I admit to having looked at my watch a few too many times during the movie's prolonged opening act as we "get to know" Paul. The only one in a position to help the hostages and apprehend the bad guys is Paul. On Black Friday, however, Paul's life undergoes a radical change when terrorists take over the mall, locking the police out. Meanwhile, he has the task of training a new security guard: Veck (Keir O'Donnell), who's only on duty because he couldn't get accepted for any other job. Right, even though the on-line dating service in which his daughter (Raini Rodriguez) has enrolled him keeps telling him "You have no matches." Paul has his eye on Amy (Jayma Mays), the operator of a new kiosk at the mall, but he lacks the gumption to approach her. There's another point of dissatisfaction in Paul's life: he's lonely and dreams of finding Ms. Paul's ultimate dream is to join the New Jersey State police force, but hypoglycemia has thus far prevented him from completing the physically draining entrance exam. He doesn't get to carry a gun but he has a Segway to ride around on. Paul Blart (Kevin James) is a rent-a-cop at a North Jersey mall. Too bad there's no "Yippekayay.," but this is rated PG. And, although Paul Blart is by no means great cinema, there is amusement to be uncovered as we watch Kevin James bumble his way through actions oh-so-similar to those navigated with more blood, sweat, profanity, and dead bodies than Willis. Considering the dubious quality of many of them, that could be considered damning with faint praise. To be sure, the iconic 1988 Bruce Willis film has been the subject of numerous big-screen parodies during the past two decades, but none has succeeded as well as this one. That's because this movie elevates its objective from lampooning mall security guards to satirizing one of Hollywood's biggest genres: the action/crime movie. After stumbling through a lackluster first 30 minutes that features all the tepid humor one might reasonably expect from a mediocre comedy, Paul Blart: Mall Cop does something unexpected: it becomes watchable, perhaps even passably enjoyable.
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