It can’t be an easy time to be a mall cop.  Not that the profession was especially respected before 2009, but now that Hollywood has decided it’s the premier occupation to mock on the big screen, you just know there’s hundreds if not thousands of these hardworking “rent-a-cops” dealing with being called “Paul Blart” by some 12-year-old punks on a daily basis.  Now with the release of “Observe and Report,” a film that shares a lot of the themes of the underdog taking on a challenge and potential love interest way out of his league, that “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” parlayed into a three-week run at the number one spot and over 140 million dollars domestically, those 12-year-olds will have a whole new set of material to work with.  Mall cops are now not only pudgy losers, they’re also bi-polar, obsessive gun nuts that use the F-word too much and kind of date rape people…or maybe I’m reading too much into it.

This is my not so subtle way of letting you know how many lines “Observe and Report” willingly crosses.  Many of them not so shocking as the Internet buzz would have you believe, but just enough to make you gasp a little before laughing. That is, of course, if you’re up for a five-minute, slow motion, naked chase scene. 

Seth Rogen plays Ronnie, the head of mall security in “Observe and Report.” He’s not sweet or loveable. In fact, Ronnie is the least likable character that Rogen has ever played but in this world it doesn’t seem to matter.  He’s easy to understand and root for in his current crisis of stopping the parking lot flasher, the midnight robber and of course winning the love of the slutty make-up counter girl he secretly lusts after in-between shifts. 

“Observe and Report” is put together remarkably well.  The perfect amount of humor, absurdity and story progression to keep you interested throughout.  It’s a huge improvement for writer/director Jody Hill who, in his first film “The Foot Fist Way,” seemed more concerned in creating a great character (with his star Danny McBride) then actually telling a story worth telling. 

With “Observe and Report” he leans on some worthy crutches in his casting. Collette Wolfe is fantastic as the crippled coffee girl and I could watch Aziz Ansari do his “F—- YOU” battle for at least another hour. Michael Peña steals the show as Dennis, Ronnie’s right-hand man, though he plays the part so broadly that he would be just as believable as Ace Ventura’s or Roger Rabbit’s sidekick.  Somehow it works in the dark, depressing atmosphere of “Observe and Report.”

If only every mall cop in the world had a cartoon sidekick to break up the monotony and distract them from the pre-teens whipping cupcakes at them.  It looks like the only place it’s easy to be a mall cop is on the big screen, where the underdog always wins. 

Verdict | 7 out of 10 | Watch It!