Most people like silly slapstick humour - I have ever since I saw Leslie Nielson in The Naked Gun when I was a child. I would laugh at his stupid jokes, the shameless impersonations, and the crude boob/sex humour. Even co-stars Priscilla Presley and O.J. Simpson could get laughs out of me. Looking back, I realize that for the time, these were 'edgy' comedies; that is, the humour was pushing boundaries. So when I contemplate the date-rape scene in the Seth Rogen flick Observe and Report, I get concerned for several reasons.
NOTE: Spoilers ahead. Read on, but you've been warned!
First off, kids will see this movie. Despite its 'R' rating (thankfully), there will be flocks of teenagers and younger siblings who just so happen to 'wander' into the theatre, or stumble upon it online. Second, many moviegoers associate Seth Rogen with solid, funny films, and will be pinning their $14 on him. Lastly, and perhaps most concerning, is this question: is this what passes as funny these days?
The scene in question involves a head-over-heels-in-love (read: obsessed) Ronnie (Rogen) feeding his 'date' Brandi (Anna Faris) alcohol and pills. As her speech starts to slur and she begins to puke, his eyes widen as he realizes his chance has finally come. She passes out on her bed, face-down in her own vomit, and Rogen begins to have sex with her. When he stops for a moment to catch his breath, she mutters, "Did I tell you to stop, motherf---er?" (Ugh, even writing this second-hand description makes me feel awkward).
In an interview with Anna Faris for the AV Club, the actress was suprised the scene was even included in the movie: "Jody [Hill]'s comedy was so appealing to me, and I really wanted be part of it. I'm so grateful I was cast, but when I read the script, I thought, 'Well, this is Warner Brothers. This is a studio movie, so this is all gonna be softened up. It's a comedy, right?' So when we were shooting it, even the date-rape scene-or as I refer to it, 'The Tender Love-Making Scene' - I just thought, 'We'll shoot it, but it's not gonna be in the movie. I don't have to worry about that one.' And yet there it is."
Judging by the tone of the scene, the 'motherf---er' line is supposed to make everything OK. It's like after-the-fact consent for date rape, which of course doesn't make it OK. Lord knows what impressionable kids will think when they see Rogen doing this and getting away with it. Worse, he's supposed to be in a position of authority (yeah, yeah...I know, he's only a mall cop, but still).
I know many fans of the genre will disagree with my point of view and say it's all in good fun, but even movies like American Pie and the aforementioned Naked Gun avoided this type of humour. Lines have to be drawn, and I think having sex with an unconscious lush lying in her own vomit is a good place to draw it..
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1. I totally agree and this is exactly what I tought when I saw this scene. Feeding his date with alcohol and pills till she passes out on her bed and face down in her vomit and having sex with her is disgusting. This is the lowest point a guy can go with a girl, and they make it a way kids will thing its OK. Where is our world going?
Posted at 2:09PM on Apr 15th 2009 by Mike
2. That's right, moron. Just like there was that rash of kids stealing nuclear weapons after "Broken Arrow" was released. If a movie is your moral compass, you have far bigger problems.
Posted at 10:57AM on Apr 16th 2009 by A.C.
3. Um, A.C....I think date raping a girl is entirely more feasible than stealing a nuclear weapon. Seriously.
Posted at 11:00AM on Apr 16th 2009 by Chris
4. Totally agee with the first comment on this thread...what is this f---ing world coming to or where is this f---ing world going or will be in a few years from now, hope I am not around to find out...it's just plain disgusting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This movie's message (although it's a movie, you MORONS) these are what kids see, learn and follows/practices their criminal activity with later on in life with, you fuckheads, what does it take for you people of authority to LEARN/WAKEUP and smell the coffee????
It's like giving these rapists permission to rape!!!
Is money the only factor here that mattters, that you do not care what damages it would eventually cause to human beings in the future, or are you only thinking about right now/this moment and cares nothing about the long term effects.
Or maybe you are waiting to find out the hard way... after the women are being raped, and it's all over the media, then a court case and then someone goes to jail maybe for the rest of their lives and then the victims spends the rest of her life in therapy sessions or maybe just commit suicide, is that what it takes for you people to wakeup/learn????????? f---heads!!!!
Posted at 7:49PM on Apr 16th 2009 by jim
5. Bad taste? without a doubt. Should they keep all humor tasteful and without controversy? Hell no! My kids wont see this and if they do hopefully Ive put more in their heads than some questionable humor ever could. Good on them for stirring the pot! Let me decide whats "gone to far!" Seth is one funny
Mo-Fo!
Posted at 9:35AM on Apr 17th 2009 by Scott
6. Now I know for once and for all that I do NOT want to see this movie. From the trailers I thought it was rather low brow, and nasty but now hearing about a date rape scene makes me wonder what Warner Bros is thinking (or if they are at all thinking). Kids to unfortunately take their cues from movies and music these days, and it's no wonder when you have so many absent parents. There needs to be a strong message sent to places like Warner Bros to tell them to back off on these types of images. As a woman who not only was molested as a child but raped as a teenager these scenes are impossible to watch and it turns my stomach to think that some where out there after this movie is released some frat boys or the like will think that date rape is okay and will end up trying it. I can't tell you how hard it makes life once you've been raped.
Posted at 4:47AM on Apr 17th 2009 by Maggie
7. I JUST FEEL LIKE PEOPLE LACK COMPASSION... ITS THE SAME TO ME AS PEOPLE WHO MAKE JOKES ABOUT MICHAEL JACKSON BEING A CHILD MOLESTER I'M SURE THE KIDS WHO HE ALLEGEDLY TOUCHED LAUGH ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME IN THERAPY! MAYBE IF JODY HILL SPENT SOMETIME IN PRISON WHERE HIS A--HOLE IS IN HIGH DEMAND HE WOULDN'T TAKE RAPE SO LIGHTLY!
Posted at 11:23AM on Apr 17th 2009 by brandy
8. Feasible or not is hardly the point. The fact is that people here are using the pitiful justification of protecting "the children", to obfuscate censorship (make no mistake, that's what it is!) based on their own tastes in entertainment. Sorry, but as soon as you start down this road, you should also ban every movie that portrays speeding, lying, hitting someone in the head with a frying pan, serving undercooked ground beef, jaywalking, etc. How could you not?? Kids are going to see it and think it's ok!!
See where I'm going?
Don't see the movie. I couldn't care less. But just because you're squeamish about a certain topic, don't for a second think that gives you the right to "protect" others from it. That's NOT your choice to make.
I see arguements here that are weak at best and outright self serving lies at worst.
Posted at 9:11AM on Apr 20th 2009 by A.C.
9. with all the bs thats going on in the world I think comedy no matter how dark is exactly what we need thers more repetitive news on about total crap that nobody cares about why not report on interesting info like cnn did back in the day when reece was b. m. o. c.
Posted at 9:12AM on Apr 20th 2009 by russell darin tullis
10. Its an R rated movie. What do you excpect? its your own fault if you take your kids under 18 to see this...
Posted at 9:12AM on Apr 21st 2009 by Peter
11. Quagmire uses date rape drugs everyday.... seth rogan is my homie and its just a movie so just chill
Posted at 9:13AM on Apr 21st 2009 by josh
12. umm haha lol that would be funny but its sooo inapropreate and if i was with ma friends the id prob laugh lol
Posted at 3:51PM on Apr 22nd 2009 by fiyinfoluwa
13. Is it any wonder why Hollywood is losing money these days? I haven't seen this movie and don't plan to. There is something seriously wrong with these writers when they consider rape to be funny. What is even more disturbing is some of the viewers find rape funny as well.
Posted at 9:23AM on Apr 27th 2009 by thegoat
14. Rape is not a laughing matter...unless you're raping a clown.
Posted at 9:23AM on Apr 27th 2009 by Tom
15. this is just a scene from a movie, it may not be funny but its not real. there are many other movies that have rape scenese but i dont see u slamming them over that 1 scene..
Posted at 9:11AM on Apr 28th 2009 by William
16. We know its a movie, we know its not real, but it depicts real issues.. Date rape is a very real thing. Putting this in a so called comedy is just wrong. What are movies coming to? Most of them have naked women in them and sex scenes, that kids watch, but now rape is okay to have in movies too?? That movie, The last house on the left, had a rape scene in it, and was the main reason I would never watch it. It seems these film makers really have no respect for women anymore. Its disgusting. I have to read everything about a movie before I can take my kid to it. A rape scene is not something I want him to have to sit and watch and wonder how thats okay... Film makers have to start taking some care when making these movies..Its not only men that watch them, its women and young adults too...
Posted at 8:58AM on Apr 29th 2009 by Wanda
17. I don't really agree with any of Rogen/Faris starred films as all the subject matter is discretionary and not much fun. Go figure that they'd now try pushing the envelope even further. The described scene is absolutely sickening and has no business even in an adult humored film.
The straw argument about "censorship" is lame at best. I highly doubt it does anyone any good by injecting 'sick' scenes into comedies unless you find wheelchair-bound people knocked over to be funny... if that's your type of appreciated 'humor'. This is the typical liberal argument. Just because you wish to view all sorts of depravity, doesn't mean it's right to shove it down the rest of our throats. Call me a prude, puritan, conservative, or even a twat. I couldn't care less asides from the fact that it reveals your true unbridled nature to where the world is headed. We aren't the common wayward sheeple, we wish to preserve what little morals are left around this cesspool of a planet, thank you very much for stinking it up even more. Someone always has to pee into the gene pool out of a lack of common sense and courtesy. Wake up, the world doesn't revolve around you. Take your god complex attitude and shove it.
Ah well, sex sells in any given form. Mix sex with comedy and then package it to sell to the sheeple. Reading most comments, I'm glad that most of us don't appreciate this kind of depravity that Hollywood keeps crapping out. Since when did humor have to be so dark? I'd take a childish fart joke over a date rape any time. I'm not religious, but I still don't think sensitive issues are comical. I have a sense of humor, but this crap is definitely not funny... it's insulting.
Another dumb-me-down film served up on a dirty doormat by Hollywood. Thank goodness I'm not paying a damn cent for this film travesty. Thanks for the head's up, Chris Jancelewicz!
Posted at 9:14PM on May 10th 2009 by Sarah
18. What, whoever wrote this article is an idiot, this is a movie and its not real! There is tons of comedy movies out there that have scenes that involve murder and they somehow make it funny to the audience, why would murder be accepted as something funny and rape wouldnt? it dosent make sense, if your kid thinks rape is ok because he saw it in a movie then you need to give your kid a better proper education, ok raping is not something youre gonna go do because you saw it in a movie, kids arent stupid, if you take the time and explain to the them that movies...is fiction, im pretty sure thye can understand easely! You can plcae taboos on subject when it comes to comedy, either EVERYTHING is ok, or NOTHING is.
Posted at 9:01PM on May 10th 2009 by pekeno
19. violent behavior existed since the beginning of time.
there were no movies or videio games to blame back then.
and it is rated "R".
most of us can differentiate fantasy and reality.
the scene is tasteless but it is just a movie!!!
Posted at 1:30PM on May 11th 2009 by DEE
20. I think there are some topics that should not be made fun of and raping a woman is one of them. That is not funny.
Posted at 1:20PM on May 15th 2009 by dish network