Observe and Report (2009)

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.

Director:

Jody Hill

Writer:

Jody Hill

Stars:

Seth Rogen, Anna Faris, Ray Liotta

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Seth Rogen	...	Ronnie
Ray Liotta	...	Detective Harrison
Michael Peña	...	Dennis
Anna Faris	...	Brandi
Dan Bakkedahl	...	Mark
Jesse Plemons	...	Charles
John Yuan	...	John Yuen
Matt Yuan	...	Matt Yuen (as Matthew Yuan)
Celia Weston	...	Mom
Collette Wolfe	...	Nell
Randy Gambill	...	Flasher
Alston Brown	...	Bruce
Cody Midthunder	...	D-Rock
Debra-Jayne Brown	...	Female Reporter
Aziz Ansari	...	Saddamn

Storyline

Ronnie Barnhardt lives with his alcoholic mother. He's chief security guard at Forest Ridge Mall, where he's in love with Brandi, a cosmetic sales clerk, and gets a free coffee each day from Nell, a cheery clerk in the food court. A flasher haunts the mall's parking lot, and at night, thefts occur. Ronnie is intent on catching the criminals but has no investigative skills, is delusional about his abilities, and makes mad accusations. His bête noire is Detective Harrison, the city cop sent to investigate. Ronnie thinks he could be an officer, thinks he stands a chance with Brandi, and slowly loses his self control. Will reality set in? What about redemption?

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Plot Keywords:

mall | security guard | police detective | pubic hair | male pubic hair | 

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Taglines:

Right now, the world needs a hero.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 April 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Observe and Report

Filming Locations:

New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,017,334, 12 April 2009

Gross USA:

$24,007,324

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$26,973,554

Company Credits

Production Co:

De Line Pictures, Legendary Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In Germany, the title was changed to "Shopping Center King." The phrase "observe and report" has connotations of surveillance, which has had devastating consequences for many Germans through the years and was thus considered inappropriate for a comedy.

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Goofs

When Ronnie is alerting Brandi and her coworker about the pervert on the loose, Brandi's lip color switches from a light pink to dark brown shade several times throughout the scene.

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Quotes

Toast A Bun Manager: Oh, look at that, two "I'm sorries". I thought those might clean the counter but they don't, because I guess I'm fuckin' dumb.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Seth Rogen/Phoenix (2009)

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Soundtracks

Fattie Boom Boom
Written by W. Brown
Performed by Ranking Dread
Courtesy of Greensleeves Records Ltd.
By Arrangement with Fine Gold Music

User Reviews

Pure Great Dark Comedy.

I can easily understand why many people were turned off by this film, Its easily one of the darkest comedies i've ever seen. There is some brutal violence, use of heroin and even essentially a date rape. But perhaps the darkest element of the story is Ronnie (Seth Rogen). The character is so twisted but fear not people this movie IS funny and sometimes extremely. If you have seen Jody Hill's other works, The Foot Fist Way and Eastbound and Down, and think they're funny then I can almost assure this humor will be right up your alley. But for those who are not fans of dark comedy you may hate it, it all depends on your taste. While it may lack originality in its plot it also has a side of Seth Rogen we haven't seen before, a more deep, layered character, that shows he may have the ability to do more dramatic work. I gave the film a 7 out of 10 because of Seth Rogen's performance with a few noteworthy comedic shines from Anna Faris but most of all for the intelligent and hilarious dark humor the film contains. On the con side however the plot was very similar to Paul Blart.