Paul Blart Mall Cop: The overlooked gem?

Paul Blart: Mall Cop is a film that on release was critically slated but actually performed well at the box office grossing 183 on a 26m budget. Paul Blart smashed the box office on its release on January 2009 but since then has generally been regarded as a bad film in the public consensus. PB currently has a 5.2 rating on IMDB and 43% audience score on RT, I believe in 15-20 years people will realise what a great film PB and hopefully this will change.

At the heart of Paul Blart: Mall Cop is a great and often overlooked performance by Kevin James. Kevin James puts a performance that manages to create a perfect balance of comedy and drama without overselling it. Throughout the film we are treated to a physical/slapstick comedy masterclass by KJ, who channels the greats like Chaplin and Keaton. We all know that KJ has great comedic chops but the heavier dramatic scenes are played perfectly by KJ. The scenes with the daughter where he confides in her about his loneliness are subtle but touching, KJ and Raini Rodriguez (Maya) display chemistry that is often missing in comedy films dabbling in serious themes.

Keir O'Donnell as the villain Veck Simms delivers a solid performance that manages to be funny yet intimidating as the leader of a group that is trying to rob the mall. Bobby Cannavale as Commander James Kent is a real force when on screen and his back and forth with KJ makes them a great pairing even though they don't share much screentime.

Please consider watching or rewatching Paul Blart and seeing if your opinion changes, I'm a big fan of the film and I just wish more people were able to see how great is it really is.