Showtime (2002): Dir: Tom Dey / Cast: Robert De Niro, Eddie Murphy, Rene Russo, William Shatner, Mos Def: Formula comedy that suggests an act of not taking things seriously. So basically it is about ignorance and that is a serious problem for a T.V crew that interferes with an actual crime scene with a show of their own. Robert De Niro plays an undercover cop but everything is foiled when an actor, played by Eddie Murphy shows up with helicopters. Murphy is an actor and a flawed cop. When De Niro smashes one of their cameras he is forced to take part in the program to avoid a lawsuit. He and Murphy try to track down an unusual gun that never factors properly into the story. One-joke premise without a dime of originality. Directed by Tom Dey who had better success with another buddy flick called Shanghai Noon. De Niro and Murphy make a fairly decent comic duo that is above anything else that is presented here. They will eventually patch things up and solve the plot and it doesn't matter. Rene Russo as the program director overacts, and William Shatner isn't much better in his over the top performance. Mos Def appears as a character who goes by the name Lazy Boy, which could be a steal from the screenwriter for all the lack of work in the script. As oppose to being a satire of reality T.V and cop programs in general it settles for formula bore worthy of the "off" button. Score: 4 / 10

This buddy cop film is not a very popular one, and I didn't hear of it, let alone see it, until a couple years ago, when it had been out for three years. My first viewing was a very unmemorable one, but it has now been two years since then, and I just decided to give it another try. My memory of the first viewing is fairly vague (proving how forgettable the movie is), and as it turns out, my second viewing wasn't much different, if at all.Mitch Preston has been a hardworking LAPD detective for twenty years. One night, while after a drug dealer, he finds himself in front of a TV camera, but does not wish to be, so in frustration, he shoots it! After this, the network plans to sue the department, unless Preston participates in a reality TV show about cops! The detective is forced by his boss to reluctantly do so, and it doesn't help when Officer Trey Sellars, who takes his job as a cop a lot less seriously than Preston does, and is just hungry for fame, becomes his partner on the show! These two are to track down a criminal with a highly destructive weapon, but working together will obviously be difficult for them! As a comedy, "Showtime" didn't do it for me. I smiled several times, but from what I remember, I only snickered once. Most of the gags are not terrible, but not really any good, so I can't think of any that are worth mentioning. As an action movie, it does occasionally have some good scenes of that type, but "occasionally" is the key word. It's only enough to add a BIT of suspense to the film, and not necessarily enough to make it worthwhile. Although this buddy cop spoof didn't really entertain me, it appears that it has entertained quite a few people, but if you plan to watch it, it's a good idea to keep in mind that it's basically fluff, nothing significant.

Despite of all the negative criticism I really enjoyed this movie. I am not saying this lightly. I love movies and am fairly picky about them (my home DVD collection is over 9,000 movies - some are great, others are OK, a few I do not like at all). And, to all those with criticisms: this is a comedy. I simply love this movie. It is light, funny, and very restful. I am aware of all (or most) of the deficiencies but I love it. The comedic talents of Eddie Murphy and Robert DeNiro are tapped (fully - for this type of movie). Do not compare it to other movies with these star actors, simply enjoy it. The cast is great and, I believe, that the purpose of this movie was fully accomplished. If you want a really "easy-going" and very restful night - watch this movie. DeNiro and Murphy simply had fun making this movie, so should we (watching it). And, please, do not be so negative. Do not expect Godfather performance or Meet The Parents from DeNiro, do not expect comedy blockbusters performance from Murphy... It is a completely different genre, and it made me relax after a hard day work. Your sides may not split from laughter, but it is still VERY funny.

This was a pretty good modern-day comedy with straight man Robert De Niro doing a good job with comedy and Eddie Murphy just playing his normal whacked-out character. You get a good combination of humor and action in here. It had the normal cliché the ending, the kind you can see coming a mile away, but it's okay; it didn't hurt the film.William Shatner was very entertaining in a supporting role and I think that was De Niro's real-life daughter playing Rene Russo's TV sidekick in the movie.A decent cop-buddy film that isn't memorable an entertaining way to kill an hour-and-a-half.