I was watching some special on “Eastbound & Down” recently where one of the producers (might have been Will Ferrell, or maybe it was David Green) was talking about how the show is a commentary on the state of the hero in pop culture. Then I heard the talk out of SXSW about “Observe and Report,” Joe Leydon’s review, for instance, indicating transgression and the idea of capturing the film’s essence in four words: “Travis Bickle: Mall Cop.”
More and more I dig what this crew (Jody Hill, Green, Seth Rogen, etc.) is doing with comedy on the screen and forgive me, but I think Jeff Wells is missing the purposeful irony of a tag line like “Right now, the world needs a hero.” Given the perspective Hill and company have on protagonists on the small screen, I think this is more than just an arbitrary Warner Bros. marketing decision.
I haven’t seen “Observe and Report,” but I’m catching a whiff of something truly special.
Comments
4 responses to ““Listen you f***ers you screwheads…””
I saw the trailer last night and I really dug the dark undertone of it. It’ll probably turn a lot of people off, but it sure did get me interested. It’s good that WB isn’t misleading people about the tone of the film.
Have you seen the new South Park episode? Maybe Travis Bickle is “the symbol this town needs.”
I just have to say that in the commercial when that annoying chick says “physically yes, physcologically nooooooo”, I want to break my tv.
Ha. I love this article. Way back when this trailer first popped up in theaters I turned to my friend and said that this is so a comedic take on Taxi Driver. I was immediately laughed at and told I was looking too deep into the trailer…. ahhhh vindication…