Instead, Paul Blart (Kevin James) works as a security guard (or "Security Officer," if you will) in a mall. While the other security guards tend to punch in, punch out and stay quiet, Paul Blart takes his job very - very - seriously. He is basically trying to live his life as a State Trooper, while actually being employed as a security guard at the mall. Sadly, riding around on a Segway is not nearly as intimidating as driving a police car... making it kinda hard to pull someone over and issue citations for wreckless driving - which is not to say that Blart won't try.
Paul Blart is a lonely man, as well. His ex-wife left him after getting her green card, and he now lives with his daughter and his mother. Blart may wish that the right woman would walk into his life, but his mother and daughter are tired of waiting on fate and are anxious to fix him up, in what can only be described as awkward. When a beautiful new female employee, Amy (Jayma Mays), starts working at "Un-be-weavable," a hair accessory cart in the mall, it looks like things may be starting to make a change for the better... if he can "man-up" and win the girl, that is. Well, our unlikely hero may just have his chance, when a terrorist group composed of extreme sports athletes takes over the mall with a plan to steal millions of dollars by hijacking the electronic funds made on Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving, A.K.A. the largest shopping day of the year.
It's up to Paul Blart to stop the thieves and rescue Amy and his daughter, Maya (Raini Rodriguez), who are among the captured hostages.
Kevin James turns in an excellent performance as Paul Blart, giving the character dimension beyond simply being a mall cop. Also stellar in this movie are the extreme athletes; the stunt work is awesome, uses professional extreme athletes and is interesting as the athletes play parts in the movie, rather than being "stand-ins" for actors. There were some pretty awesome stunts performed in Paul Blart: Mall Cop, and viewers interested in skateboarding, BMX bikes and free running and parkour will enjoy the special features that show how these stunts were done. However, even those who are simply looking to be entertained are likely to find something to enjoy in Paul Blart: Mall Cop; I would highly recommend it. It's a fun, family-friendly movie.
