The Watch (Review)

The WatchA peaceful community full of well meaning citizens, Glenview Ohio seems a nice place to live. But even nice can be improved, and with the mysterious death of a store security guard, Evan (Ben Stiller) decides he will be the man to spearhead the upgrade.

Evan is Max from Rushmore all grown up. An inflated sense of his input to the town’s workings, he nonetheless makes sure he is in the midst of everything whether he is needed or not. And when it comes to the neighbourhood watch, it seems no-one thinks it needed; not the police, not the citizens, not even Evan’s wife, especially when their home becomes the base of operations.

Even the few members of the newly formed neighbourhood watch seem to be there for the wrong reasons. Bob (Vince Vaughn) is there for the beers and an excuse to get out of the house. Franklin (Jonah Hill) is indulging a concerning Taxi Driver Travis Bickle fixation, and Jamarcus (Richard Ayoade) seems just happy to be included in anything.

The first few days of the watch have the crew doing little more than busting kids drinking beers and having pointless stakeouts. The banter in these scenes is generally quite amusing, especially with the local police who clearly resent their very existence. But just as everything seems to be ebbing away to nothing, new developments prove that not only is there a genuine reason for the residents to be concerned, but the neighbourhood watch find themselves right in the middle of it.

The Watch is a light comedy set against an absurd backdrop in the same way as This is the End was, with that film taking place at the end of days. I won’t spoil the central premise here but there are parallels to The World’s End, which proves an unfortunate fact for this film. What is evident with all films in the ‘Cornetto trilogy’, you get the distinct impression that Edgar Wright and co realise that making films is a privilege not a right. In The World’s End there is room for improvisation, but not at the expense of the plot nor credibility. The Watch seems to rely more on the improv skills of Hill and Vaughn (like his character I think Stiller prefers to be scared if he veers off script) and the eccentric scene stealing of Ayoade. The end result is an often funny film that seems a bit rushed and disjointed, almost unfinished.

Perhaps the most offputting facet of the film is the level of casual profanity and a willingness to offend (let’s just say bodily fluids are spoken of with disturbing frequency). You wonder if a light comedy would need so many mentions of various effluvia in the name of comedy. You wonder if these references alienated some of the audience, or if this constant regurgitating of the same jokes by the same guys is getting old. That level of toilet humour was expected in This is the End, not so much here…

That said I found myself liking The Watch more than I expected, which considering it took me three years since its release to watch it probably wasn’t too much. Richard Ayoade proves a captivating and confusing presence, like a British Jemaine Clement, and this is the best comedy either Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn have been involved in for some time. The fact that I still don’t find it worthwhile should say a lot about their respective past decade’s work.

When considering a Final Rating it ultimately boils down to this; would I recommend the film (worthwhile: 7+) or even mention it as ‘OK’ (6.5)? Now as mentioned I liked parts of the film, but given it has been two weeks since I watched it and I haven’t mentioned it to a single soul, nor has my wife – who fell asleep with 20 minutes to go – bothered to ask how it ended. Neither of these facts cast a positive light on the cinematic experience.

Final Rating – 6.3 / 10. Another rare ‘tweener’. The moments of hilarity don’t cover over the long periods of inspiration free going through the motions.

About OGR

While I try to throw a joke or two into proceedings when I can all of the opinions presented in my reviews are genuine. I don't expect that all will agree with my thoughts at all times nor would it be any fun if you did, so don't be shy in telling me where you think I went wrong... and hopefully if you think I got it right for once. Don't be shy, half the fun is in the conversation after the movie.
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