THE MOVIE PAGES presents KEVIN JAMES in PAUL BLART: MALL COP PBmallcop.htm

What Do The Critics Say?

"It's corny and predictable as heck, but everything: even Blart's romantic overtures to accessories retailer Amy, works. James makes a funny, likeable doofus, and the expansion of his girth since his hit sitcom The King of Queens is used to great comic effect."
JIm Schembri THE AGE
"Sensationally stupid, haphazardly made and qualifying as unmitigated trash by any standards, Paul Blart: Mall Cop also manages to be consistently hilarious, thanks to star Kevin James."
Tom Long DETROIT NEWS
"James gives it everything he's got, totally committing to the character and delivering clean comedy which often times is often more difficult than creating just a raunch-fest."
Ben Lyons AT THE MOVIES
"Thanks to Kevin James' earnest portrayal of an earnest guy, I was won over by the film's goofy charms. Paul Blart is fun. And all the credit for that goes to Kevin James."
Mike McGranaghan AISLE SEAT
"I found myself really quite enjoying this film, partly for its cheerful guying of mall culture. The heroine, Amy, works on a hair extension stand called Unbeweavable. It's written by Kevin James, who stars as Blart, the outsize, clutzy security , guard zooming round a shopping mall on a segue machine."
Julie Rigg ABC NATIONAL MOVIE TIME

"Once the action part of the story kicked in, "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" transformed into a rather enjoyable comic adventure."
Sean McBride SEAN THE MOVIE GUY
"This marks the emergence of a comedy star who may get to fulfill the promise he shows here in films to come. It's an enjoyable hour and a half leaving viewers hoping to see more."
Daniel M Kimmel WORCESTER TELEGRAM & GAZETTE
"Some people really love goofy comedy, and for those people there's Paul Blart: Mall Cop. You can bring the kids. There's something adorable about this Blart character."
Liz Braun JAM! MOVIES
"Adept at physical comedy, Kevin James: who co-wrote the 'Paul Blart: Mall Cop' script, emerges the king of his retail domain."
John P McCarthy REEL TALK MOVIE REVIEWS
"James's remarkably winning performance turns Blart into the ultimate underdog: a decent guy who's finally having the kind of day he deserves."
Matt Pais METROMIX
"The edges of this slapstick action film retain James's blitzkrieg sense of humor, making for a light comic adventure I'm positive kids will flip for."
Brian Orndorf BRIAN ORNDORF.COM

The Inside Story Kevin James, who film fans will remember played Albert Brennaman alongside Will Smith in "Hitch", came up with the idea for the character of Paul Blart after a discussion with his fellow comedy superstar and producer, Adam Sandler. Having teamed on the comedy smash "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry", Sandler was interested in working with James again, this time in Sandler’s capacity as a producer through his company, Happy Madison. Sandler was intrigued by James's idea: to play a bungling Jersey mall cop who saves the day. "Because mall cops are purportedly in positions of authority, but without the real power of the police, I thought it would be fun to play that kind of a character," says "The King Of Queens" star. James. With his writing partner, Nick Bakay ("Sabrina, the Teenage Witch"), James created the character of Paul Blart, a bumbler who overcompensates by taking his job way too seriously, and a charming everyman who finally gets the chance to test his mettle when an extreme team of crooks takes over the mall. "This character comes straight from Kevin," says the films director Steve Carr("Daddy Day Care", "Dr Doolittle 2" and "Are We Done Yet?"). "He has a real knowledge, a real soft spot for the character. Everything he wrote on the page as a screenwriter and every choice he made as an actor during filming rings true because it’s a part of him. The best part is that the funnier Kevin gets, the more I get to take the credit: it works out great!" Producer Todd Garner ("The Waterboy", "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo" and "Anger Management"), expanded on that point. "Because this character comes from the mind of Kevin James, everything he does, whether it’s his physical mannerisms or his acting style, became the character. It’s the truest manifestation of all his talents." "There is nobody better at physical comedy right now than Kevin James," Garner ("The One") says. "He’d be throwing himself over the side of a ramp or smashing himself onto a countertop or wiping out a stack of suitcases." "He is physical, talented and game for everything," says two time World Stunt Award winning stunt coordinator Chris O’Hara ("The Bourne Ultimatum" & "The Bourne Supremacy"). "There is a lot of physical humor in this movie, and Kevin wants to do as much of it as he can; in fact, he came up with so many stunts himself. It’s cool to work with an actor like that." To play the part, James did the requisite training: but not the kind you might expect. "I did some polyester pants training," James confided. "You got to go through polyester pants training because polyester doesn’t breathe. If you don’t do the training and your legs aren’t used to polyester pants, you will break out. It is not pretty." With James so willing to put his body on the line, the story would require the villains must be willing to do the same. "Paul is not, let’s face it, the most in-shape guy," James concedes. "We thought, well, what kind of villain would make a good, funny antagonist for him? We hit on the extreme sports, X-Games athlete, the skateboarders and BMX bikers and free runners, and it seemed like a perfect fit." "Paul is mild-mannered, a bit square, has a kid. The antithesis of that are these daft punk, hip X-Gamer guys. We found two world-class skateboarders, two unbelievable BMX riders, and two free runners, who not only were the perfect people to play the roles, but also worked with the set designers and art and camera departments, to help us figure out how best to show off their skills in set pieces," says Garner. "I loved that this movie was family accessible but not aimed specifically at a kids audience," says Carr, who directed Ice Cube and Lisa Rodríguez in "Next Friday".

"Kevin and I hit it off right away. Our ideas for the movie were perfectly in sync." "Steve Carr has got a great eye for comedy," Garner notes. "He was the perfect fit for this movie, because we knew we wanted it to be funny and we knew we wanted to have great action." Surrounding Kevin James is a group of comic actors that bring lively performances to their roles. Leading the way among them is Jayma Mays who was cast as Amy, the young lady Paul has a crush on. She was sold on the role as soon as she read the script and found that her character sells clip-on hair extensions and barrettes at a mall kiosk called 'Unbeweaveable'. "It’s the most brilliant thing," says Mays of the pun. "As soon as I read that in the script, I fell in love with the character." Mays, who is best-known for her recurring role as Charlie during the second season of "Ugly Betty," revealed she relished the opportunity to work alongside Kevin James. "He’s charming, genuine, and very funny," says the actress for played Cynthia the assistant hotel manager in Wes Craven’s in "Red Eye". "He’s very open to new ideas and very imaginative. He is so into character; he’s an actor’s dream." At the beginning of the film, Paul Blart is introduced to his new partner. In contrast to the by the book Blart, Veck seems lazy, sarcastic, and generally just marking time to earn an easy paycheck. Veck Sims is played by Keir O’Donnell, who audiences will remember as the brother, Todd, in the comedy hit "Wedding Crashers". Sims has a secret that won't be reveled here. "I thought that if I could be surprised by that, it would be a cool thing for the audience, too," O’Donnell said. "It’s fun to play a character. You get to go up to a big, tattooed, muscular athlete and say the most condescending, obnoxious things. I really get to lay into them, because my character in the movie is supposed to be 'the smart one'. What’s really interesting about those guys is how much they were committed to being good actors. They’d come up to me asking for pointers: whatever they could do to improve their performances, they wanted to do. I’m sure that wasn’t easy for them, to ask for help like that. But they got back at me when I got on a skateboard, and I’m saying, 'Can you help me out?' They were just laughing. I was ridiculous." Fifteen year old actress Raini Rodriguez was cast as Paul’s daughter, Maya. She relished her opportunity to work with Kevin James. "It’s like getting a master class in comedy," says Rodriguez. "He is the king. And we had such great chemistry, on the set, it was like we were really father and daughter. He got a little overprotective: 'don’t walk there, you’ll get hurt.' It was really funny." Rounding out the cast are: Stephen Rannazzisi ("For Your Consideration"), who plays Stuart, the oily kiosk pen salesman; Bobby Cannavale ("Snakes on a Plane"), who plays Commander Kent, the SWAT team leader and, Shirley Knight (Auntie Claire in "P.S. Your Cat Is Dead!"), who plays Paul’s mother. Part of the reason Kevin James wanted to write and star in "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" is that it harks back in a way to his formative years (in Stony Brook, New York), growing up in the malls of the east coast of the U.S.A. James recalls: "I’d be in Spencer Gifts and Sam Goody, checking out the albums, hanging out and meeting people. The mall isn’t just about the stores: it’s like a town center, where you hang out and see a girl you like and how long are you going to follow her before you never make a move and go home?" "The mall in this story is like another character in the movie," says DOP, Russ T Alsobrook ("Role Models" & "Superbad"). "It has its own personality."

The filmmakers say they never considered trying to recreate the energy and buzz of a mall on a soundstage. They found their location at the Burlington Mall in Burlington, Massachusetts. They could have shut down the mall, or closed sections of it, or even shot after-hours, when the mall is closed. Instead, the filmmakers opted to film during business hours, when the mall was teeming with shoppers. "Because the moviemaking process has an air of mystery about it, you’re going to get an audience anywhere you shoot: and that’s especially true in a place, like a working mall in Massachusetts, that doesn’t see people making movies every day," prducer Todd Garner ("Suddenly 30") explained. "It could have been a challenge, but the people were great and very respectful of what we were trying to do. I think that adds to the atmosphere of the movie." "When the mall is in full operation, it gets a little crazy," James said with a chuckle. "But it’s great to see the fans: the crowds get excited about the movie." "It’s weird, but also cool, performing in front of so many people. It’s like theater in the round," Mays adds. "And when they don’t need you in a scene, you’re shopping all day." Which, as James points out, can have its drawbacks. "My per diem is wiped out for the next five movies." Of course, the mall did need a bit of a Hollywood makeover. The story takes place on Black Friday: the day after Thanksgiving and the biggest shopping day of the year. The art department, headed by production designer Perry Andelin Blake ("Click" & "Billy Madison"), would be charged with dressing the mall for Christmas in the middle of April. "When you walked by 'Gap' or 'J Crew', all the mannequins in the window and all the pictures were of people in bathing suits and short pants. It was a very summery look," Blake recalls. "So we had to work with the stores to take out their summer apparel and redress their mannequins in parkas and skis: just to make sure that there weren’t things in the background to throw the audience off balance when watching the movie." There were other design elements, too, both subtle and obvious. The filmmakers began with the mall’s holiday decorations. To give the mall feel a Christmastime feeling, Blake arranged with the management, Simon Property Group, to hang their oversize Christmas ornaments and lights. But there was one, big showpiece that would need to be added. "We wanted to have a Santa’s Village," Blake admitted. "But Santa’s Village always looks like a chalet in Switzerland, and I didn’t want to recreate that kind of typical look. I started looking north, in the direction of the North Pole: Norway, Sweden, Russia, Finland, and we ended up basing the look on the old, wooden Russian Orthodox Churches of St. Petersburg, the ones with the onion domes." You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen. Or maybe you don’t: in Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Santa’s Reindeer are in fact skateboarders, BMX riders, free runners: and, not to mention, thieves, orchestrating a scheme to steal consumers’ credit card info on the busiest shopping day of the year. To play the roles, the filmmakers tapped some of the biggest stars from the world of extreme sports: Mike "Mike V" Vallely and Jason Ellis (world renowned skateboarders). Mike "Rooftop' Escamilla and Rick Thorne (record-holding BMX bikers). Victor Lopez and Natascha Hopkins as free runners. "It was appropriate casting," says Mike V, "because I am a badass skateboarder. They got that right." Thorne explains how he got the gig. "I just went in and acted like I had a gun." He pointed a finger at director Carr and said: "I’m taking over the mall. Give me the role, kid." Synopsis

Paul Blart is a single suburban dad trying to make ends meet as a security officer at a New Jersey mall. Paul's always dreamt of becoming a fully fledged police officer: and he nearly did. But that dream has been shattered, when he failed the final leg of the induction course thanks to Hypoglycemia. While Paul takes his job very seriously; the same can't be said for the shoppers he deals with on a daily basis or his fellow security workers. That all changes the day that Santa's little helpers shut down the mall, took over the bank and started taking hostages, including Paul's daughter and his secret love, Amy. Realizing that no one knows the mall better than the man who's paid to guard it, Paul mounts his Segway transporter and speeds to the rescue. Jersey's most formidable mall cop will have to become a real cop if he is to save the day and gain the job he loves the respect it deserves.

The Verdict

"Fans of the small screen will remember him as Doug Heffernan from 206 episodes of "The King Of Queens" (1998-2007) and eight episodes of "Everybody Loves Raymond", while cinemagoers will remember him as the love-struck Albert Brennaman in "Hitch" or more recently, as fireman Larry Valentine in "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry". Pound for pound, Kevin James is one of the best comedic actors around. His latest showing, "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" is set to further increase his standing in the popularity stakes and most importantly, get a good slice of the box-office pie. Co-written with writing partner Nick Bakay (who appeared as Salem Saberhagen in 163 episodes of "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch") this delightful of goofey fun, romance action and 'underdog wins through' will appeal to all ages. Even better, it's the ideal film for a family outing to the local multiplex. James plays Blart as the ultimate loser. Blart has failed in his recent attempt to become a real police officer, he is a single dad who has no luck with the ladies and to make it worse, no-one, not even his co-workers respects the job. Like Paul Blart, Kevin James had to step-up to the mark. The actor was determined to do his own stunts, but had to be talked into doing a major scene that is reminiscent of a 007 movie. The fact that the fourty five foot fall meant landing in a kiddies ball pit (containing sixty four thousand balls designed to break the fall of two men), was compounded by James's fear for heights. "Paul Blart" Mall Cop" provides plenty of good-hearted laughs with nary a swear word to be heard. Recommended. 3 1/2 STARS." Who Plays Who?

Kevin James
Keir O'Donnell
Jayma Mays
Raini Rodriguez
Shirley Knight
Stephen Rannazzisi
Peter Gerety
Bobby Cannavale
Adam Ferrara
Jamal Mixon
Adhir Kalyan
Erick Avari
Gary Valentine
Allen Covert
Mike Vallely
Mike Escamilla
Jason Ellis
Jason Packham
Rick Thorne
Victor T. Lopez
Natascha Hopkins
Mookie Barker
Jackie Flynn
Richie Minervini
Bernie McInerney
Dylan Clark Marshall
Tyler Spindel
Bas Rutten

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Paul Blart
Veck Sims
Amy
Maya Blart
Mom
Stuart
Chief Brooks
Commander Kent
Sergeant Howard
Leon
Pahud
Vijay
Karaoke Singer
Jerky Security Guy
Rudolph
Blitzen
Prancer
Comet
Cupid
Donner
Vixen
Mr Ferguson
Officer
Bank Manager
Old Man on Scooter
Jacob
SWAT Tech
Drill Instructor

The Production Team

Director
Written by
Producers

Original Music
Director of Photography
Film Editor
Casting
Production Designer
Art Direction
Set Decoration
Costume Design

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Steve Carr
Kevin James & Nick Bakay
Doug Belgrad/Todd Garner/Adam Sandler
Jeff Sussman/Matthew Tolmach
Waddy Wachtel
Russ T Alsobrook
Jeff Freeman
Jeanne McCarthy & Anne Mulhall
Perry Andelin Blake
Alan Au
Tracey Doyle
Ellen Lutter