VIDEO: The trailer for Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Not even the end of January and already here's a nominee for worst picture of the year. Directed by Steve Carr for Adam Sandler's Happy Madison production company, this mess of a film will satisfy only the most puerile Sandler fans.
Kevin James stars as the title cop, an overzealous lunk who gets a chance to play hero when a band of needlessly acrobatic thieves break into his beloved mall on Black Friday and take the girl of his dreams (Jayma Mays) hostage. Playing a variation of his lovable-loser persona, James, who co-wrote the script, looks as bored as the audience as he goes through the motions, which include being humiliated on the dance floor and by his co-workers and an on-line dating service.
There's so little humor in these interactions that his transformation into a man of action feels unearned as well as absurd. If you find the sight of a grown man rolling around the mall on a Segway hilarious, this is the movie for you.