The Watch

Considering the talent involved there was quite high expectations for this film. But perhaps because of a title change due to a real life incident involving a Neighbourhood Watch group, the film was a big flop.
When making a film you bring together all the elements in the hope that magic happens and a great film is made. In 'The Watch' you have some great elements coming together like the cast and a good premise for them to play with. Sadly it did not work out. I would be interested to know how much of this script was improvised. This seems to be the trend lately with comedies where scenes have the dialogue improvised. I'm getting the feeling that this technique does not always work. While there are a few funny moments, overall there are not enough to make the film hilarious. It sometimes looks like they are searching for a funny line to say. This can get a bit tedious. Perhaps the mixture of genres did not make a tasty meal either.
For me Ben Stiller is funnier when he is playing a wacky character. As an average guy he is less effective, like here. Vince Vaugh does his usual manic shtick. He has some very funny lines though. Jonah Hill is rather subdued and does not get many funny moments. The real star is Richard Ayoade. I've been a fan of his from the TV series 'The IT Crowd' and I'm glad he has finally made it to the big screen. His dry delivery makes for some of the funniest lines in the film considering the rest of the cast are playing it really crazy. Pity his performance is overshadowed by the rest of the film.
Not as terrible as you may have heard. But still very disappointing despite the who made it.