"Not entirely satisfying ... but still a guilty pleasure."

He's likable, some might even say lovable, in a Charmin-y, misfit man-boy sort of way. It's hard to quite put your finger on the secret of his appeal, but it's there. And the former King of Queens, Kevin James, puts his underdog charm to full use in the Happy Madison production he co-wrote and stars in, Paul Blart: Mall Cop.

It's the com-rom (more comedy than romance) tale of the trials and bumbling triumphs of portly pushover Paul Blart, a hypoglycemic security guard at a New Jersey shopping center. If he doesn't get his pixie stick fix or other sugary jolt every few hours he'll slip into unconsciousness -- like when he passed out snoring a few inches from the finish line for the police academy field exam. Proudly patrolling the shops on his regulation Segway, Blart doesn't get much respect -- not from the uncooperative scooter-wandering senior he tries to cite for reckless driving, nor from the burly female fighting for the last Victoria Secret push-up bra in her size. Yet he seems mostly content with his circumstances, if not for one crucial missing piece. He longs for a special lady love. And then he spots her, Amy, a blond vision working at a wig kiosk.

As is clear from the film's start, Blart is not a fellow to whom success comes naturally, or even gracefully. And his romantic endeavors are no different. But then fate throws Paul a bone (and a chance to be a hero) when a team of acrobatic outlaws take over the mall and hold Amy and some customers hostage in a mall bank.

In spirit, it's a little There's Something About Mary meets Die Hard, with Kevin James rather than a zany ensemble as the comic cornerstone on whose wide shoulders the movie's sense of humor rests. Without him, Mall Cop wouldn't work at all, and definitely wouldn't be funny. With him, the movie has its hilarious moments -- fueled more by slapstick and sight gags than witty repartee. Chuckle-worthy highlights include a starry-eyed, hair-blowing Segway ride for two to the tune of Survivor's "I Can't Hold Back," and a drunken maniac-on-the-dance-floor mall cop unleashed at American Joe's bar.

Other than the appropriately sweet and alluring Amy (Jayma Mays) and Blart's wise-beyond-her years daughter Maya (Raini Rodriguez), the only memorable performances may be those of the gang of thieves who besiege the mall. Not because of their acting, but because of their ninja-like extreme sport maneuvers. An airborne criminal on a skateboard crashing into a glass elevator, another leaping like a cat from one floor to the next -- regardless of the script's intent, it's an odd, unnecessary distraction. In general the bad guys don't make sense, even by the Mall Cop universe's own rules. They're armed and deadly, but despite their murderous threats they repeatedly spare the life of the one man in their way.

In places the plot sags a bit and some jokes don't quite hit their mark or tickle the funny bone as much as they're obviously meant to. In the end, though not necessarily a consistently great comedy, Paul Blart: Mall Cop is a little like pie, or peanut butter -- not entirely satisfying but still a guilty pleasure that, as Paul says, "fills the cracks of the heart," at least for a few moments.

Grade: C+