	....	grip

Casting Department
Karin Aragon	....	extras casting assistant
Michael Scott Baker	....	extras casting assistant
Sandy Holt	....	adr voice casting
Tina Kerr	....	extras casting director
Marie A. Kohl	....	casting associate
Ruth Salen	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jerry Carnevale	....	key costumer
Jessica Peel	....	assistant costume designer
Claire Sandrin	....	set costumer

Editorial Department
Sara Hyoun	....	assistant editor
Kathleen Latlip	....	assistant editor
Bruce Lomet	....	digital intermediate producer
Everette Webber	....	digital intermediate editor
Michael A. Webber	....	additional film editor
Chris DeLaGuardia	....	color timer (uncredited)

Music Department
Christian Almiron	....	music editor
Richard Ziegler	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Ted Basso	....	genny operator
Greg Bronner	....	transportation captain
Charley Bob Burnham	....	driver
Dennis Milliken	....	transportation coordinator
Harold L. Woods	....	driver generator operator

Other crew
Lynn Ambrosino	....	production assistant: second unit
Natalie Bloomer	....	additional set production assistant
John Carcieri	....	set staff assistant
Joann Connolly	....	additional set production assistant
Dax A. Cuesta	....	second assistant accountant
Francisco A. Fernandez	....	office production assistant
Mathew Ferrante	....	production coordinator: Warner Bros.
Matt Gamboa	....	staff assistant
Colin Garza	....	set production assistant
Marissa M. Gonzales	....	accounting clerk
Sean Halvorson	....	stand-in: Seth Rogen
Karen A. Harris	....	assistant office production coordinator
Hillary A. Higgins	....	staff assistant
Rebecca Hilliard	....	production coordinator
David Israel	....	location manager
Jim Ivy	....	set medic
Ryan Spencer Jackson	....	set medic
Elissa Kannon	....	additional assistant production coordinator
Brady Kephart	....	production assistant
Brad LaChance	....	stand-in
Kym Langlie	....	unit publicist
Ian Larsson	....	additional location assistant
Brian G. Lax	....	key medic
Lee David Lee	....	key assistant location manager
Mamie Mitchell	....	additional script supervisor
Michael Neal	....	payroll accountant
Tiffany Patterson	....	set production assistant
Hilton Clay Peres	....	location scout
Ryan J. Pezdirc	....	additional set production assistant
Mayda Renizzi-Holt	....	first accountant
Brendan Shepherd	....	assistant production coordinator
Lisa Vanallen	....	key craft service
Sarah J. Williams	....	production secretary

Production Companies

• De Line Pictures
• Legendary Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (2009) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2009) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2009) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2009) (Finland) (all media)
• Turner Network Television (TNT) (2011) (USA) (TV)

Other Companies

• Behind the Scenes Freight  shipping by
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera dollies
• No Stone Unturned Security & Investigative Services  set security
• ReadySetMedic.com  first aid/medic
• Star Waggons  cast trailers
• Technicolor Digital Intermediates  digital intermediate

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language, graphic nudity, drug use, sexual content and violence.

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #45064) | Australia:MA | Ireland:16 | UK:15 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A | Finland:K-15 | Iceland:16 | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Bosque Farms, New Mexico, USA

Company:

De Line Pictures

Trivia:

Warner Bros. was concerned about the dark subject matter and demanded the production team come up with a "lighter, softer" version of the film. It wasn't until test audiences gave the edited version poorer test scores than the original version that Warner Bros. let them release the film in its original form.

Quotes:

Dennis: I ain't going to lie to you Ronnie, there is nothing good about this at all.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Exactly What I Hoped For

The first thing I had heard about this movie was that it was a black comedy. So when I began to become interested with it, that is exactly what I had hoped for. When I finally saw the movie, I was completely satisfied. It maintained a very dark, almost depressing story and atmosphere, but remained funny.

The story is basically a mirror image of the recent movie, Paul Blart: Mall Cop. A lowly mall security guard that has big aspirations to succeed as a real police officer. Although the stories are about the same, these movies are two entirely different movies. Where Paul Blart is just a dumb, fat and goofy guy - Seth Rogan's character is a bipolar delusional jerk that thinks he is better than everyone.

A lot of people have stated that the characters are unlikable, and this is true. But this, in my opinion is what makes the movie worth watching. All the characters from Anna Faris' slutty, bimbo to Ray Liotta's hardened "I'm better than you" detective image were fantastic. I found watching these miserable characters farther prove how rude and pathetic they are, to be completely amusing. Think of it in the sense that people like to watch good characters do farther good, only the complete opposite. Though the story isn't very deep, the characters and atmosphere make it worth watching. Oh, and I of course cant forget to mention the last 10 minutes are absolutely phenomenal - and flat out hilarious.

In the end, Observe and Report is a very dark movie with hilariously rude characters that is worth watching for anyone who has an off color sense of humor and are looking for a movie with no morals, and no boundaries. I am excited to see what director Jody Hill will do next.