Showtime (2002)

A spoof of buddy cop movies where two very different cops are forced to team up on a new reality based television cop show, while tracking down the manufacturer and distributor of an illegally made semi-automatic firearm.

Director:

Tom Dey

Writers:

Jorge Saralegui (story), Keith Sharon (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert De Niro, Eddie Murphy, Rene Russo

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert De Niro	...	Det. Mitch Preston
Rachael Harris	...	Teacher (as Rachel Harris)
Eddie Murphy	...	Officer Trey Sellars
Zaid Farid	...	Police Captain Ben
Alex Borstein	...	Casting Director
Holly Mandel	...	Producer
Marshall Manesh	...	Convenience Store Owner
Nestor Serrano	...	Ray
T.J. Cross	...	ReRun (as TJ Cross)
Yasiin Bey	...	Lazy Boy (as Mos Def)
James Roday	...	'Showtime' Cameraman
Joel Hurt Jones	...	Reporter #1
Chris Harrison	...	Reporter #2
Perri Peltz	...	Reporter #3
Amy Powell	...	Reporter #4

Storyline

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 $10 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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Plot Keywords:

chase | police | lapd | buddy cop | drugs | 

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Taglines:

Lights. Camera. Aggravation.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for action violence, language and some drug content

Details

Country:

USA Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 March 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Flics en direct

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$85,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$15,011,430, 17 March 2002

Gross USA:

$38,082,712

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$77,885,672

Company Credits

Production Co:

Material, NPV Entertainment, Overbrook Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In Trey's apartment, there is a movie poster for Serpico (1973), which stars Al Pacino. Robert De Niro, who plays Mitch, has worked with his close friend on many films. One notable project was Heat (1995), which was one of their best films to date. Pacino played L.A.P.D. Det. Lt. Vincent Hanna, while De Niro played Neil McCauley, a career criminal who Hannah tries to capture.

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Goofs

During Trey Sellars first audition, he wears a shoulder holster which disappears briefly during the scene.

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Quotes

Mitch Preston: [after his home has been remodeled] It looks like a gay porn star lives here!

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Crazy Credits

Outtakes are played before the closing credits

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Connections

References Lethal Weapon (1987)

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Soundtracks

Hands Up
Performed by Bounty Killer
Written by John E. Rhone, Ontario Haynes and Bounty Killer
Produced by John E. Rhone and Ontario Haynes

User Reviews

I'm not a cop, but I play one on TV...

Looking for another Beverly Hills Cop comedy or Lethal Weapon action picture? Don't see this.

I've seen reviews of this film calling it "over-acted," "seemingly unscripted," "unoriginal," and "bland sitcom fare." Reviews here have called DeNiro unfunny. If you count any of those words towards this film in a negative connotation, you've obviously missed the point (or you're under 25). Yes, it is all those words, and that's what makes it funny. Not fresh, just funny.

This film is the answer to all those unoriginal buddy cop tv shows & films of the 70's, 80's and the seemingly unscripted reality show drivel of today. It is over-acted from the first scenes as it's meant to. The characters are all exaggerations. Exaggerations of those with no sense of humor or fun (probably those writing film reviews for newspapers). Exaggerations of virtually every young Hollywood hotshot with power and "hot new" ideas. Exaggerations of how people with instant fame behave -- be it fame from a talent show or reality series or one-hit wonder in the recording studio, you know you've seen the types.

DeNiro is an exceptional straightman to Murphy's jabbing at his own super-cop films. Russo, as the slimy Hollywood yes-woman is brilliant in her attempt to rise to the top at any cost. Add to that Bill Shatner giving acting tips (an uproar in itself) as his own TJ Hooker self; Pedro Damian as, what else, a bad guy; and cameos from familiar faces like Johnny Cochran, Ken Campbell, and Kadeem Hardison (who really should have had more scenes) and you have the ultimate in parody.

Of course, the contradictory approach also adds to the hilarity: DeNiro telling school children that it's not like you see on TV with big gun scenes and explosions and the very next scene an über-weapon destroys a warehouse of TVs. Renee Russo (blacklisted for setting baby items on fire as part of an expose and calling it "good television") hopes to catch DeNiro going psycho AFTER he shoots a camera.

It's not filled with intelligent humor or fantastic action and it's not destined to be a classic, but it certainly pokes fun at American media culture. Anyone that says DeNiro isn't funny should go back and look at the expression on his face when he gasps like it's his last breath and says, "It's Showtime!"

The only disappointment was finding out that the final action scene cameos were cut from the released version.