DVDs in Review

Paul Blart: Mall Cop

Title: Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)

Release date: August 10 2009

Certificate: PG

Format: Reviewed on DVD, available on Blu-ray

DVD RRP: £17.99

Rating: 3/5

In 'Paul Blart: Mall Cop', Kevin James stars the lonely hero of the title, a down on his luck security officer working in the mall. Since his wife left him after obtaining her green card, leaving him to care for their daughter, he takes his job seriously even if his co-workers don't, always missing out on getting the girl.

But when the mall is hijacked by young criminals looking to steal all of the credit card transactions after taking hostages (including the object of his affection, played by Jayma Mays), Blart finds himself to be the only enforcement officer who hasn't fled the building, and he decides to take action.

What follows is what may be best described as 'Die Hard' meets 'Home Alone' with a central character akin to 'Uncle Buck'. Indeed, this is the kind of role John Candy would've commanded 20 years ago, and James isn't without his skill as a comedic actor. He may even be this generation's John Candy.

What is surprising about this modern comedy is that it doesn't rely on being offensive or plugging the gaps with gross-out toilet humour. Even more bizarre for a modern comedy revolving around one character, Paul Blart is actually a nice guy.

He doesn't have his adult quirks, sex addictions or overt lusts, he is a downtrodden guy an audience may actually care for. And throughout his series of character-finding heroics, you do care for him and his honourable goals.

The script may not be perfect; in fact it's somewhat clichéd and silly, but it maintains a timeless quality like the three aforementioned 1980s cult classics that always crop up on TV over Christmas. And considering that it's one of the few family comedies that is actually suitable for the whole family, it deserves to as well.

Sony's DVD contains a wealth of extras, ranging from deleted scenes to on-set featurettes  right up to a commentary from Kevin James and producer Todd Garner.