The Watch

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The Watch

R

2012

1h 41m

Comedy

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

16%

Tomatometer

165 Reviews

39%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

In Glenview, Ohio, four pals, Evan, Bob, Franklin and Jamarcus, form a neighborhood watch group. Armed with flashlights, walkie-talkies and spiffy new jackets, the guys try to take their mission seriously, even if they spend a little time goofing off now and then. But when they discover aliens living among them and no one believes their story, they learn that they have to kick things up a notch to save the world from annihilation.

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Critics Consensus

The Watch uneasily mixes sci-fi elements with gross-out gags and strands its talented cast with a script that favors vulgarity over wit at nearly every turn.

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

09/01/2018

This wants to be (I think) Invasion of the Body Snatchers via Ghostbusters and Attack the Block but succeeds in being nothing but its own dreadful, pitiful, tedious self.

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Tim Grierson

Deadspin

02/12/2013

"The Watch" is a Dream Team in which no one's drawn up any plays and nobody passes the ball. Everybody just shoots and hopes for the best.

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Donald Clarke

Irish Times

08/24/2012

1/5

There's nothing particularly offensive about the piece. But its intergalactic badness does take the breath away.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

10/03/2022

1/4

It might’ve been funny if it wasn’t trying so hard to be funny.

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

03/08/2022

1/5

If you're going to give guys as funny as these four stars a story, you need to be more creative than cheesy aliens.

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David Bax

Battleship Pretension

03/10/2021

We need more reasons to go to a movie now. The Watch simply does not provide them.

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Mariana R

@Bigballz333 Jan 27

Dude holy fuck!how have is it 2026 and ive just seen this movie, I usually follow rotten tomatoe scores but this was one way off, such a funny dumb movie classic 2000 comedy vibe with out it being overly cheesy or stupid, must watch ⌚️ 👏

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Jeepers C

Jan 24

Critics got another one wrong. We can't get comedies like these in 2026, and I miss them. Funny scfi comedy that doesn't disappoint.

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Downriver R

@Downriver Jan 5

I thought this was one of Ben's best comedy. The cast is great acting great and it's pretty funny and overall good film and storyline

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Ed R

@JustcallmeER Jul 18

The Watch uneasily mixes sci-fi elements with gross-out gags and strands its talented cast with a script that favors vulgarity over wit at nearly every turn.

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Jedi D

Jul 6

Looking at the other reviews for this movie makes me believe people have forgotten how to have fun. Yeah, it's not Close Encounters, but it's fun and stupidly entertaining.

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xpig332 B

Apr 5

Boring, just a series of awkward situations. 23 minutes was all I can handle.

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Akiva Schaffer

Director

Ben Stiller

Evan Troutwig

Vince Vaughn

Bob

Jonah Hill

Franklin

Richard Ayoade

Jamarcus

Rosemarie DeWitt

Abby

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Synopsis

In Glenview, Ohio, four pals, Evan, Bob, Franklin and Jamarcus, form a neighborhood watch group. Armed with flashlights, walkie-talkies and spiffy new jackets, the guys try to take their mission seriously, even if they spend a little time goofing off now and then. But when they discover aliens living among them and no one believes their story, they learn that they have to kick things up a notch to save the world from annihilation.

Director: Akiva Schaffer
Producer: Shawn Levy
Screenwriter: Jared Stern, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: 21 Laps Entertainment
Rating: R (Sexual References|Pervasive Language|Some Strong Sexual Content|Violent Images)
Genre: Comedy, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 27, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $34.4M
Runtime: 1h 41m
Sound Mix: Datasat, Dolby

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