Movie Review – Paul Blart: Mall Cop
For those of you reading this, this is the first movie review of 2009 and will be an added section to the ericalpin.com website. I’ll be posting reviews about the movies I see and everyone can post their comments, thoughts, etc. As far as a general layout, each movie review will include a brief plot summary, the good points, bad points, and finally the overall review.
The first movie I saw this year was Paul Blart: Mall Cop. It was produced by Happy Madison (for those of you who don’t know, and let’s be honest, who doesn’t?-it’s Adam Sandler’s move production company). For that reason I was interested in seeing it. The movie stars Kevin James as Paul Blart, a guy whose lifelong dream is the be a state cop but he’s always fallen a little short. Instead, he works at the local mall, and he takes his job very seriously. During the busy holiday season, a group of crooks breaks into the mall and Paul is left on the inside and tries to protect the mall.
The movie itself had very few positives for me. There were some scenes that will definitely make you laugh a little, but the biggest plus for me was the setting. It is very well done as far as making you feel like you’re in a mall. There’s all the actual stores…Lord and Taylor, Champs Sports, an arcade, and a few other big name brand stores that I can’t think of. I would say my favorite scene in the movie is when Paul goes into the arcade around closing time and has a nice little jam session doing vocals and guitar for “Detroit Rock City” on Rock Band. It may not be music to your ears, but it made me laugh. There is also some good humor as Paul communicates with the cops on the outside; just some quick one liners.
I was not very impressed with most of the movie. A lot of the humor, unlike other Happy Madison movies, didn’t work for the older crowd. It was more for young kids, and you can think of the movie kind of like a mall version of Home Alone (however, the latter would be the better choice). There were only a few cameos by other actors that have been in other Happy Madison films, which didn’t help much either. I found myself bored during most of the movie, and I’m glad I only spent $6 for it.
Overall, Paul Blart is a great movie if you’re younger or taking a few kids with you to see it. Otherwise, it can be skipped; you’re not missing much. If you’re not a big Happy Madison or Kevin James fan, I would just avoid it and save yourself some money. As far as a rating, you ask? I would say 4/10.
Garry, I think your analysis was right on point. I would definitely give the movie a 4 out of 10. It had its funny moments, but was pretty slow the majority of the time. Great first post!