The Leader

Issue date: 4/23/09 Section: Opinion

There are many great reasons not to see the bizarre and tasteless dark comedy Observe and Report (2009). Seth Rogen fans are likely to be disappointed that their stoner hero comes off as completely deluded and unlikable. Feminists bloggers have openly criticized Anna Faris' character, Brandi, who is stalked, flashed, date raped and then publicly scorned at the end of the movie. The secondary characters aren't much better and are trapped in one-dimensional stereotypes as shallow and transparent as the mall they reside in.

Despite the poor reviews that tarnished the film, writer and director Jody Hill seems to have no lack of confidence in his movie. The director even went so far as to compare it to Taxi Driver (1976). It seems that Hill thinks anything is acceptable when you put in under the guise of a dark comedy-date rape, racial stereotypes, even mocking severe alcoholism. But what was most disturbing to me about the movie was the fact the Hill created a leading man absurdly deluded by mental illness and did nothing but indulge his fantasies throughout. Hill fueled the unintelligent, aggressive stereotypes of people suffering from bi-polar disorder throughout his movie, indulging and rewarding his leading man without showing any of the consequences of severe mental illness. In an age where everything remotely offensive is subject to boycott, how did this one slip through the cracks?

I'm not saying that all movies that have mental illnesses in their stories are wrong. Punch Drunk Love (2002) is an excellent example of a dark comedy that poignantly goes beyond common stereotypes and refuses to make it a big joke for audiences to laugh at. But there was one major drawback for the moviemakers: it wasn't a box office success. In its opening weekend, Observe and Report made more than half of what Punch Drunk Love made during its entirety in theaters. Making fun of people may not be right, but it sure is profitable.

Hill's biggest mistake is that he tried to have it both ways. He wanted to make a movie that was both unnerving and profitable. But it doesn't matter if you throw in a few great dramatic actors-Ray Liotta and Michael Pena-if you base a movie on making fun of the characters you are trying to get audience to explore, they aren't going to look any deeper than the slap-stick comedy up front. Put simply, you can't make a dark comedy into a big, easy punch line for audiences to digest. You can't base a movie on offensive stereotypes and expect it to sit well with anyone.

And turning the misconceptions and stereotypes of bi-polar disorder into an 89-minute-long joke is offensive. Anyone who has experienced the devastation that mental illness can bring to an individual or a family knows that it isn't a joke and that proper treatment can mean the difference between life and death. In real life, wide spread confusion of mental illness can keep people from their lives. In her autobiography, Manic, Terri Cheney describes in vivid detail being forced to leave her job at a copyright law firm because of her colleagues' relentless harassment. Yes, even the most educated professionals in the country have misconceptions about the disease.

Why should we encourage filmmakers to keep perpetuating stereotypes? If moviemakers want to keep making their campy, stoner flicks, then more power to them. But they shouldn't try to hide tasteless humor under the façade of being "deep." There is nothing "deep" about pointing and laughing at someone else's misfortunes.

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