The Watch
Directed by: Akiva Schaffer
Written by: Jared Stern and Seth Rogan
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Ben Stiller, Will Forte, Richard Ayoade and Rosemarie DeWitt

The good news?  It appears that the ubiquitous “poop” jokes of late might finally be falling out of favor with the “R” rated comedy crowd. The bad news? Dicks are the new poop… but I failed to get a warning memo. The Watch is chock full of juvenile references to male genitalia and bodily fluids, and it gets real old, real fast. The copious use of lowbrow humor really detracts from the positives that can be taken from the movie.  There’s potential on display, but it is often squandered by the gross-out humor.

Ben Stiller plays Evan, a blissfully happy suburbanite who takes great pride in being the manager of the local Costco. He compulsively starts various clubs (the running club, the Spanish club) that serve as surrogates for actual friendships and social interactions. Evan is devastated when his Costco night watchman is found brutally maimed and killed, and sets about organizing a neighborhood watch in order to find the perpetrator and protect his town.

There is precious little interest in his passionate plea for community activism, and Evan finds himself joined by a group of buffoons. Bob (Vince Vaughn) suffers from a chronic case of the Peter Pan syndrome, Franklin (Jonah Hill) had his dreams of being a cop dashed when he couldn’t pass the mental, physical, or written tests and Jamarcus (Richard Ayoade) sticks out like a sore thumb as a refined gentleman with an English accent.

The ragtag team take themselves way too seriously, acting as though they caught Osama Bin Laden when they catch a few teenage punks wreaking havoc with a carton of eggs. They strut about with overly inflated egos until they discover the impossible – there is an alien in their midst. Eventually the bumbling idiots discover their plot to take over the earth, and basically the survival of the human race lies in their hands (*shudders*).  Wacky hijinks ensue.

This film is really, really stupid, but I never lie to you all – I laughed quite a bit.  I enjoyed the chemistry of this cast, and the guys seem to be having a blast, frequently improvising. I have no idea where Ayoade came from, but he steals the show. His deadpan delivery plays well off the frenetic energy of the others. Will Forte is also great as a condescending cop who taunts the team every chance he gets. On the other hand, Rosemarie DeWitt (who I usually love) is miscast as Evan’s wife. She needs to stick to edgy indies. I didn’t buy her in this comedy.

The Watch plays as a mash-up of sci-fi and comedy, and I was very surprised by the production quality of the aliens. They look better in this film than a lot you see in a pure sci-fi movies.  There are lots of Costco jokes, and the film turns into an action/adventure during the last twenty minutes, with some impressive set pieces.  It’s truly a hybrid movie.

I had low expectations for this film, so I will say overall it exceeded my expectations, but it could have been so much better with some screenplay tweaking. Often times the dialogue is meandering and unnecessary. Incidentally, Seth Rogen co-wrote the film, and Hill’s character is very reminiscent of Rogen’s character in Observe and Report. The Watch (formerly named Neighborhood Watch until the Trayvon Martin neighborhood watch incident) caters to the lowest common denominator when it comes to audiences. We all know what that means – it will make some serious cash this weekend. And so begins the era of dick jokes. – Shannon

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