YMMV / Paul Blart: Mall Cop

• Awesome Music: The pounding classic rock songs used when Paul rocks out in the arcade, and later when he changes clothes.
• Fridge Brilliance: Subtly, Paul Blart's unusually successful defeat of the goons is a subtle allusion to the principles of guerilla warfare. Paul Blart's opponents are not only in better shape than Blart but have more resources and skill. But one thing they lack is an understanding of the environment they are trying to rob. Paul, meanwhile, is incredibly knowledgeable about how the mall works. He even remembers the guy running the Dunkin' Donuts is supposed to give leftovers to charity. Paul's knowledge of his environment works in his favor since he can lure his opponents into traps and take them down.
  • Paul's skill isn't surprising since he's spent much of his life trying to get into the New Jersey police. It would make sense for him to understand the basics of combat.
• Heartwarming Moments: "Happy birthday, Amy!" Especially the dedication.
  • Also the fact that despite being a "loser" character, Paul has a very pleasant relationship with his daughter, who sincerely respects and cares about him.
  • When Paul kindly escorts Amy on his Segway all in Slo Mo to no audio except Survivor's "I Can't Hold Back" perfectly conveying his romantic jones for her.
• Memetic Mutation: Photoshopping the movie cover to say and show incredibly silly things.
• Narm: The bad guys' codenames. The Christmas theme makes sense since its Black Friday, but its hard to take villains seriously when they refer to themselves by the names of Santa's reindeer. Strangely, despite this being a comedy, these silly monikers aren't Played for Laughs.
• So Okay, It's Average: One of the main criticisms directed at the film. It's not really bad, but it never rises up to be anything special.
• Tear Jerker: Paul's situation. he married a woman who only wanted him for citizenship, he's trapped in a dead-end job, and his body's inability to regulate its own sugar means he can't get his coveted job at the New Jersey police. While played for laughs, the dating site scene underscores how desperately lonely Blart is.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character: Near the very end, right after Paul has taken down all the bad guys, Kent reveals he's working with them. He's then almost immediately taken down after this reveal by Brooks and Howard, with the twist adding nothing to the plot.
• The Woobie: The title character. His wife used him just to obtain citizenship, leaving him to raise their daughter as a single parent (though helped by his mother). His dream is to work for the New Jersey police department, but he's stuck working at a mall instead due to his hypoglycemia. The dating website scenes really demonstrate how lonely the poor guy is.

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