Showtime

Buddy cop movies, if done properly, can be some of the most entertaining movies out there.

If done properly.

In all fairness, this really isn’t a bad movie. Just don't go into it with high expectations or you’re likely to be disappointed. Still, it has a great cast and some funny moments, though it ultimately falls flat.

Robert De Niro stars as Mitch, a serious cop on the edge, who is forced into a reality cop show. Eddie Murphy co-stars as Trey, the incompetent cop who’d much rather be acting, who is offered the role of Mitch’s partner on the show. The two hate each other, and that’s what makes them so great together.

Unfortunately, what could have been an uproariously funny and action-packed movie ends up failing on both counts. It isn't quite sure what it wants to be, so it tries to be a little bit of everything. But at only 95 minutes, it doesn't have time for it that. What a movie like this needs is a cop story, but it plays second fiddle to the reality cop show theme.

It should have been the other way around.

Very little attention is paid to the illegal gun manufacturers that are the basis of the "cop story," as the writers are too busy with the TV show . They should have made this a two hour movie, and actually given the cops time to realistically solve the case, but it wasn't to be.

De Niro and Murphy are great, however, especially when they're together, but the real treat is William Shatner playing himself. He’s the director of the new show, parodying his own role of T.J. Hooker. The guy is downright hilarious, and deserved a much bigger part.

Showtime had a great idea, but wasn’t able to follow through with it. There are many much better buddy cop movies, like any of the Lethal Weapons, or Rush Hour. You’d be well advised to see them instead, and save Showtime for a rainy day rental.

The DVD is very good, however, with picture and sound that are a lot better than expected, and there are some nice supplements to encourage people to buy the disc as well.

The video is presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, enhanced for widescreen TVs. It’s a very fine transfer, crystal clear, with no halo effects or foreign artifacts, and the colors are nicely done. The audio is a very nicely doneDolby Digital 5.1 surround track. There is some great surround use, particularly during the action scenes, and especially during the scenes involving the 12-gauge automatic gun.

Extras include an audio commentary by director Tom Dey and producer Jorge Saralegui, a making-of featurette (starring William Shatner), some deleted/extended scenes and some Eddie Murphy improv bits, which have optional director’s commentary.

The disc is also available in a separate pan & scan version.

Showtime, from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
95 minutes, anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) 16X9 enhanced, 5.1 Dolby Digital
Starring Robert de Niro, Eddie Murphy, Rene Russo and William Shatner
Produced by Jorge Saralegui, Jane Rosenthal
Screenplay by Keith Sharon and Alfred Gough & Miles Millar
Directed by Tom Dey

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