The Watch: Movie Review

"The Watch" could have been better, way better than its current state. Mind you, it's not a bad film at all. It's funny, the main actors do their parts well and the scifi portion is just okay. Unfortunately, the film came off uninspired with long stretches of dialogues and a heavy reliance on vulgar, sexually-oriented punchlines. Yeah, the first time you hear a reference to bodily fluids and organs might be funny but after the thousandth time, not so much.

Evan Trautwig (Ben Stiller) is an active participant in the community of Glenview, Ohio. He has arranged various clubs that he considers as his own contribution to his small, beloved town. When one of his co-workers at Costco is murdered and mutilated, Evan vows to find the killer and keep the town's citizens safe by creating the Neighborhood Watch. Unfortunately for him, only three other people are interested to join. Bob (Vince Vaughn) who is a father obsessed with his daughter's safety, Franklin (Jonah hill) who is emotionally unstable and Jamarcus (Richard Ayoade) whom much is unknown. The Neighborhood Watch isn't taken seriously by the townspeople even with two other murders happening in similar fashion. That is, until, they discover that the murders are being committed by someone or something out of this world.

"The Watch" is one unusual experience. On one hand, you feel that this is just any typical comedy with over-the-top antics. On the other, it has that scifi (or even a Ghostbusters vibe) portion that keeps things a little more interesting than a simple movie about citizens feeling they are on the same level as the police. Unfortunately, it never mixes together to create a profound experience but more a muddled one. This is a film with some identity lost, one that feels that it needed a little more inspiration and a little more work on the side. But for what it's worth, the film is funny and had key moments where hilarity is ensured. The main cast did great and had that special chemistry that makes this experience even funnier. In the end, if you can stomach the repetitive excessive, vulgar and offensive punchlines then "The Watch" will be a good watch.

Rating: 3 reels





Why you should watch it:
- the main cast had chemistry
- the film is still funny even with the repetitive humor and punchlines

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- extremely vulgar humor can get annoying