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|  | PAUL BLART: MALL COP review by Mark Walters
« Thread Started on Jan 17, 2009, 2:13am » | |
PAUL BLART: MALL COP
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Review by Mark Walters
Like many, I expected this would be an annoying and unfunny comedy. It's actually pretty decent. Kevin James is rather likable as Paul Blart, a well-meaning mall cop who never seems to catch a break, and wants desperately to be something more. What he holds in ambition, he lacks in relationships. His daughter (he's a single dad that lives with his mom) wants him to meet a girl, and even goes so far as to set up an online dating profile for him. Once Paul meets a cute new vendor in his mall, he immediately becomes smitten. But his poor people skills and tendency to embarass himself keep him from getting much further than a hello. When a group of thugs lockdown the mall and take hostages (including Paul's new object of affection), Blart finds himself determined to save the day... and his mall. With cops and SWAT waiting outside, the segway-riding enforcer does his best to thwart the bad guys, in a series of action scenes that would make Bruce Willis proud.
Kevin James biggest enemy here is some unconvincing trailers, lackluster poster campaigns, and moviegoers who have jumped to advance conclusions that this movie will most certainly suck. Surprisingly, it's quite endearing with it's script and colorful characters, and the gags work very well. Plus it's rated "PG", and is very family friendly, yet managed to keep me entertained. I'm used to hard "R" action flicks, and I still enjoyed this film. The action scenes are good, the actors in the film are convincing, and you'll actually find yourself cheering for Paul Blart's inevitable achievements. It's nice to be surprised going into what you think will be a bad film. In the past 30 years of cinema, we've always had a portly funny man to entertain us. John Belushi kicked things off, John Candy kept it going, and then Chris Farley had a strong start with TOMMY BOY. But since the latter's passing, there's been a void for that archetype. Kevin James may just be the comedic presence we've been missing. I always liked him on THE KING OF QUEENS, and thought he was funny in HITCH. Give PAUL BLART: MALL COP a chance. The trailers are not doing it justice, it's a fun and funny comedy I wouldn't mind seeing again. Incidentally, I saw an advance screening with a large packed house, and listening to the exit polls, just about everyone there loved it. I hope the word of mouth helps sway the naysayers into lightening up. After all, who would've thought TOMMY BOY would become such a classic?
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