REVIEW: Paul Blart: Mall Cop

Director: Steve Carr

Writers: Kevin James and Nick Bakay

Cast

• Kevin James  as Paul Blart

• Keir O'Donnell as Veck Simms

• Jayma Mays as Amy

• Raini Rodriguez as Maya Blart

• Shirley Knight as Mom

The story revolves around Blart, a single suburban dad, who lives in New Jersey with his mother (Shirley Knight) and daughter (Raini Rodriguez) trying to make ends meet by working as a mall security guard.

Blart immerses himself in his job at a New Jersey mall, where he traverses nimbly around on a Segway (which James himself got a bit carried away with during and after filming the film) checking for any problems and follow his code, "detect, deter, observe and report." His failed aspirations of becoming an actual cop due to narcolepsy make him want to excel at his current job. The fact that he has no real authority in his job is an idea the filmmakers try to exploit for comedic value. The best scenes involve him trying to give a speeding ticket to an elderly person and trying to solve a problem in a store but ends up being tackled by a female shopper.

The movie starts off really slow, just depicting him going about his job, secretly yearning for a store owner called Amy (Jayma Mays) and lonely nights in. The film eventually kicks off about three quarters of the way through where an elaborate robbery scheme code named Black Friday occurs. This involves a hostage scenario, criminals played by actual X Games athletes and a shot at redemption for our hero. Little did they know that Blart is on the case, with his expert knowledge of the layout of the mall and skills on a Segway.

The audience who are used to seeing James in King of Queens will be familiar with his unlucky guy character and most will find his character relatable and familiar. Under all of his slapstick humour and goofy veneer, the character is deep and emotional and it adds a whole new perspective to the film.

The younger generation of teenagers who love slapstick humour and goofy comedy will love this film, but the film is same old for the rest of us. The movie mostly involves running into stuff, embarrassing moments and hopeless flirting for quick laughs, which is what you would expect coming from the director of Daddy Day Care and Dr Dolittle 2.

I would give the film a 3/5 mostly because James does the character so well and I'm just a sucker for slapstick humour and action films. Definately check it out.