As a frequent movie goer, I saw several previews for Paul Blart: Mall Cop. I found myself drawn to Paul because like me, he's a nice guy without the best social skills. He takes his job too seriously, as I did. Lastly, he suffers from hypoglycemia, which can cloud your mind, and I, an insulin dependent diabetic, also suffer from bouts with low blood sugar. Paul was struggling to do the right thing, and through a series of comedic events, he appeared to be succeeding. Thus I looked forward to enjoying the film laughing at myself while laughing with Paul.
Unfortunately, the previews left out a major aspect of his life presented in the actual film. Early on we see him at home with both his daughter from a failed marriage and his mother. They're commiserating about his lonely single life. Critics say this is not a funny sequence, indeed, I don't believe it's supposed to be. Here too, I identified with Paul because as an aging single, I face similar difficulties. But wait! Since Mall Cop is supposed to be a comedy, how is this resolved?
Not very decently, I'm afraid. He reports to work determined to find a girl. He sure does, of course, and she's a young, pretty kiosk attendant named Amy. You might suspect her charm and friendliness are part of her job. Oh, you needn't worry, this is a movie, so naturally she returns his attraction. Paul's exaggerated body language suggests he's interested in just one thing, which I dismissed as due to his low blood sugar, but what's her excuse? We quickly learn. Her current boyfriend is an obnoxious jerk, but his build is almost as large as Paul's. Before I say more, let's compare a somewhat similar context in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
That film received plenty of attention because as Sarah was dumping Peter, his towel slipped off, and the camera revealed full frontal nudity. Viewers questioned the purpose of the scene. Well, practically speaking, it was designed to pull those viewers into the audience, however in the story, Peter, a nice guy who's socially inept, was demonstrating to Sarah and the rest of us that he at least possesses the "equipment" Sarah desired. The paradox was that Peter, although wanting something more from a relationship, let his gonads overrule his judgment. Yeah, Peter like Paul, except during Paul's PG mall adventure, we'd anticipate no indiscreet revelation.
Okay, back to Amy. I ask your forgiveness for my commenting that she's solely interested in what's below a man's waist and since Paul is overall bigger, she imagines his equipment is bigger. While I'm sure the actress herself is a wonderful human being, the script clearly shafts her character.
The movie belatedly arrives at the major interaction developed in the previews, namely, the mall taken over by a gang, and Paul is trapped inside forced to defend good over evil. Incredibly, we witness a plot deviation where Paul has an escape route and is ordered to evacuate with everyone else. He proceeds to the parking lot, sees Amy's car, and figures she's still inside. He returns to the mall foolhardily to try rescuing her and while he's there, he might as well rescue the other hostages. His capture of the villains is not remotely believable or even entertaining. Thankfully, there was a humorous scene straight out of the previews, where Paul thinks he's gravely injured and slowly rolls up his sleeve, disclosing only a minuscule scratch to which he affixes a children's bandage.
When the siege ends, he kisses his beloved, and admittedly it's cute. I mean, I had attended the showing because I liked Paul from the previews, and despite my disappointment, maybe I was having second thoughts. Also I was munching a candy bar 'cause my blood sugar was low and I was getting foggy and sentimental.
The credits began to roll, and to my delight, included the only images making me burst out laughing! Paul and Amy are being married! I then fantasied that they had saved themselves for their wedding night. Amy will finally discover if she was correct about Paul's size! Perhaps the DVD will include an unrated version where we can all look on. In this scenario, I'd bet Paul Blart: Mall Cop outshines Forgetting Sarah Marshall!
Unfortunately, the previews left out a major aspect of his life presented in the actual film. Early on we see him at home with both his daughter from a failed marriage and his mother. They're commiserating about his lonely single life. Critics say this is not a funny sequence, indeed, I don't believe it's supposed to be. Here too, I identified with Paul because as an aging single, I face similar difficulties. But wait! Since Mall Cop is supposed to be a comedy, how is this resolved?
Not very decently, I'm afraid. He reports to work determined to find a girl. He sure does, of course, and she's a young, pretty kiosk attendant named Amy. You might suspect her charm and friendliness are part of her job. Oh, you needn't worry, this is a movie, so naturally she returns his attraction. Paul's exaggerated body language suggests he's interested in just one thing, which I dismissed as due to his low blood sugar, but what's her excuse? We quickly learn. Her current boyfriend is an obnoxious jerk, but his build is almost as large as Paul's. Before I say more, let's compare a somewhat similar context in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
That film received plenty of attention because as Sarah was dumping Peter, his towel slipped off, and the camera revealed full frontal nudity. Viewers questioned the purpose of the scene. Well, practically speaking, it was designed to pull those viewers into the audience, however in the story, Peter, a nice guy who's socially inept, was demonstrating to Sarah and the rest of us that he at least possesses the "equipment" Sarah desired. The paradox was that Peter, although wanting something more from a relationship, let his gonads overrule his judgment. Yeah, Peter like Paul, except during Paul's PG mall adventure, we'd anticipate no indiscreet revelation.
Okay, back to Amy. I ask your forgiveness for my commenting that she's solely interested in what's below a man's waist and since Paul is overall bigger, she imagines his equipment is bigger. While I'm sure the actress herself is a wonderful human being, the script clearly shafts her character.
The movie belatedly arrives at the major interaction developed in the previews, namely, the mall taken over by a gang, and Paul is trapped inside forced to defend good over evil. Incredibly, we witness a plot deviation where Paul has an escape route and is ordered to evacuate with everyone else. He proceeds to the parking lot, sees Amy's car, and figures she's still inside. He returns to the mall foolhardily to try rescuing her and while he's there, he might as well rescue the other hostages. His capture of the villains is not remotely believable or even entertaining. Thankfully, there was a humorous scene straight out of the previews, where Paul thinks he's gravely injured and slowly rolls up his sleeve, disclosing only a minuscule scratch to which he affixes a children's bandage.
When the siege ends, he kisses his beloved, and admittedly it's cute. I mean, I had attended the showing because I liked Paul from the previews, and despite my disappointment, maybe I was having second thoughts. Also I was munching a candy bar 'cause my blood sugar was low and I was getting foggy and sentimental.
The credits began to roll, and to my delight, included the only images making me burst out laughing! Paul and Amy are being married! I then fantasied that they had saved themselves for their wedding night. Amy will finally discover if she was correct about Paul's size! Perhaps the DVD will include an unrated version where we can all look on. In this scenario, I'd bet Paul Blart: Mall Cop outshines Forgetting Sarah Marshall!