The Watch: Review By Forrestgump1

Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn & Jonah Hill ..starring in an R rated comedy about an alien invasion?. That sound superb on a piece of paper and i'm pretty sure in Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's flawed by funny screenplay. First off i did enjoy the Watch...to an extent. There were alot of dull moments that played out like one long bad joke and at times there were just moments of silence when there should be laughter. One thing is more clear than anything some careers need to be looked at in question. Ben Stiller has not had a non-animated/kid-friendly hit since "Tropic Thunder" and Vince Vaughn's last film "Couples Retreat" i don't wanna even discuss and "Four Christmases" was passable. But truly his last great comedy that i truly loved was "Dodgeball". But since then his career has been ..meh. Jonah Hill is moving more and more up my totem poll. With this years "21 Jump Street" and past hits including "Superbad" & his supporting work on Knocked Up and i even liked "The Sitter". Regardless hes without a doubt the funniest comic this film had to offer. But that is not saying much because he was not truly himself either. Then we have Britain comic Richard Ayodade - whom nobody has ever heard off. He even has a few solid one-liners here and there. But overall this film has enough star power --- and solid direction along with a good story that it coasts along borderline --funny and stupid but sliding in close to a solid funny. Its no 21 Jump Street or Ted (the best comedies of the year).

Story: (4/5) - Ben Stiller is playing uptight and control freak Evan Trautwig a manager of a local Costco. That when his buddy is murdered he reluctantly starts up a Neighborhood Watch program and only 3 people show up. Bob Finnerty (Vince Vaughn) who only joins to get outta the house from the wife and kids. Franklin (Hill) a rejected Police Officer trying to get some action. Then Ja-Marcus (Ayoade) a new resident of the Neighborhood and recently divorced. When expected nothing to come of it..the group comes into contact with an alien menace that threatens the world and forces the group to take action and stop the threat once and for all.

Story: (4/5) - Now when i read the synopsis for this film back in like March i was ecstatic. I mean who wouldn't be?. Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill & Vince Vaughn saving the world from an alien foe. Then the red-band trailer premiered online and i was hooked. I was actually genuinely excited for the film it had everything it needed to be successful. But sadly early reviews and bad word of mouth had distraught me a little, figuring they had shown everything good in the trailers. Well sadly for about 70% of the case that is true. They even revealed the aliens face in the trailer that should have been a red-flag right there. But the story is good, it just needed to be more elaborate and more witty with the comic timing but there were alot of moments that caught me of guard and i was shocked and laughing. Acting: (3.5/5) - The acting was not quite on par with the standard of this comic actors. Hill just did not feel the correct fit for his role, and although hes funny with the material given to him. It just does not compare to his outrageous performance in 21 Jump Street with fellow companion Channing Tatum - where there the chemistry was perfect and the comedic timing was perfect. Ben Stiller has not had a huge hit since Tropic Thunder where that film was funny and offensive. While i did really like "Tower Heist" and that film was great, that was PG13 and he has not been able to bring out the gloves for quite sometime. Well this is a step up from Vaughn's last film Couples Retreat..which believe me..not that hard to do - (Movie was trash) and Ayodade's first role in a film period so i have nothing to compare him to. But he does get some scene stealing moments. Directing: (3/5) Akiva Schaffer his last directorial debut was the very funny Hot Rod. He is also one of three members in one of my favorite bands "Lonely Island" in which he gives the band a very funny cameo in the film (so look for that).

Overall: (3/5) - Well with a star-studded cast such as this. You would think The Watch would be funnier, the film is heavily relying on star power to fill seats, when there is actually a good story and decent performances. The Watch is not perfect. But its still funny. Now all the aspects are pretty much covered and while reviews are not very friendly towards this film and its not on par with each actors respective backgrounds. Along with the directors last film Hot Rod. With that being said its truly sad that this film could not be as funny as it should have been. Sparking controversy from the Trevon Martin case. Being re titled The Watch. Along opening on the Olympics and in the path of the Dark Knight Rises this film was headed for failure. While its not all bad. Its just i don't think worth the trip to theaters. Rest-assured comedy audiences. In a mere couple weeks Will Ferrell and Zach Galifinakis team up for the next R rated comedy this summer The Campaign. Until then? you should probably go rent 21 Jump Street or go see Ted again. Because while the watch is funny on some level. Its not worth those terrible ticket prices. The film will for sure be a huge hit once it hits dvd shelves in a few months that much i can be for sure.

C

ReviewedByNate

RatedR

RunTime100mins

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