Paul Blart - Mall Cop Film Review

Kevin James' 2009 Movie About a Mall Security Guard is Mildly Funny

Nov 9, 2009

Paul Blart: Mall Cop, starring Kevin James, lacks laugh-out-loud comedy but still has enough charm and mildly funny scenes to make it an average film.

Kevin James, the outlandish star of The King of Queens and the films Hitch, Grilled, and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, is a fantastic physical comedian and stand-up comic. In Paul Blart: Mall Cop he brings only a modicum of his talent to the silver screen. Still, Blart has just enough Kevin James spirit and self-deprecating humor to make the film moderately enjoyable — neither great nor terrible.

2009 was a year for mall security guard films. Around the same time, viewers could see Paul Blart: Mall Cop, only to then follow it up with the Seth Rogan film, Observe and Report. While the latter film was certainly not for children, Blart has a solid PG rating and is far better suited for younger viewers.

In Blart, Kevin James stars as Paul Blart, a mall security "officer" whose hypoglycemia and lack of confidence have made him overweight and unsuccessful. Paul's ambitions, ironically not unlike that of Seth Rogen's character in Observe and Report, revolve around a desire to become a police officer. He fails the physical portion of the police exam due to a fainting spell brought about by his low blood sugar levels.

Paul's personal life is no better. He lives with his mother (Shirley Knight) and daughter (Raini Rodriguez), the offspring of a failed marriage. At work, Paul falls for Amy (Jayma Mays), a hair extensions salesperson. However, after a restaurant get together in which Paul unintentionally becomes intoxicated, his crazy drunken antics seemingly but an end to any relationship with Amy before it can begin.

Down-and-out, Paul rides his Segway through the mall with head hung low. But Paul is given an unlikely shot at redemption. When the mall is taken over by thieves, Paul's daughter and Amy amongst the hostages, Paul is uncaught but locked within the mall. In a plot that can only be described as a farcical re-creation of Die Hard, Paul takes on the criminals in sub-Bruce Willis fashion.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop Director Steve Carr Cannot Make Magic from James and Nick Bakay's Script

The script for Paul Blart: Mall Cop, written by Nick Bakay and James himself, his shoddy, formulaic, and unrealistic when it comes to the incompetence of both cops and criminals alike. Admittedly, Blart wouldn't be much of a comedy if criminal mastermind Veck Simms (Keir O'Donnell) and SWAT Commander James Kent (Bobby Cannavale) couldn't be bested by the bumbling Blart. But criminals who seem to share two guns among them, don't have their own complete lists of financial information necessary to rob the mall's stores prior to entry, and ride around on skateboards and BMXs would be wiped out by John McClane (of Die Hard fame) in less than the time it takes to microwave a taco.

And the police? They are bested by the use of some bike locks around mall doors, a few motion sensors, and one explosive no more powerful than a Roman candle. Still, comedies and realism rarely go hand-in-hand these days.

Kevin James, Bobby Cannavale, Jayma Mays, and Keir O'Donnell Go Through the Motions

Kevin James is adequate as Blart, but it is by no means his best comedic performance, nor does it come close. The rest of the cast also punch the clock, filling out their roles without diversion. Cannavale (The Bone Collector, Snakes on a Plane, The Night Listener) comes across as the stereotypical, no-nonsense militant. O'Donnell (Wedding Crashers, The Break Up, Amusement) is fine as the anger-prone criminal leader, but his scripted reactions to the disappearance of his co-conspirators are grossly slight (undoubtedly due to the film's PG rating). Mays (Red Eye, Epic Movie) has little chance to show off any acting prowess as Blart's love interest.

Overall, Paul Blart: Mall Cop should not be at the top of anyone's rental lists. However, for fans of comedy who have seen the year's dozen or so better laughfests, Blart will kill some time with some mild amusement.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop was released in theaters on January 16, 2009. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on May 19, 2009.

The copyright of the article Paul Blart - Mall Cop Film Review in Comic Films is owned by Jason Parent. Permission to republish Paul Blart - Mall Cop Film Review in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.