Wednesday, August 08, 2012

THE WATCH

Photos courtesy of 20th Century Fox


                             Jonah Hill, Ben Stiller, Richard Ayoade and Vince Vaughn in "The Watch."

A neighborhood watch group gets more than they signed up for in the comedy THE WATCH.  

Ben Stiller’s Evan, a Costco manager, forms a neighborhood watch group after the murder of Antonio, a security guard at the store.  The rag tag group is composed of Bob, a dad looking for a good time, played by Vince Vaughn; Franklin, a failed police academy recruit played by Jonah Hill; and Jamarcus, a Brit who has dreams of his own, played by newcomer Richard Ayoade.  

The group gets together to find Antonio’s murder, and also keep the neighborhood safe, but soon finds out that Antonio’s killer is out of this world.

                             Richard Ayoade as Jamarcus, Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill in ``Neighborhood Watch.''

Two of Hollywood’s favorite conventions, male angst and extraterrestrial mayhem, meet in THE WATCH.  The results are a mixed bag, with Vaughn and Hill’s impromptu work serving as the film’s strength and also as its Achilles heel.  

The film, co-written by Evan Goldberg, Jared Stern and Seth Rogan, seems intent on having its actors carry the comedic burden, and director Akiva Shaffer is more than willing to oblige.  At times this works brilliantly, particularly a laugh-out loud montage following a victory celebration of the group’s first alien kill, but more often than not the improvised dialogue is awkward and bogs down an already flimsy story line.  

Vaughn, typically the best part of his mediocre films, is as much to blame as anyone.  His wisecracking, smart-witted comments are missing in long stretches, and are substituted with forced and outlandish statements that fail to amuse.  

In between the actors amusing themselves, the collection of screenwriters lace together sub-par sub-plots from Vaughn’s protective paternal instincts to Stiller’s sterile situation.  THE WATCH  teases at times with big laughs, but inevitably fails due to its over reliance on its stars improvisational skills.

Grade: C

No comments: