Pairing of Morgan and Quaid makes for fun ‘Watch’
Contrary to its uninspired title, “Neighborhood Watch” is a rather smart cookie with more on its mind than the usual buddy comedy. Credit much of that to the potent chemistry generated by Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Jack Quaid as societal outcasts clumsily attempting to prove their worth by exposing a gang of human traffickers.
Like the distant cousins of Walt and Jesse from “Breaking Bad,” Morgan’s surly old man, Ed Deerman, and Quaid’s seething, erratic, Simon McNally, spin gold out of an uneven script encompassing divergent themes of mental illness and the power of human connection.
It’s eerie how strikingly similar Morgan is to Brian Cranston, in both appearance and vocalization. And like the latter’s Walt, Morgan’s ex-security cop, Ed, does not suffer fools gladly. That includes his next-door neighbor, Simon, who’s come to live with his sister, DeeDee (Malin Akerman), in Birmingham following a 10-year stint in a mental institution for paranoid schizophrenia.
Simon is well now, or so he’s told. But the near-constant facial tics and sudden bursts of anger suggest otherwise. Ed’s certainly not buying it. He thinks the kid’s “crazy,” and is convinced of that when Simon comes pounding on his front door, pleading with him to help rescue a young woman he recently witnessed being snatched off the street.
As expected, Simon first reports the crime to the police. But the cops don’t take him seriously. After all, he’s mentally ill. And what he claims to have seen is dismissed as yet another in a series of hallucinatory episodes. Ed’s reaction is much the same, but there’s something so desperately beseeching about Simon that he’s incapable of shooing the kid away.
Plus, it’s just the distraction Ed needs to keep him away from the online poker table, not to mention some much-needed self-affirmation in the wake of losing his job as director of security at a local community college. He needs Simon as much as Simon needs him. Thus, the stage is set for the beginning of a beautiful friendship, if they can stay alive long enough to see it through.
The plot, concocted by Sean Farley, is clunky, to say the least. But the dialogue is sharp and snappy, and the banter so natural at times as to seem ad-libbed. And why not? Morgan and Quaid mesh well together, mining fresh content from the well-worn pages of the opposites-attract playbook. And director Duncan Skiles is savvy enough to step aside and let them improvise while we sit back and reap the rewards.
Unfortunately, that magic doesn’t extend to the supporting players, all of whom are underdeveloped and underused. Besides Akerman as Simon’s understandably fretful sister, they include Cecile Cubilo as the detective always two steps behind our amateur sleuths, and Jonathan Fuller as the brutish father whose sadistic, abusive invectives have permanently penetrated Simon’s head.
It’s debatable whether Skiles is using Simon’s mental health issues as a plea for benevolence or a mere prop. But Quaid approaches the role with compassion, even when going a tad overboard with the occasional tirade. I also appreciate his enabling us to credibly experience what it’s like to be Simon, repeatedly dismissed and never taken seriously. Most notably, the constant torment from internal voices bent on destroying his confidence and self-esteem.
At one point, Ed inquires about what is happening inside Simon’s head. The kid responds by jacking up the volume on the car radio while wildly scanning the dial, creating a chaotic cacophony that would drive anyone mad. I’d have preferred more moments like it. But it doesn’t diminish Skiles’ intent to champion the marginalized through the phenomenon of two losers learning to become winners simply by showing each other a modicum of respect and understanding. It’s a lesson we could all use, now more than ever.
Movie review
Neighborhood Watch
Rated: R for language, some violence, bloody images
Cast: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jack Quaid and Malin Akerman
Director: Duncan Skiles
Writer: Sean Farley
Runtime: 93 minutes
Where: In theaters (limited) and on demand on April 25
Grade: B
