Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)

1.5

COMEDY
U.S. Release Date: 01/16/09
Running Length: 87 Minutes
MPAA Classification: PG (Violence)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Kevin James, Keir O'Donnell, Jayma Mays, Raini Rodriguez, Stephen Rannazzisi, Peter Gerety, Bobby Cannavale
Director: Steve Carr
Screenplay: Kevin James & Nick Bakay
Cinematography: Russ T. Alsobrook
U.S. Distributor: Columbia Pictures

Review by: Carter Moulton

01/18/09

It’s mid January, and that means we’re going to start seeing some “filler” trickle into theaters. Looking at a title like Paul Blart: Mall Cop, expectations can’t be too high. Entering the theater I understood these things, but it didn’t help much. While it’s fun to blurt Paul Blart's name, there isn’t anything amusing about his film. Produced by Adam Sandler at Happy Madison Productions, Mall Cop is essentially a watered down Sandler vehicle—minus Sandler, add in his buddy Kevin James. Replace Blart director Steve Carr (Are We There Yet?, Dr. Doolittle 2) with Dennis Dugan (Big Daddy, You Don’t Mess With The Zohan, Happy Gilmore), and no one would notice.

Photo © Columbia Pictures

Kevin James stars as Paul Blart, a play-it-safe security guard who wants to become a fulltime cop. We see a flashback of his near-acceptance as a police officer, only to watch him fail the obstacle course portion of training. Blart is overweight and hypoglycemic, so you can guess what kinds of jokes are featured. Paul feels hopeless about love and eats away his sorrows. Then he sees Amy (Jayma Mayes)—who works at a kiosk in the mall. When a team of criminals unexpectedly takes the mall for ransom, it’s up to Blart to save the woman he loves.

Amy, just like every character in Paul Blart, is a stereotype rather than an actual person. Let’s face it, Paul Blart, the mall cop, comes off as a creep-show, and watching Amy fall head-over-heels for him is excruciating. An even worse example is the way the criminals are represented. All of them are acrobatic, tattooed, and oddly awesome at extreme sports. It’s really strange watching them flip around the mall—usually for no reason. And that’s what Paul Blart: Mall Cop quickly becomes: a film with no reason. Most of the laughs—which are few—are of the “what the hell?” variety.

James has a good time playing Blart, who carries the same comedic tendencies as his roles in Hitch and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. His likeability is the main reason Paul Blart falls above films like Meet the Spartans. It’d be interesting to see James realize his potential with a stronger supporting cast and crew. The film is rated PG, and while a PG-13 rating might’ve given it a few extra laughs, I’m glad it’s aimed at a younger audience. It’s because of this that Paul Blart: Mall Cop is an innocent failure rather than an offensive insult.