Blart vs. Rogen
Every once in a while it happens in Hollywood. Two films similar in themes or concept find themselves hitting the big screen just months, or even weeks of each other. Films like the disaster pics Deep Impact and Armageddon, the westerns Tombstone and Wyatt Earp, the animated Bugs Life and Antz, the biopics Capote and Infamous, or the turn-of- the-century magician flicks, The Prestige and The Illusionist. This time, of all subjects, it’s comedies about schlubby mall cops -- Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Observe and Report.
“It’s one of those weird coincidences," says Observe producer Donald De Line of the two security guard-centered films opening just two and a half months of each other. “But these are two entirely different movies. They’re different stories and different tones and intended for different audiences.”
Paul Blart, released mid-January, starred Kevin James as a mild-mannered security guard and aspiring police officer living with his mother who ends up saving the day and getting the girl after a gang of crooks overtake the mall. It was a feel-good family comedy that was pretty much appropriate for all ages.
Meanwhile, Observe stars Seth Rogen as a delusional security guard and aspiring police officer living with his mother who eventually ends up capturing a flasher and getting the girl (albeit not the one he initially pined for). Unlike James’ loveable and gentle Blart, Rogen’s Ronnie Barnhardt brings Travis Bickle to mind, and the film contains plenty of profanity, violence, nudity and drug use. It's definitely not one for the kiddies.
“It’s apples and oranges,” says Ray Liotta, who plays Detective Harrison, Rogen’s nemesis in Observe. “Paul Blart was fun and light and silly. This one is darker. The only thing in common is that both characters work in a mall."
In both cases, though, it’s the mall that provides a setting for some great comedic moments for a film as innocent as Blart and as dark as Observe.
“In general, malls are kind of like a microcosm of the towns that people live in,” says Rogen. “Everything is represented there.”
True enough. The food court, the department stores, the sport stores, the toy stores, the kiosks, the restaurants, right down to the shiny new car on display, are great filmmaking fodder for comic relief, dramatic effect and romance. Blart pines for a kiosk girl selling hair pieces, while Barnhardt’s intended applies makeup on customers all day long. Blart’s mall nemesis is a rude pen salesman while Barnhardt’s is an antagonizing hand cream seller. Secret plans are hatched over a table in front of Hot Dog on a Stick, reprimands are made in back offices; while escalators, water fountains and parking lots offer countless ways to mine both comedy and action.
The films may be as different as they are similar, but both mall cop characters serve as unlikely heroes that audiences can relate to, no mater what their films’ MPAA rating.
“Barnhardt’s a working Joe and we see people like that every day” says De Line. “A mall cop’s duties are to observe and report. They have no authority or jurisdiction in terms of enforcing much. Their job of observing and reporting is a bit of a metaphor for people feeling disempowered.”
With unemployment on the rise, jobs on the decline, the housing market in trouble and financial institutions crashing down, the feeling of not being in control of one’s destiny these days transcends class and race. The blue-collar mall cop perfectly encapsulates the sentiment, be it a delusional guy on the verge of a breakdown like Ronnie Barnhardt, or a depressed yet hopeful Paul Blart.
“Times are a bit rough and people are struggling to find their place and make a go of things,” says De Line. “[Observe] resonates for that reason. Ronnie is a guy who genuinely takes a lot of pride in what he does, maybe too much. He wants to be acknowledged and feel like he is worth something. That is a very real thing for people.”
Zorianna Kit was formerly on staff at the Hollywood Reporter and People Magazine before becoming entertainment anchor at KTLA in Los Angeles and the resident film analyst at the TV Guide Network. She is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and was a movie reviewer on AMC's "The Movie Club with John Ridley." She has filled in for Roger Ebert on "Ebert & Roeper" and appeared as herself in such films as "Iron Man," "The Longshots" and "Lakeview Terrace." For more on Zorianna, please visit www.zoriannakit.tv.
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