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Showtime 2002 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Tom Dey
PG-13, 95 min. (violence, language) |
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Starring: Robert De Niro, Eddie Murphy, Rene Russo, William Shatner, Jullian Dulce Vida
Producers: Jane Rosenthal, Jorge Saralegui
Screenplay: Keith Sharon, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
Cinematography: Thomas Kloss
Distributor: Warner Brothers
Released: 3.15.02 (Wide) |
Rating:
 (out of ) |
The cop buddy film is a tried-and-true formula that studio executives greenlight in a heartbeat, presented with even a passable
script. So, invariably there will be problems in the area of familiarity and "been there done that" mentality from viewers.
However, somehow movies such as this rake in acceptable profits and therefore guarantee that the genre will continue
to propagate its well-tread plotlines until it ceases to make money. In a rush to be the next Rush Hour or Lethal Weapon
franchise, Showtime is just another tired entry into the overrated genre. I've never quite understood the success
of a film like the banal Rush Hour 2, but if that film's popularity is any indication, Showtime will be equally appreciated.
There are funny moments between the superstars of the picture, Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy, but the characters they
inhabit and the storyline that entraps them in superficial satirical nonsense is enough to blot out any effectiveness it might have
had. Essentially a poor man's Lethal Weapon, Showtime is not much of a show at all.
De Niro plays Mitch Preston, a hardened police detective that is the best in the business. After a mistake involving a brush-in
with a cameraman, he's forced to star in a reality-based TV show involving cops on the job. He's paired with Trey Sellars (Eddie Murphy),
a would-be detective who spends more time auditioning for TV shows than taking his job seriously, and immediately Mitch
is apalled at the idea of spending the majority of his day with such a shallow figure. The show's producer, Chase Renzi (Rene Russo),
believes she has a hit on her hands - a show that follows two completely different cops, thrown into a case that results in car
chases, shootouts, and eventual male bonding while pursuing a criminal that uses an illegal "big" gun- and she's right. Even William Shatner makes a cameo as a director who
calls Mitch "the worst actor I've ever seen."
The problem with Showtime is that since we've seen this type of film countless times before, it needs something extra, a
different approach or even a different environment to be effective. Funny dialogue will only get you so far, especially if
that's the only thing a film has going for it. It's as if every aspect of the film was copied from previous films involving two
cops with a love/hate relationship. Director Tom Dey never strays far from the norm here, and it's pretty obvious he's
not the only one who believes this (see studio exec). The result is a bunch of small nonrelated stories within a story that taken as a whole
simply don't pass the plausibility test.
De Niro and Murphy bring their expected schticks to the film, but Russo looks a little lost here. Maybe her sexy demeanor
is fading some, but whatever the reason she's laboring in vain here. I must admit I'm perplexed at De Niro's choice in
scripts lately, choosing such questionable films as 15 Minutes or this disappointment. However, being arguably the world's best
living actor, he has the luxury of making these types of films whenever he feels like it. Murphy, whose incredible transformation
from foul-mouthed action hero to family-friendly actor is a story in itself, is able to let loose a couple of times, bringing back
memories of his Beverly Hills Cop days. He generates the film's best guffaws, but also becomes tiresome and
predictable as the film moves along. In short, these are talented actors seemingly having fun, which is isn't necessarily a bad
thing as long as the film is self-deprecating and light-hearted - something Showtime loses along its way to an abysmal
conclusion.
Although Showtime may make vague references to today's infatuation with reality-based TV shows, it never
crosses the line of any real comment one way or the other on the subject, much like De Niro's 15 Minutes did last year.
It missed a real opportunity, since the issue is worthwhile of discussion and study, instead opting to use it as a set piece
to build a bland and boring story upon. Undoubtedly, there will be many fans of this picture, and there are some enjoyable
moments to be found during its running length, but if one expects another experience along the lines of Lethal Weapon, they'll
be greatly disappointed. Showtime is a mostly forgettable film with no real purpose for existing in the first place.
© 2002 Jonathan Cornwell
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 |
 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
 | Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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