When a flasher starts terrorizing people at the local mall, bi-polar security officer Ronnie Barnharndt (Seth Rogen) makes it his personal goal to take the pervert down. When the flasher strikes at the girl of his dreams, Brandi (Anna Faris), Ronnie steps it up to act as protector in the hopes that Brandi will return the feelings he has for her. He finds competition, both for Brandi as well as bringing the suspect to justice, from Detective Harrison (Ray Liota).
This is one of the darker comedies I have seen in quite a while. It crosses a few lines that just shouldn’t be crossed, date rape really isn’t all that funny. I can accept some of the heavy handed violence and the immense drug use, but some things just don’t belong in a comedy, no matter how dark it is. Maybe I’m just getting old, maybe not. I am sure some people that saw this were rather put off as well, especially as the trailer really failed to express how twisted the film was.
Aside from the boundary issues I have, I also just think this wasn’t a very good film. It has nothing to do with the cast. Rogen is about his usual self, a little more disturbed, but I got what I expected out of him. Ray Liota continues to be the actor that was so high after “Goodfellas” and has fallen so low that it was a surprise to see him in a not awful role.
The movie is also rather depressing. Sure, I laughed at times, but I shouldn’t come away from a supposed comedy feeling this bad about everyone in it. I think it is a lower point in writer/director Jody Hill, who, while I like some of his work, has never lived up to the hype I have heard about him. This film could have been so much better, instead it is a bleak and depressing version of “Paul Blart, Mall Cop.” Blah and meh, 1 1/2 Axes.