The Watch (2012)

Four men who form a neighborhood watch group as a way to get out of their day-to-day family routines find themselves defending the Earth from an alien invasion.

Director:

Akiva Schaffer

Writers:

Jared Stern, Seth Rogen

Stars:

Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ben Stiller	...	Evan
Vince Vaughn	...	Bob
Jonah Hill	...	Franklin
Richard Ayoade	...	Jamarcus
Rosemarie DeWitt	...	Abby
Will Forte	...	Sgt. Bressman
Mel Rodriguez	...	Chucho
Doug Jones	...	Hero Alien
Erin Moriarty	...	Chelsea
Nicholas Braun	...	Jason
R. Lee Ermey	...	Manfred
Joe Nunez	...	Antonio Guzman
Liz Cackowski	...	Carla
Johnny Pemberton	...	Skater Kid
Sharon Gee	...	Mrs. Kim

Storyline

In Glenview, Ohio, Evan is the manager of the Costco department store and married to Abby. When the Costco night watchman, Antonio Guzman, is mysteriously murdered, Evan organizes The Neighborhood Watch, a watch team with his suburban neighbors Bob, Franklin and Jamarcus to protect the neighborhood and find the killer of Antonio. Soon they discover that the murderer is an alien that is preparing to invade Earth, and they become the last hope of mankind on Earth.

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Plot Keywords:

alien invasion | female full frontal nudity | brawl | female frontal nudity | breasts | 

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Taglines:

The last men for the job are the only hope for the planet.

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Genres:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong sexual content including references, pervasive language and violent images

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shortly before the film's release, seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot to death by a self-appointed Neighborhood Watch member. As a result, the film's marketing changed, focusing on the alien premise at the heart of its storyline. The title also changed.

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Goofs

After finding out about the invasion, Bob loads a pistol and Franklin says "nice 10mm Beretta." There is no such thing as a 10mm Beretta.

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Quotes

Evan: Costco is for members only.

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Crazy Credits

Teenager Announcer is played by Dax Flame, but is credited as Flax Dame

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Funny Movie Interrogation Scenes (2014)

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Soundtracks

People Are Strange
Written by Jim Morrison, John Densmore, Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger
Performed by The Doors
Courtesy of Elektra Entertainment Group
By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

Admittedly Entertaining!

Usually a movie that get really terrible reviews such as this film, The Watch would turn me away. But being a Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn fan, I had to watch this film and see if it's bad as critics and plain viewers made it seem. It's actually half-way decent and there are some pretty funny, though rather vulgar jokes. I really liked the film premise and the film had a chance to be comedy gold, but in the end despite being entertaining, the comedy felt forced at times and the vulgarity seems to go through the roof.

Akiva Schaffer's film is about a Costco night guard who was mysteriously murdered. In response to the murder, straight-laced Evan forms a neighborhood watch to track down the killer. But all he gets is three dimwits and together they discover the murderer may be.....extraterrestrial.

I find it unfortunate how the careers of Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn are steadily declining. They are both really funny men and while not at their best, they do have some genuine funny moments here. Jonah Hill is on a nice streak of late but I don't know if I would consider this film a setback for him or not. Finally, Richard Ayoade is pretty good even though did not expect much out of him.

Overall, the Watch is a good, but could have been a way better film. It has a nice, central premise and I liked the sci-fi element of the film. There are some interesting creature designs here, but I wouldn't call them original and I'll leave it to the viewers to see. I rate this film 7/10.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 July 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Neighborhood Watch

Filming Locations:

Marietta, Georgia

Box Office

Budget:

$68,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,750,297, 29 July 2012

Gross USA:

$35,353,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$68,267,862

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Dune Entertainment, 21 Laps Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Datasat Dolby Atmos Dolby Surround 7.1 SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1