Paul Blart: Mall Cop

Mar 18 2009 Pierce Hunt, Surrey Herald

WORKING as a cop in a New Jersey shopping mall means an awful lot to Paul Blart (Kevin James).

He strives to keep the mall ticking over while upholding the high level of service delivered to a never-ending mass of consumers. But he's on his own. The rest of his work colleagues couldn't care less about the tedious daily routine they have to endure. But Blart is determined to do his best, even though there's little reward.

In Britain, you're unlikely to see a team of segway-riding, uniformed authoritarians stalking the shop fronts of your local shopping centre, so it's easy to feel yourself distanced from the seemingly normal antics from Blart and co.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop is written and produced by Kevin James (The King of Queens), so it's no surprise that he manages to pull off his role, even though you could've imagined John Candy eclipsing anything brought to the 'funny fat man' acting table by James. But unlike many previous Happy Madison films, it struggles to get out of second gear for a painstakingly long period of time, with Blart opening his heart abouthis agonising loneliness and demonstrating his unrivaled abilities to eat copious amounts of comfort food. But after the initial self-loathing, the film finally builds up some momentum, with some surprisingly funny scenes.

The mild-mannered maverick's courage is pushed to the limit when a crack team of organised crooks take over the mall, in an attempt to clone all the credit cards from every store. But it's his crush on stallholder Amy that helps him overcome his crippling fear, as he attempts to save her, and the mall, from the clutches of the gang.

Here Paul Blart becomes the 21st century John McClane (Bruce Willis, Die Hard). Far from being a power of strength, Blart is fearful, slow and the polar opposite of an action hero. But it's because he doesn't possess any stereotypical, tough, masculine attributes that he wins over an audience who are left feeling his pain.

Sure, the film has its faults, but it manages to steady itself after a shaky start, to sign off with an explosive finale.

6/10