The most surprising movie of the year and, if not for a completely absurd ending, one of the best. Congratulations to director Jody Hill, someone I will now be keeping a definite eye on, for taking such great risks, for pushing boundaries and for breaking free of typical film conventions. It has been a long time since a movie made me squirm so much in my seat, wondering where each scene was going. Unpredictable, unnerving, intelligent. Drug use, date rape, racism, gun control, mall mentality, and homophobia are just some of the issues dealt with here in sly and creative ways. There is an edge to Seth Rogen as an actor and I'm glad it's finally starting to show. His performance will definitely turn some people against him, more than not actually. He plays Ronnie Barnhardt and he is not the type of character you think he will be. There are very few so called comedies with a lead character this complex. For the most part he is not even very likable. He is disturbed, troubled, bi-polar, dangerous -- an all too realistic character (we know people like this and the razor's edge they walk) -- with life already defeating him without his awareness or consent. He lives at home with his alcoholic mother, his father left him as a child. His soul is beaten; everything is working against him, there is no way out and the audience knows this although Ronnie does not. He pushes on, looking to make sense of the world around him. He wants a girlfriend; he wants order in the chaos around him; he wants to achieve his dream job as a police officer. But really he wants acceptance and purpose -- the definition of an ideal life -- both of which elude him. There is not a step he takes in the direction you assume he would. This, however unlikely, is a great character study. Unfortunately, in order to make money, the studio has decided to pitch this as a comedy. Although there are humorous moments, this is not, I repeat, not a comedy. This is a tough commentary on seeking one's place in the world when everything is falling apart, the desperate yearning to belong (and because he doesn't, because he is an outcast, he despises it all). It is a blend of Taxi Driver and Punch Drunk Love with shades of Oldboy, Cable Guy, and The King of Comedy thrown in. All of which makes the ending absolutely ridiculous. And it's not what Ronnie does that is out of place. It is how everyone else reacts to his final act. I am almost positive that this ending was not written in the script. As the director had only one very small film under his belt (The Foot Fist Way) I am sure he was forced to deliver a happy ending and that was why he made it so delirious and ludicrous that I kept assuming it must be a dream. I pray for a DVD with an original ending included. But overall, what a surprise. Films do not have to be either a comedy or a drama, the characters don't always have to be likable, and it is a delight to be thrown curve after curve for once instead of formulaic drivel -- the mindless entertainment we are all told we should enjoy (ironically, many seeking that in this film we be delivered a brutal wake up call). Just adjust your expectations going in. One scene summed the movie up best for me: While listening in on a conversation, a cop comes out from hiding behind a door and says, "I thought it was going to be funny, but it's just kinda sad." Exactly.
Review of Observe and Report
