PAUL BLART MALL COP
A dull slapstick comedy better left for home viewing.
Should You Watch It?
Paul Blart: Mall Cop has a premise with potential: an overweight, hypoglycemic mall cop who takes his job seriously must protect shoppers and staffers when criminals take over the mall on Black Friday. Its moral center is clear enough. Paul tries to do the right thing, protect others, and save the day.
But the comedy rarely lands. The plot is dull, the dialogue often falls flat, and some of the physical comedy is awkward or disturbing. The relationship between Paul and his daughter is also unrealistic and not inspiring. Foul language, gratuitous sexual references, and a drunken episode further weaken whatever wholesome qualities the movie creates.
The practical answer: wait to watch this one at home, if your family chooses to watch it at all.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESPaul Blart is a single mall cop who lives by the motto, “Safety never takes a holiday.” He dreams of becoming a real police officer, but his serious approach to the job often makes him the subject of ridicule.
When bad guys posing as Santa’s helpers take over the mall on Black Friday and hold staffers and shoppers hostage, Paul must use his determination and unusual skills to protect others and stop the criminals.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars means this is a below-average comedy with a premise that could have worked better. Kevin James brings Paul Blart to the screen with plenty of slapstick and physical comedy, but the result is dull rather than hilarious.
The plot lacks momentum, and the dialogue frequently falls flat. The writers also introduce twists without properly preparing the audience for them. Some violence feels random, including a brawl between Paul and a larger woman in a Victoria’s Secret store. The relationship between Paul and his daughter is cliché and overdone instead of emotionally convincing.
The Worldview
The film presents a basically moral center: Paul wants to capture the bad guys, protect others, and do the right thing even at personal cost. Its romantic elements also involve a man rescuing a woman from danger. These are worthwhile themes, though the film delivers them through weak writing and slapstick comedy.
The movie also presents less helpful ideas and behaviors. Paul’s pessimism about his job, self-pity, and drunken behavior set a poor example for his daughter. The story suggests that a man needs a girlfriend in order to be happy, while also including stalking, stealing, lying, and a reference to marriage for citizenship. These elements distort the film’s attempted family values.
At its best, the story points toward courage and sacrificial protection. Scripture says, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Strong moral worldview with light Romantic elements where man rescues woman from dangerous situation and tries to do the right thing by capturing the bad guys and fighting to protect others at personal cost to himself; 11 obscenities and 10 profanities (mostly “Oh, God”); slapstick violence such as man runs into car, man tries to run over other man with motor chair, man throws other man off of a stage, man gets into brawl with larger woman in store, bombs explode but no one is injured, bad men shoot guns but nobody gets hit, man shoots other man in the arm but no blood is shown, man gets knocked out by a tanning bed, man gets knocked down and knocked out by hockey stick, two men fall 45 feet into play-area ball pit, man gets into brawl with other man, man head butts other man, man gets knocked out by helium tank, children throw plastic balls from ball pit at man, unconscious woman gets dropped on the floor after being knocked out by an air vent, bad guy repeatedly shoots a plastic dummy, and other slapstick comedic pratfalls; sexual references such as man accidentally asks “Do you do men?” instead of “Do you do men’s hair,” reference made to drunken man making out with a purse, a hot sauce is called “Devil’s Crotch,” reference made to a man’s weight responsible for knocking out a woman, but this line is delivered with sexual implications, overweight man refers to his “love sweats” as a way of saying he gets nervous around women, boy is overly-infatuated with his ex-girlfriend and makes a couple of light suggestive comments, and light kiss at the end of the movie; upper male nudity, overweight woman shown in bra while in a brawl, and scantily clad woman in a video game; alcohol use depicted with man unknowingly drinking a pitcher of margarita mix that he thinks is lemonade which ends up making him drunk, and people drink alcohol in the bar of a restaurant; no smoking or drug use; man gets drunk and ends up getting tattoos on his back, implications are made that in order to be happy a man needs to have a girlfriend, reference made to woman marrying a man only to gain citizenship only to leave after doing so, man is ridiculed for his weight, boy stalks his ex-girlfriend by installing a GPS tracking system on her phone without her knowing it, stealing, and lying.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Paul takes his job seriously even when others ridicule him. When is it right to persevere in doing good, and how can you respond to ridicule?
Galatians 6:9 · 1 Peter 3:15–16The story connects happiness with romantic relationships. Where should our deepest contentment come from?
Psalm 16:11 · Philippians 4:11–13The movie includes lying, stealing, and tracking someone without her knowledge. Why does God care about truth and respecting another person’s boundaries?
Exodus 20:16 · Ephesians 4:25Paul tries to protect others at personal cost. What does genuine sacrificial love look like in ordinary life?
John 15:13 · Philippians 2:3–4The Final Word
Paul Blart: Mall Cop has a promising setup and a clear desire to celebrate courage, but dull writing, weak relationships, and unnecessary content spoil the fun. For families considering it, WAIT FOR HOME—and consider a more commendable family comedy instead.
