Review: ‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop’

Ram Man:

Kevin James has delivered (just like his fake UPS persona in King of Queens) the first really good comedy of 2009… Paul Blart:Mall Cop. James stars and also penned this parody of the classic action flick. James enlisted his pal Adam Sandler to put the film out through Happy Madison productions…the only thing missing, Adams’s cameo. Madison regular Allen Covert makes an appearance along with Sandler’s wife (counter person at the Victoria Secret).

Paul Blart (James) is a security guard at the Orange County Mall. Blart, a single parent that lives at home with his mom and daughter. His wife married him to get a green card and bolted. Blart is also an eight time failure at the New Jersey Police exam, so he is permanently station roaming the mall on a segway. Have you ever wonder what the California kids do when it’s too cold to surf? They rob the mall!

It’s Black Friday, the day after thanksgiving and only the busiest shopping day of the year. It’s also the day Paul Blart lives for. That is until he is the only hope when eight surfers take over the mall in an attempt to steal the Mastercard codes and withdraw all the money from the bank in the mall. They made a couple of mistakes…they didn’t check for Paul in the arcade playing KISS on RockBand. the other was to take the one girl he is infatuated with as a hostage,Amy (Jayma Mays).

So now Paul Blart must save the hostages and restore order in the mall, armed only with a radio and his trusty segway! There is a ton …literally…of physical humor from James. When he sees Amy working her Kiosk at the mall and drives his segway into the back of the Mini-van on display in the mall almost knocked me out of my seat. There is also a slobber-knocker between Blart and a woman at Victoria’s Secret over a push up bra. Yes the fight is over a bra. Paul Blart: Mall Cop is another one of those films that will have you tapping your toes throughout the film. Mall Cop has the best 80’s soundtrack (Eddie Money, ELO, Survivor, Bon Jovi) backing up all of James’ antics on screen.

Thank You Kevin James for the first official laugh of 2009! Paul Blart: Mall Cop is Die Hard with a laugh. James not only pokes fun at Die Hard..he takes shots at Rambo, Officer and a Gentleman and Home Alone.It was also a nice change to go see a comedy that didn’t give away all the joke in the two minute trailers.  If you are looking for that funny movie that is good for the entire family… Hire Paul Blart: Mall Cop!

[Overall: 3.5 stars out of 5]

Jeremy:

You don’t mention “narrative† and “aesthetics† when talking about a film like ‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop’.  “Mis en Scene† is a phrase that should never find its way into a conversation about a film starring Kevin James as a mall security cop.  All you have to do is ask yourself one question.  Is this movie fun?  Well, is it, punk?  In a way, yes.  The only thing holding the comedy in ‘Paul Blart’ together is the fact that the filmmakers involved realize that seeing Kevin James either fall down or ride a Segway never gets old.   They force feed either of those two visuals into this film like a Gerber-filled toddler just waiting to explode.

The idea of a mall security cop who takes his job way too seriously is a concept that, frankly, I’m shocked hasn’t made it to the big screen yet.  Of course, with all good ideas, we’re getting this one in abundance.  ‘Observe and Report’ is another mall security cop comedy that comes out later this year starring Seth Rogen.  However, I’m sure unlike ‘Paul Blart’, that one will be a hard R, something that’s not for kids of any age.

‘Paul Blart’ is a wholesome comedy.  Blart is a friendly security guard who is just trying to find happiness while providing for his daughter and his mother.  He has hypoglycemia, so he tends to pass out if his blood sugar gets too low.  To fend this off, he always carries a Pixie stick in his shirt pocket that he rips open and downs.  Like Popeye with his spinach or Superman with the sun, the sugary goodness has a healing effect on Blart.

The first half hour of ‘Paul Blart’ is quite hilarious.  We see Blart going about his day-to-day routine, driving his Segway around the mall, stopping elderly shoppers from driving their motorized carts too fast.  Blart has a crush on the vendor of a hair weave kiosk, and he has a tendency of driving by her ten or twelve times.  This usually ends with him flat on his back after running into the back of a parked mini-van.

One particular scene revolving around Karaoke night at a local restaurant is by far the funniest scene in the film.  Blart gets hammered on margaritas, and that’s when Kevin James’ humor really kicks in.  There’s nothing funnier than seeing Kevin James in a staring contest with a statue.

Of course, the film couldn’t just let us bask in the humor of Blart’s daily routine.  We have to have some kind of plot to focus on, right?  Unfortunately, once the mall gets shut down by robbers on Black Friday and Blart’s love-to-be and daughter become hostages, the film falls apart.

The bad guys try to be funny.  They fail miserably.  The police and SWAT team outside try to be funny.  They fail miserably.  The only thing funny in the latter half of the film is Kevin James and his Segway, which really is the best inanimate character since Wilson was swept away by the sea.  Fortunately for all of us, the people involved know Kevin James is funny, and they go back to what works several times.

You can’t fault a film like ‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop’ too hard.  It knows exactly what it is, a cute film with a heart whose only real comedic gem is its star.  To pick on this film too hard would be like picking on a preschooler for not tying his shoes.  You could do a whole lot worse when it comes to family comedies than this.  It’s certainly better than the other family comedy out this weekend.

{Overall: 3 stars out of 5]