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(- 2002 -)

Original Title Showtime Director Tom Dey Genre Action, Comedy Released 2002-03-11 MPAA Rating Rated PG-13 for action violence, language and some drug content. Rated 5.6

Plot Summary

LAPD Detective Sergeant Mitch Preston cares only about doing his job and nailing crooks. LAPD Patrol Officer Trey Sellars joined the force as a day job until his acting career took off. During an undercover drug buy Mitch was working that Trey botched by calling in for backup and drawing media attention, Mitch's partner is shot with a very exotic 12-gauge automatic weapon; Mitch then shoots the video camera out of the hands of a reporter filming the action when the cameraman refused to shut it down. Faced with a million lawsuit, the department agrees to let producer Chase Renzi film Mitch's investigation for a new reality TV show, and constantly tries to make everything more "viewer friendly" by changing everything about Mitch's life to fit the stereotypical view of police officers--and partners him with Trey.

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Actors / Character

Robert De Niro as Detective Mitch Preston , Eddie Murphy as Officer Trey Sellars , Rene Russo as Chase Renzi , Pedro Damián as Ceasar Vargas , Mos Def as Lazy Boy , Frankie Faison as Winship (as Frankie R. Faison) , William Shatner as Himself , Nestor Serrano as Ray , Drena De Niro as Annie, Chase's Production Assistant , Linda Hart as Waitress , T.J. Cross as ReRun , Judah Friedlander as Julio , Kadeem Hardison as Kyle , Peter Jacobson as Brad Slocum , Ken Hudson Campbell as Cop in Gym (as Ken Campbell)

IMDB User Comments

Time to Show Up. Los Angeles detective Robert DeNiro and silly beat cop Eddie Murphy get partnered together in "Showtime", a funny, but honestly mediocre buddy comedy. It is modern-day L.A. and an undercover assignment has gone wrong for DeNiro. Murphy botched the whole thing unwittingly by calling for backup and not knowing that a sting was taking place. DeNiro destroys a camera and a million lawsuit quickly follows. For the department to get out of the lawsuit, they agree to team DeNiro and Murphy up for a reality-based cop show. Rene Russo is the sleazy producer and ham William Shatner plays himself as he directs the odd duo. Murphy naturally has always had dreams of stardom while DeNiro is as serious as a heart attack. Thus their relationship is strained to put it mildly. Soon they end up going after criminal Pedro Damian who seemingly has an arsenal of weapons at his disposal. There is not much thought in "Showtime". It is typical Eddie Murphy fare as it is a production to show off his unique comedic timing. DeNiro has also become a comedy regular the last several years (unfortunately in my opinion) and he too shows an uncanny ability to add humor to his natural edginess. Overall though the movie plays like a long sitcom or an episode of "Saturday Night Live" as everything seems way too scripted. There is no real drama here, just cheap laughs. In the end those minor laughs make "Showtime" viewable, but not memorable. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

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