Another mall cop patrolling theaters

Movie: "Observe and Report"

When: Opening Friday at local theaters

Cast: Seth Rogen, Ray Liotta, Michael Peña, Anna Faris

Director: Jody Hill

The story: When a flasher strikes, a bipolar mall security chief hopes to showcase his law enforcement talents -- but winds up clashing with the ambitious detective on the case instead.

The buzz: Writer-director Jody Hill ("The Foot Fist Way," HBO's "Eastbound & Down") was preparing to shoot this dark comedy when he found out about another mall-cop movie in the pipeline: "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," which became one of 2009's breakout hits. At "Observe and Report's" premiere last month during the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, Hill said: "It's annoying that every time I read an article, they mention this (expletive) movie. I don't want a battle of the mall cops. If somebody's doing something, I don't want to do that."