The Watch review

Release date: 24th August
Certificate: 15
Starring: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Richard Ayoade
Director: Akiva Schaffer

What's the story? Five suburban men form a Neighbourhood Watch group after a local murder, little knowing that aliens are behind the crime.

What did we think? The boys, familiar comedy faces all, are on form for this monumentally silly but surprisingly funny comedy.

Ben Stiller's always good at being an ordinary bloke with ideas above his station, so he's the perfect star for this crazy comedy about a Neighbourhood Watch geek. He's Evan, a conscientious Costco store manager who's rocked by an employee's death and determined to find the culprit with thorough investigative research. Meanwhile his recruits - played by Vaughn, Hill and Ayoade - are more interested in swigging beer during stakeouts. Throw in an alien and you've got a very amusing set up.

So do the writers - who include Seth Rogen - make the most of it? Well, partly. There are some cracking gags and set-pieces, from character-based comedy to farcical scenarios (look out for Billy Crudup's creepy neighbour in particular). But there's also a weird obsession with certain, let's say, reproductive issues that's overplayed and rarely funny.

Oh, and if you're wondering, Ayoade doesn't attempt an American accept: he rocks up at Evan's house talking exactly like he does on the I.T. Crowd, thank goodness - we couldn't imagine him any other way.

This is the kind of film you laugh at all the way through and forget in an instant, but if you're in the mood for a giggle it's spot-on.

Verdict: More hit than miss, this is good for a light-hearted laugh, especially if you're a fan of Stiller's deadpan delivery.


Other reviews:

• "For hang time with the guys, you could do worse than The Watch." Rafer Guzman, Newsday.
• "It made me laugh and even though it got untangled towards the end I had fun watching it." - Peter Canaves, Groucho Reviews
• "The Watch is a predictable and lazy comedy wrapped around a penis joke occasionally enlivened with some funny lines." Linda Barnard ,Toronto Star