Showtime Shines for De Niro

The new comedy Showtime, starring Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy, features De Niro as a serious, hardworking cop and Murphy as the over-the-top actor wannabe who gets in his way. The movie sells itself as a spoof on the buddy cop genre, with hilarious results.

Showtime follows veteran cop Mitch Preston (De Niro), who is on the verge of busting a drug-dealing gang he has been tracking when fellow cop Trey Sellars (Murphy) unintentionally botches the plan. When the media shows up, Mitch is so annoyed that he shoots one of the cameras. After seeing his disgruntled face splattered over newspapers, TV producer Chase Renzi (Rene Russo) comes up with the idea for a cop reality show starring the now famous Mitch. Although he wants nothing to do with it, the veteran cop still complies because it is the only way he will be taken off suspension. His boss hopes the show will boost police image and morale after Mitch’s outburst.

To Mitch’s dismay, Renzi chooses Trey, an aspiring actor turned cop after his failure in Hollywood, as Mitch’s camera-friendly partner to liven up the show. Cameras follow the duo; they love Trey, but not Mitch. Renzi eventually hires actor William Shatner, who appears as himself, to teach Mitch how to be “more realistic” on TV. She even attempts to improve his image by renovating his apartment and buying him a pet dog.

Things heat up when Mitch discovers that the drug ring he was tracking is actually led by a big time crime lord. Capturing gangsters with cameras and microphones in his face is difficult for Mitch, although for Trey, it is a dream come true.

The tried again comic genius of Murphy mixing with two-time Oscar-winner De Niro should prove an interesting combination. Despite building his career on serious roles in movies like The Godfather, Part II and Taxi Driver, De Niro has already successfully asserted his humorous side in Analyze This and Meet the Parents, alongside funnymen Billy Crystal and Ben Stiller, respectively.

The movie’s satirical slant looks to expose the ruthlessness of a media that is not afraid to alter reality for good ratings; news crews have no qualms about interfering in covert police assignments in the movie.

But more than social satire, Showtime aims to please. There is even a cameo appearance by Johnny Cochran, who plays a high-profile lawyer. Comedy is the movie’s main objective and with a cast like this one, it should perform its job nicely.

film

Showtime

Directed by Tom Dey

Starring Robert De Niro, Eddie Murphy

Warner Bros.