'People want to laugh!'

It's almost Oscar time, and many critically acclaimed movies are being discussed and debated as to which is the best of the best. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Frost/Nixon" and the much-hyped "Slumdog Millionaire" are receiving rave reviews and are all nominated for Best Picture. I'm sure they've all earned it.

The movie we saw last week probably won't receive the same distinction.

But that doesn't mean we didn't enjoy it; we certainly did — and many more did, to the point that it's #1 at the box office.

When I first saw the previews for "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," I didn't think it would be worth either going to see or even to rent — except from a Redbox stand for $1, or from the library for 100 percent less than that. Soon after, I learned it was rated "PG." That further bummed me out, and I lamented in my mind why a PG movie had to be so lame while movies with more questionable content were probably more entertaining.

Shame on me for harboring a preconceived notion.

Cindy Lou and I decided to see "Paul Blart" because, well, we needed a laugh. And we got one — in fact, we had many laughs during this movie.

That wasn't before my skepticism subsided, however. Before the movie started I noticed it was from the "Happy Madison" production studio. That would be Adam Sandler's company. There was a time in my life when I wanted to see every Adam Sandler comedy immediately upon release. It's not so much that way anymore. Obnoxious sounds, raunchy jokes and overall bad acting aren't my bag these days — though I still enjoy his more toned-down performances such as "The Wedding Singer."

But "Paul Blart" had none of the characteristics of those other comedies. Kevin James gives an unassuming, unpretentious and overall hilarious performance in the lead role. He plays a mall security job who takes his job very seriously — shouldn't we all, especially these days? There are virtually no innuendo jokes and no high-pitched whines passed off as humor. He's a simple guy just trying to make it day to day and ends up being the hero when a crisis arises.

We were thoroughly entertained by this film, and I expressed my surprise at the fact that it was #1 the first two weeks it was in theaters.

My wife gave a great reason: "People want to laugh!"

And it's true. Times are hard right now. The country is in transition. Ultimately, we want the things that are going wrong to be made right again. It would be fair to say that is the perspective of most people. But along the way, we want to laugh! And what better thing to make us laugh than a funny, family-friendly movie about a working-class guy who has his own daily struggles?

If you're among the many who just want to laugh, go see "Paul Blart: Mall Cop."

And be sure to laugh; it won't be difficult.