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Paul Blart: Mall Cop
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MPAA RATING: PG for some violence, mild crude and suggestive humor, and language
Starring Kevin James, Jayma Mays, Keir O'Donnell, Bobby Cannavale, Stephen Rannazzisi, and Shirley Knight
Paul Blart is a single, suburban dad, trying to make ends meet as a security officer at a New Jersey mall. Though no one else takes his job seriously, Paul considers himself on the front lines of safety. When a heist shuts down the megaplex, Jersey's most formidable mall cop will have to become a real cop to save the day. (Sony Pictures)
| GENRE(S): | Comedy |
| WRITTEN BY: |
Kevin James
Nick Bakay |
| DIRECTED BY: | Steve Carr |
| RELEASE DATE: | Theatrical: January 16, 2009 |
| RUNNING TIME: | minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: | USA |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The average user rating for this movie is 5.5 (out of 10) based on 30 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
casey n. gave it an8:
Movie is a throwback to 90's comedies. Not to serious, and just funny.
matthew a. gave it a0:
The real question is how any self-respecting critic could give this movie a "green" rating. Each of them should lose their job immediately.
Ben L gave it an8:
Pretty good. A mix of funny comedy, and a twinge of romance and a dash of action.
Brian L gave it an8:
Sheesh reviewers are harsh. The beginning might seem like it might lead to a meiocre movie, but it iis really fun as it goes on. the downside is that you really won't care about it 2 hours after you see it, but it still is a movie i would recommend.
Peter A gave it a3:
It's another one of those could be funny movies but it takes no risks and the majority of the jokes were in the trailer.
Mark B. gave it a6:
Has there been an unusually large amount of full moons lately? Believe it or not, 3 (count 'em, 3) comedies released by Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions in the past year have turned out to be, well, not totally terrible! Last summer's You Don't Mess With the Zohan wasn't hugely amusing or accomplished, but at least by Sandler standards it lacked most of the mean-spiritedness and cruel edge that most of his starring vehicles (The Longest Yard, Click) possess in abundance, while the Labor Day hit The House Bunny, though typically dumb and lowbrow, showcased a sparkling, endearing comic performance by Anna Faris. Paul Blart: Mall Cop is the best of the bunch, which, mind you, doesn't make it all THAT good. The idea of spoofing Die Hard has genuine potential, and there are some nice ideas sprinkled throughout (particularly the inclusion of a Paul Gleason-ish law enforcement dumbass) but the writing and direction feature more holes than Dunkin Donut's entire 2008 output. If a group of master criminals wants to rob a mall, why do so on Black Friday rather than a somewhat less busy but still profitable sales day, the better to cut down on possible glitches and x-factors? And wouldn't a mall that large employs some REAL cops as well as mall cops on the biggest projected sales day of the year? And how truly easy is it to clear a 200-store-plus shopping center of patrons in such a short time without causing massive mob hysteria, panic, accidents and injuries? (For that matter, how likely is it that a mall that huge wouldn't include a multiplex cinema--the emptying of which would cause a whole different set of logistical problems...and comic possibilities?) Paul Blart: Mall Cop nevertheless works to the degree that it does partially because of...Paul Blart himself, played by KIng of Queens' Kevin James, who was tremendously likable in Will Smith's Hitch and ably carried the grieving-widower heavy baggage in Sandler's I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry; here he's an underdog overachiever who generates notable rooting interest as he pursues both the bad guys and his dream girl Amy, the curator of a hair-extension kiosk in the mall. Speaking of which, Jayma Mays as the object of Paul's affections is even better: an actress who's just as skilled at playing truly nice people as Amy Adams is--no small compliment!--Mays stole Wes Craven's Red Eye a few years ago as a sweetly beleaguered hotel clerk, and here generates tremendous kindness, warmth and concern for Blart; when he gets sloppy drunk and makes a fool of himself, Mays exudes just as much embarrassment for him as she does discomfort at being in his presence. Director Steve Carr's smartest decision is to cut to as many Amy reaction shots as humanly possible; kudos also to the wonderfully straightfaced music score, which is in the fine tradition of Elmer Bernstein's work on Animal House, Trading Places and Airplane! All in all, the relative nonsuckitude of Happy Madison's latest effort is as pleasingly unlikely as...say, an African-American being elected President, a plane making a safe landing in the Hudson River or the Arizona Cardinals making it to the Super Bowl, so isn't it reassuring to know that ANYTHING is possible?
arbie gave it a2:
All the big, bad tells for this stinker are in the marketing. Promoted ceaselessly throughout the holidays instead of being released during the holidays. Calling itself "the #1 movie in America" immediately after release but with not even sold junket quotes saying the sort of generic crap that larger budget films can at least sell and use for the opening release weekend. Uncreative TV spots that use the same clips for two full months, despite more than five versions. I feel bad for the lead actor since this prevents him from ever being lead material -- not that he did anything but drag down Hitch -- but bad movies need to bomb for a reason. So that they don't get made as often, or as poorly. The ONE REASON this film exists is because the paper-thin mall cop concept could be sold at the executive level as a quick cash-in on teenagers who identify with teenage stuff and hang out at malls, "and stuff."
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