Evan (Ben Stiller) is a generic, upper-middle class, suburban white guy in the vanilla town of Glenview, Ohio. He manages the local Costco and heads up several community organizations, including the running club and a group to teaches Spanish to senior citizens. Life is a slice of apple pie Americana until his friend Antonio, the night security guard, falls victim to a grisly murder whilst guarding the store. In response, Evan forms a neighborhood watch and solicits community support at a high school football game.
Turnout is sparse and less than competent. Bob (Vince Vaughn), purveyor of the ultimate man cave, is really just looking for a few nights a week away from the family, some beer and some bro time. Franklin (Jonah Hill) is a high school dropout who also couldn’t make it in the police academy; he’s just looking to kick some ass. Jamarcus (Richard Ayoade) is a nerdy Brit who wants to serve his new community. And get his balls sucked. Things are going swell until the gang realizes that security-guard Antonio was killed by a skin-stealing alien and it’s up to their neighborhood watch to stop an invasion. As one character says, “You can’t kill someone and take their skin! That’s not cool!”
Dick. Cock. Prick. Balls. Cum. Jizz. Shit. Fuck. The Watch offers very few verbal exchanges that don’t include one or more of these words, but you don’t go see a Ben Stiller/Vince Vaughn comedy for Shakespearean wit. It’s a raunchy good time that far surpasses the mediocre trailers. But what else would you expect from co-writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who worked together on Superbad, Pineapple Express and Da Ali G Show? Team those two up with director Akiva Schaffer of The Lonely Island and you have a pretty good idea what you’re getting into when you walk up to the theater.
Acting wise, The Watch is spot-on. While it’d be easy to make a joke about Ben Stiller being typecast as a boring white guy (I thought he should have been banned from making movies years ago), he shines as Evan, the wholesome purveyor of bulk goods. (I wonder: In how many movies will Stiller play a fitness nut? But, I digress …) Vince Vaughn is great in almost any comedic role and it’s no different here, as his well-off contractor and protective father is always good for a laugh. Jonah Hill is great as underachieving Franklin, whose varied neuroses serve the team well. But it’s Richard Ayoade who steals the show as Jamarcus, who uses subtlety and a disarming accent to make his gags the best of the bunch.
The Watch could very well have been just as good a movie without the silly alien invasion premise — a premise that actually turned me off when viewing the trailer. The jokes are plentiful and funny enough that the misadventures of a motley neighborhood watch would have been equally satisfying. There are only a handful of gags that would have to be modified for a flick without the aliens, but most would still find a fit. As is, The Watch is still hilarious — just you watch and see. 
This article appears in Jul 26 – Aug 1, 2012.