Kevin James: Security Guard

2.5/5

Paul Blart: Mall Cop tells the story of a hypoglycemic, single parent, mall security gaurd. Paul Blart is a dedicated member of the security team at his local New Jersey mall. Shortly after training a new employee and falling for a girl who works at a kiosk in the mall, the mall is taken hostage. Instead of abandoning Amy (Jayma Mays), the object of his affection, and the mall, Paul decides to fight back.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop is the type of comedy I like to file under brainless humor. Don't misunderstand me, it is quite an amusing movie. However, the movie doesn't accomplish anything except setting up small jokes over and over. I have enjoyed Kevin James in nearly all of the movies which I've seen him. And Mall Cop was no different. Unfortunately for Kevin the movie and the rest of the cast can't quite seem to keep up. This isn't to say that the other talent don't provide some laughs throughout the movie, because they do, but they aren't nearly as well delivered as most of Kevin's laughs.

I understand that the focus of this movie was on Paul Blart and not on the band of thugs that take over the mall, but this group of bandits are poorly written and under played. They are appparently a team of free runners (see Free Running if you're not sure what free running is) who have joined forces to rob the mall. Thankfully for Paul they are all idiots and completely inept at doing anything aside from jumping and running.

Pros:
Kevin James' character is a delight to watch and well built up. Some creative "maneuvering" to give Kevin's character the upper hand.

Cons:
Not a strong supporting cast, not bad, just not very strong. No development of any secondary characters. A couple of unfunny repeat jokes that could have been left out and not affected anything.

Bottom Line:
A funny, light hearted movie that brings enough laughs to keep it from being just plain stupid. Kevin James is always entertaining, but the same can't be said for everyone else.