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BY MAGGIE SCOTT

” Paul Blart: Mall Cop” is “Die Hard” for “The Biggest Loser” set. It’s John Candy channeling Bruce Willis. It’s Kevin James of television renown (as Doug in “The King of Queens”) as a bobble body in a security guard uniform making consumers safe at New Jersey’s West Orange Pavilion Mall on the eve of the holiday shopping frenzy known as Black Friday.

Paul has failed eight times to get into the Jersey State Police training program—he passes out on the obstacle course from hypoglycemia. But, rather than frustrated or cynical, Paul is lonely in an adoring household populated by his enabling mother (Shirley Knight) and his daughter, Maya (Raini Rodriguez).

They are hopeful that by “beefing up” his profile on Perfect Match.Com, they’ll find the girl who can replace the peanut butter that Paul slathers on his pie to “fill the cracks in his heart.” So, with expectations low, the easy-going Paul reports for duty content with his “punch in, shut up, punch out” job; with occasional creative ideas for re-routing the customers away from the Food Court and toward the stores and kiosks in the sprawling acreage Paul navigates on his Segway.

At one of those kiosks is Amy (Jayma Mays), the object of Paul’s shy affection and blundering attention. While he crashes into things, comes out on the losing end of a dust up with an angry Frederick’s of Hollywood customer and makes a nuisance of himself with a senior citizen on a speeding scooter, she will soon get to see beyond the klutz to a man with a kind heart, a sweet demeanor and hidden reserves of brave ingenuity.

When a gang of credit card thieves take over the mall, Paul rolls into action, once his attention is diverted from a Guitar Hero arcade game. Amy and Maya become hostages during the crisis, which whips Paul into a funny facsimile of Willis. As he rolls and wobbles his way toward hero status against what look like insurmountable odds, he takes the time to crash into a store to pick out a birthday card for Amy.

This is an amiable effort for an actor who’s made only one other serious impression on the big screen: opposite Will Smith in the comedy Hitch. While this is by no stretch of the imagination a break-out film for James, he could be favorably compared to Lou Costello; and it was obvious to me the night of the screening that ten-year-old boys think he’s pretty cool.

A Columbia Pictures release, rated PG for some violence, mild crude and suggestive humor and language.

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