Seen on: January 16, 2009

The players: Director: Steve Carr, Writers: Nick Bakay, Kevin James, Cast: Kevin James, Keir O'Donnell, Raini Rodriguez, Adhir Kalyan, Jayma Mays

Facts of interest: Steve Carr also directed "Daddy Day Care."

The plot: A devoted mall security guard (James) tries to stop a bunch of criminals from robbing his mall.

Our thoughts: Sure, safety never takes a holiday, but I truly wish films like “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” would. Kevin James’ latest big-screen effort may not be as terrible as I originally expected, but the movie’s lame story line and lack of decent humor still made it really hard for me to enjoy myself.

The main problem I had with “Blart” is that for most of its short 90 minutes, it’s quite simply not funny. Most of the jokes either don’t fly at all or are a tad too unvaried, and James clearly tries way too hard acting all clumsy as the film’s lead character. No, he’s definitely not as hilarious as he could be, and all he got out of me was a couple of smiles, but no laughs.

But let’s take a quick look at what the film is about. James plays Paul Blart, a good-hearted single father and dedicated mall security guard who wishes he could become a real cop but unfortunately fails to do so because he suffers from an extreme case of hypoglycemia.

Still, despite his annoying predicament, Paul takes his job very seriously: the mall is his heart and soul, and he would do anything in his power to protect it. So when a bunch of crooks storm the busy mall and take hostages on Thanksgiving, it’s up to Paul to stay true to his word and take the necessary action.

The idea of a security guard trying to protect his mall against a gang of criminals definitely carries a lot of potential, but in “Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” the concept fails more than it succeeds. The plot is messy, the action sequences lack suspense and variety, and the countless attempts at humor are mostly badly coordinated.

I mean, do you really think it’s hilarious to watch James deliver one fat joke after another? Younger audiences may get a kick out of it for a while, but to me this is not comedy. No, this is something that should air on television on a Saturday morning, but not on the big screen.

Despite the annoying slapstick, James does have a few decent enough moments in the film. Even though the story line fails to keep the plot operating at a fast pace, James’ energy and his ridiculous look luckily keep “Paul Blart” from slipping into a total bore. The rest of the cast, however, is mostly disappointing.

Freaky quote: “Nobody knows this mall better than I do." – Kevin James

The final word: “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” could’ve been a good movie, but this is nothing but a weak effort. It’s a shame the script suffers from so many flaws (can you believe how stupid the cops are in this flick?), because James’ character is indeed quite the likeable fellow. Save the trip to this mall and go see something else instead.

Article by Franck Tabouring