Observe and Report (2009)

I'm going to write about this one first--the one I didn't like. Faithful (and since-the-beginning) followers of babetteflix may remember I hated Pineapple Express, but I chalked that up to outside influences. I'll try to analyze why this one bugged me so much. Mean-spirited, violent, racist, egomaniacal loser thinks he can win skank girl and save the mall, or perhaps the city. What's not to like? Hmmm. Sure, I'm a white woman in my 50s, but anyone who has checked out my netflix recommendations knows that my taste in movies is way wider than my world. So that's not it. Ever see a movie where the lead character annoys you? A lot? That may be part of it. I read somewhere that the director, Jody Hill, thought it was supposed to be sad, not funny. All the ads said funny (which isn't his fault). Parts were sad, I guess, and Jack & I laughed some, with long, sighing spaces in between. If the director thought it was sad, then the producers and editors messed it up. Apparently I am not alone in hating this. It has only rated 53 out of 100 on movietickets.com and has inspired much ranting. Here's a link (which contains a mild spoiler) by someone who says he or she (first name: Arya) actually liked the movie, but discusses one part that many found the most disturbing. Frankly, I was not surprised by that part. I was surprised and disappointed in the fine actor Michael Peña (Crash (2004), Babel (2006), World Trade Center (2006)) for playing a lisping moron. I observed, I report: C+ for 10 minutes of laughter and one hour 36 minutes of wishing I were somewhere else. Jack said that was generous. I hope to watch Jody Hill's Eastbound & Down mini-series on HBO to see if it's any better.