Observe and Report gives us the dark side of being a mall cop back when we had shopping malls in 2009. Seth Rogen plays the somewhat disturbed Ronnie. He’s doing his best to keep his mall safe, but trouble hits when a flasher is on the loose. He imagines this will be his big case even though Detective Harrison (Goodfella’s Ray Liotta) is the real cop in charge. The dark comedy was written and directed by Jody Hill. He had previously made Danny McBride’s The Foot Fist Way and would go on to producer and direct episodes of HBO’s Eastbound & Down, Vice Principals and The Righteous Gemstones. He is part of the band in the last show. Observe and Report featured minor roles for Danny McBride and the late Ben Best from The Foot Fist Way. Jody Hill recorded a fresh interview for the Blu-ray release that’s set to arrive in August.
In the interest of full disclosure, Jody Hill, Danny McBride, Ben Best and I graduated from the School of Filmmaking at the North Carolina School of the Arts in the same class. Cinematographer Tim Orr and Editor Zene Baker were in the class ahead of us. The actor who plays the flasher (no spoiling) was also at the school with us. You’re not just buying a Blu-ray, you’re supporting a pack of Fighting Pickles.
Here’s the press release from Shout! Studios:
SHOUT! SELECT PRESENTS
OBSERVE AND REPORT
ON BLU-RAY™ AUGUST 18, 2024 FEATURING A BRAND NEW TRANSFER APPROVED BY DIRECTOR JODY HILL
Los Angeles, CA – Shout! Select proudly presents the Jody Hill comedy Observe and Report on Blu-Ray™ this August 18. The comedy arrives at the scene with a new remaster of the interpositive supervised by writer-director Jody Hill and will treat fans to special features including a new interview with the Director.
The ahead-of-its-time dark comedy enters the Shout! Select collection ready to be rediscovered by modern audiences and is now available for pre-order on ShoutFactory.com.
A pitch-black satire, Observe And Report combines the talents of writer/director Jody Hill (The Righteous Gemstones) and a hilarious cast including Seth Rogen (Pineapple Express), Anna Faris (Scary Movie), Michael Peña (Marvel’s Ant-Man), and Ray Liotta (GoodFellas) for one of the most subversive comedies of the 2000s.
Security guard Ronnie Barnhardt (Rogen) rules over Forest Ridge Mall with an iron fist, dreaming of one day moving out of his mom’s house, joining the police force, and marrying his dream girl. But when a flasher begins terrorizing women on mall property, Ronnie’s desire to be a hero leads him down a vigilante path no mall walker could have seen coming.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- NEW 2K Remaster Of The Interpositive Approved By Writer-Director Jody Hill
- NEW Interview With Jody Hill
- Picture-In-Picture Commentary With Stars Seth Rogen And Anna Faris And Jody Hill
- “Basically Training” – Hollywood’s Latest Loose-Cannon Action Star Unleashed
- “Forest Ridge Mall: Security Recruitment Video”
- “Seth Rogen And Anna Faris: Unscripted” – Multiple Outtakes Of This Imperfect Couple’s Funniest Moments
- Additional Scenes
- Gag Reel
About SHOUT! STUDIOS
Shout! Studios is a multi-platform media company specializing in film and TV distribution, development, and production. The company has evolved with the changing entertainment landscape to excel in all forms of content distribution, including theatrical, digital streaming, broadcast and in-flight licensing, physical media, and more. Shout! Studios owns and manages a large portfolio of contemporary and classic feature films, series, animation, and documentaries. The company’s creative acquisition mandate has established it as a leading independent distributor, with partners and properties including Aardman Animations, ALF, The Carol Burnett Show, Stephen J. Cannell Productions, the Roger Corman New Horizons Pictures Library, GKIDS, Studio Ghibli, ITV Studios, The Johnny Carson Show, LAIKA Studios, Mystery Science Theater 3000 (in partnership with creator Joel Hodgson), and Sesame Street, alongside many others. Shout! Kids focuses on live-action and animated kids and family properties including anime, and the company releases genre and horror films and television shows under the Scream Factory imprint. Shout! Studios also produces, acquires, and distributes new films, and operates the acclaimed streaming service Shout! TV and its family of FAST channels. Shout! Studios is based in Los Angeles, California. For more on Shout! Studios, visit ShoutStudios.com
