What do you get when you splice together Meet the Parents with Beverly Hills Cop? You get a rarely comedic, intense or interesting action movie that suffers from never finding its own identity. And flat screenwriting. And long lulls.
Detective Preston (Robert DeNiro) and Trey Sellers (Eddie Murphy) are brought together as unlikely partners to star in a new reality TV cop drama, produced by Chase Ransey (Rene Russo) of Maxis TV. As expected, they are at each others throats the entire movie until the end, wh…re they become best friends. The action portion of Showtime comes in the flavor of Super Guns, which are reminiscent of the rifles found in the Arnold flick, Eraser.
Unfortunately the realism of Showtime is about as believable as the impact it had at the box office. The bad guys run around in broad daylight with their fancy guns and are not caught. They stand in the street and shoot a house to pieces, yet attract no attention. The list goes on. It’s quite sad because could have been a lot better, especially considering the talent involved, but instead falls flat on its face.
If there is one bright spot to be found it’s centered directly in the scenes involving William Shatner. Shatner plays himself as a Hollywood director and in some funny scenes, pokes fun at his TJ Hooker character from the early 1980’s. Sometimes merely looking at Shatner on screen in a non-Star Trek role is hilarious in itself.
Audio
If you’re looking for some real showtime from your speakers, you’d best look elsewhere. While the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack does provide some small moments of greatness during the super gun scenes, I found the overall levels to be on the low side. The rear channels are also under-utilized, requiring careful examination to pick up the surrounds.
Video
For a recent movie, I expect an above average transfer and it appears to be present here. The 2.35:1 aspect ratio works well considering this doesn’t fall under the category of action or drama. There are no noticeable specks in the print and edge enhancement is minimal at best.
Special Features
The extras start out with a Cast and Crew text page, followed by a full-length commentary by director Tom Dey and producer Jorge Saralegui. Next up are a set of five Additional Scenes which do provide a great look into some of the improvisational moments on the set (especially by Eddie). Rounding out the extras on this disc is the HBO First Look: The Making of Showtime hosted by William Shatner and the Theatrical Trailer.
Final Thoughts
Many of you will likely pass this up on store shelves and rightfully so; it’s an abysmal attempt to cash in on Murphy and DeNiro’s recent successful foray into light comedy. The DVD supports the film as much as I expected it to with a single disc, standard release. Borrow it from a friend who may have purchased it just to hear the super guns shoot off, otherwise forget you even know it exists.
Special Features List
- Director’s Commentary
- Additional scenes
- Showtime booth confessionals
- Theatrical trailer
- Visit the set with HBO First Look: The Making of Showtime
