For a summer comedy, “The Watch” certainly attempts to try something different. Sadly, at times the many things it attempts are so different that many of the subplots belong from entirely different movies. Perhaps this is due to the very different styles of the writers involved – Jared Stern (“Mr. Popper’s Penguins”) and Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg (“The Green Hornet” and “Pineapple Express”). Whatever the reason, the result is a movie that is funny in fits and starts, but won’t go down as a career highlight on any of the resumes of those involved.
Costco Manager Evan (Ben Stiller) is shocked by the brutal murder of a security employee at his store. Determined to solve the crime, he begins a neighbourhood watch group. Quickly recruited are a sweet-natured new resident Jamarcus (Richard Ayoade), a police academy reject with violent tendencies named Franklin (Jonah Hill) and Bob (Vince Vaughn), a man more interested in using the opportunity to hang out with the guys in his elaborate basement bar than solve any crimes. Things quickly change when the group discovers a strange orb that emits an explosive beam and learn that aliens are planning an invasion.
Unfortunately, the schizophrenic tone hurts the film more than it helps. While most of the confrontations between the protagonists and the aliens are played for yuks, a couple of the murders committed are surprisingly gruesome for a comedy (even though one gag, featuring a character trying to resuscitate a deceased victim by plunging a torn out body part back into their body, does result in a chuckle). For the most part, Stiller plays the straight man in the film and a more serious and earnest subplot involving marital problems with his wife feels out of place, as does an attempted sexual assault on Bob’s daughter. The finale, which features a serious, full-blown action scene, is also different tonally from the rest of the movie. Additionally, a majority of the jokes are based around the subject matter of genitalia, ejaculation, and strangely enough, Costco. The constant repetition of these very similar jokes ultimately becomes a distraction.
Still, bits and pieces do work. Ayoade (a brilliantly funny British actor and filmmaker – check out the hilarious series The IT Crowd and/or the film “Submarine” on Netflix if you haven’t discovered them) is appealingly shy in his first big Hollywood film, Vaughn has some amusing lines and Hill garners some laughs from his borderline psychotic behavior. In fact, when the characters bicker amongst themselves over trivial matters, there are some truly funny moments. Yet an equal number of the film’s gags miss the mark. Ultimately, all of the participants have been involved in much more amusing projects. Considering the stars involved in “The Watch,” one would have hoped the talented cast had been provided a more consistent script.