The Archway

Issue date: 4/17/09 Section: Variety

Usually when I go to see a movie for the purposes of reviewing it my goal is simple: determine if it's good or bad. From there I try to explain why I chose the way I did, and try to make it entertaining. Observe and Report presented me with a whole different set of challenges however, because it didn't fall into either category (initially). Rather, my starting point for this movie will be on the basis of one word: disturbing.

Ronnie Barnhardt (Seth Rogen) is the Head of Security at a large mall. He lives at home with his mom (Celia Weston) who's a raging alcoholic and seemingly unable to take care of herself or be a proper mother to Ronnie. He's in love with Brandi (Ana Faris), a girl who works at the cosmetics counter, and is loved by Nell, a food court employee who gives him free coffee and good conversation. Neither of these are mutual in any way. Ronnie takes his job very seriously and commands his "team" with an iron fist. His team consists of the Yuen twins, Charles, and Dennis, non-descript security officers who are one-hundred percent subservient to their boss for no apparent reason. When a flasher appears in the parking lot at the mall one day, Ronnie becomes obsessed with catching him, especially after Brandi is added to the list of his victims. He sees the police, especially Detective Harrison (Ray Liotta), as a threat to his mission and an unwanted distraction. Oh yes, and he's overwhelmingly insane.

Besides the ridiculous plot, there is a lot more that is wrong with this movie. To start, it cannot be classified as a comedy, a drama, or a character study. It attempts to be all of these things and fails on all three counts. As a comedy, it almost succeeds in the first half as it provides some genuinely funny moments. In a scene where a news reporter mistakenly identifies Ronnie as only a security officer there ensues a hilarious exchange between the two involving a reshoot. There's also a funny scene where Ronnie and another mall worker exchange the F Word nearly 40 times. However these moments are few and far between, leaving the typical Rogen fan highly unsatisfied. So then, what about as a drama or perhaps a character study? Watching this movie, one thing that immediately stood out in my mind was how similarly it paralleled Taxi Driver (one of Robert DeNiro's best works). Perhaps the director intended this movie to be homage to the film, a tribute to one of his favorite actors. Sadly, this plays out as more of an insult than anything else, and Rogen is nowhere near capable anyways. They classified this film as a "black comedy" but this implies that it's funny.

Ultimately, the film was disturbing. A scene at the end wherethe flasher is shot point blank by Ronnie generated uproar in the theater. I was not laughing. I see a future where movies have no morals, no heart, and no story. The future is here. Two out of Five Bulldogs.

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