“Paul Blart: Mall Cop”

Rating: 6/10

Kevin James is quietly one of the funniest actors around today.

After nine seasons on the overlooked CBS comedy “The King of Queens” and playing the yin to Adam Sandler’s yang in “I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry,” the politely rotund comedian sports a porn-stache in his biggest role yet: Paul Blart, a mall cop.

In the ironically titled “Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” James finally gets the leading-man role he deserves, even if it means having a prerequisite of getting the living hell beat out of him. He eerily channels

Chris Farley sans cocaine as he blends slapstick humor with a trait not too many of the Hollywood elite possess: likability.

James is able to find a small niche where curse words are ignored, lewd humor is tuned down and sex and drugs are completely absent. It’s family fare that has the potential to appease anyone.

In the film, Blart (James) is a mall “security officer” with aspirations to become a cop. He patrols the corridors of the mall like he’s on Secret Service detail, all the while zipping through customers on a Segway. No one takes the clumsy oaf seriously, that is until a group of thugs take over the mall on Black Friday.

His criminal-thwarting expertise is nonapparent; he even starts to sob at one point. But once Blart starts using the mall to his advantage (toy robots, fog machines), he transforms from a clueless schlub into a spray-tanned, well-groomed action hero.

Produced by Sandler’s Happy Madison team, there’re plenty of aspects working against this film.

The “menacing” villain is played by the odd brother from “Wedding Crashers,” Blart’s love interest resembles a dopey-eyed tween and Blart’s Al Powell to his John McClane is an Indian boy who has a GPS system in his room. There’s more cheese here then there is in a Packer fan’s fridge.

“Paul Blart: Mall Cop” is a PG-rated, clean and wholesome American comedy.

Astonishingly, it’s actually pretty funny. Even though your character got a lower-back tattoo of the Loch Ness Monster, welcome to the big leagues, Mr. James.

You’ve earned it.