Showtime
Tags: cult, violence

Plot synopsis:
The film centers on two LAPD cops, Det. Mitch Preston (Robert De Niro) and Officer Trey Sellars (Eddie Murphy), who are paired for a reality police show and run into real trouble with a crime lord. The beginning of the story closely parallels that of the 1988 film The Dead Pool, in which Harry Callahan intentionally breaks a news camera and is subject to favors for the news channel as a result. In this film, Mitch breaks a news camera after a failed confrontation with a drug lord, who escapes by using a custom-built gun. Maxxis Television, the network that employed the cameraman, decides to sue the police department for $10 million, but will drop the lawsuit if Mitch agrees to star in a reality cop television show, which Trey later calls Showtime!.
Trey enters the picture shortly after, as an LAPD officer who actually wants to be an actor while also trying to become a detective. He pays a friend to snatch the purse of the show's producer, Chase Renzi (Rene Russo), and then retrieves it after a staged fight scene. Even though the deception is embarrassingly revealed, Chase is impressed and signs Trey on anyway. It is quickly revealed that the show's producers have little interest in filming an actual police officer's existence; they build a mini-movie set in the middle of the station, and replace Mitch's nondescript personal car with a Humvee. They also hire William Shatner (who once played T. J. Hooker) to give both men tips on how to act. Trey is eager to learn, Mitch is merely annoyed.
Despite all this, Mitch tries to investigate the mysterious supergun, which is subsequently used by arms dealer Caesar Vargas to kill the drug dealer and his girlfriend. Through a clever ruse by Trey, they are able to get the arms dealer's name from the dead dealer's henchman. However, Vargas is less than cooperative, which causes a brawl at his nightclub. Trey and Mitch are able to defeat him and his henchmen, and subsequently have a relatively friendly conversation on their way home. Mitch's good humor evaporates when he finds that, in his absence, the Showtime producers have drastically remodeled his house and given him a retired K-9 dog as a pet.
Vargas and his crew assault an armored car and kill the crew, then devastate the police who respond. Trey and Mitch arrive and are pulled into the shootout. When the attackers flee in a garbage truck, Mitch gives chase in a police car. In the ensuing mayhem, the car is rammed by the garbage truck, which winds up crashing into a construction site. Mitch, ironically, survives by jumping from the police car to Trey's sports car (he had previously denounced "hood-jumping" as a useless skill). In the wake of the disaster, the police chief pulls the plug on the show, suspends Mitch from duty and demotes Trey back to patrol.
With the show ended, Mitch's car is returned and his apartment restored (but he refuses to return the dog, of which he has grown fond). While watching the final episode, Mitch sees one of his police colleagues at Vargas's nightclub. He and Trey investigate, finding that Vargas is selling the weapons at a gun show at the Bonaventure Hotel. Vargas flees with one of the weapons, taking Chase hostage in the process. The duo is able to rescue her, via a pocket pistol concealed in a Maxxis camera, but the ceiling of the room is shot. It is located just below the pool, so it floods, and Vargas is washed out the window to his death, Trey manages to save himself and Mitch by handcuffing them together. They wind up suspended from a broken beam outside the hotel.
The movie ends with Trey promoted to detective, he and Mitch still working together with a new case, and there are hints of a romance between Chase and Mitch. Showtime is revived and in its second season, this time with two young and attractive female officers, who are just as antagonistic as Mitch and Trey were.

Review: Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy star in Showtime as a couple of cops- a quiet, efficient Dirty Harry-like cop and a cop who is deep down an actor, respecively, who are brought together by an accident and forced to take part in a cop-buddy reality TV show for a hungry for ratings producer (Rene Russo).
For the first two acts, it delivers a good time in parodying old cop/buddy movie cliches and shows how De Niro and Murphy have some intelligent chemistry in a comedy, but the third act dips by leaving the parody and becoming what it's making fun of.
I went to see this movie not expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised by the teaming of Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy.
About the best thing that can be said for `Showtime'  a throwaway cop buddy comedy starring Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy  is that it demonstrates that an inferior script can be at least partially overcome by first-rate performances.You can't go too wrong when you have acting talent of this caliber working for you.
De Niro and Murphy portray two LAPD officers who are recruited to be the central `characters' for a new `Cops'-type reality TV show, wherein a camera crew will follow the two on their appointed rounds as they chase suspects, round up criminals and, all in all, make the streets of LA safe for the common, decent citizens who reside therein.
De Niro's Mitch Preston is a reluctant participant in the series, while Murphy's Trey Sellars is a wannabe actor with stars in his eyes who sees this as his golden opportunity to make it big in show business.The initial problem with `Showtime' is that it feels more like a `high concept' exercise than an actual movie.
This was a pretty good modern-day comedy with straight man Robert De Niro doing a good job with comedy and Eddie Murphy just playing his normal whacked-out character.
It had the normal cliché the ending, the kind you can see coming a mile away, but it's okay; it didn't hurt the film.William Shatner was very entertaining in a supporting role and I think that was De Niro's real-life daughter playing Rene Russo's TV sidekick in the movie.A decent cop-buddy film that isn't memorable an entertaining way to kill an hour-and-a-half..
Watching Showtime I got the impression that the producers got the idea to put Robert DeNiro and Eddie Murphy just for the sake of having a film that co-starred the two of them.
I mean, can you really see Eddie Murphy or anyone else going through the rigors of the real Police Academy, not the screen version, just to get a day job?Anyway DeNiro is your basic hard working detective who's on the trail of a major gun dealer.
So these unwilling partners get joined and try to continue working DeNiro's case with all the TV cameras around.Eddie Murphy's a funny guy, I loved him in Beverly Hills Cop and in the Doctor Doolittle movies, but he's done better things than Showtime and Robert DeNiro certainly has.
SHOWTIME(2002) (3/5stars)Starring ROBERT DE NIRO EDDIE MURPHY RENE RUSSO And WILLIAM SHATNERIn the new cop-buddy film Showtime, Robert De Niro plays Mitch Preston,  a tough NYC cop, who in the opening credits distinctly points out that being a cop is nothing like the movies portray with their clichés .
It would be so much more of a fun movie, if we could just see Mitch and Trey, the whole time being followed on the street, getting into funny situations instead of what Showtime gives us-a look at how Mitch and Trey deal with it after their work day is over, and the cameras stop rolling.
Because though it wasn't great, and wasn't half of what it could've been, it's still got some funny moments, and Robert DeNiro gives us the ol tough guy cop image like some of his other films, and Eddie Murphy redoes his `Break all the rules/procedures, goof off and triumph!' attitude.
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.
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..
Let's get this out of the way:I like Eddie Murphy.I like Robert deNiro.I like Renee Russo.I like cop-buddy-pictures, God help me.I even liked Tom Dey's last film, Shanghai Noon.Sometimes, I enjoy being mindlessly entertained by films.
Eddie Murphy and Robert De Niro are a mismatched pair of cops that are working together and are being filmed on a reality cop show called Showtime.
Also, both of these guys worked with director Martin Breast and made two of the best action comedies, Beverly Hills Cop and Midnight Run. Showtime can't really hold a candle against either of these classics, but still is pretty fast paced, lighthearted and action packed entertainment.
You could do much worst for an evenings entertainment and this is in my opinion, Eddie Murphy's best modern comedy that suites my tastes much better than the crappy family movies he has focused on since his classic period in the 80's and early 90's..
And even if you haven't seen the previews, it won't take you long to pick up on what you're in for-- specifically, a good time and plenty of laughs-- from this clever satire of `Reality TV' shows and `Buddy Cop' movies, `Showtime,' directed by Tom Dey, starring Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy.
Mitch Preston (De Niro) is a detective with the L.A.P.D., and he's good at what he does; but working a case one night, things suddenly go south when another cop, Trey Sellars (Murphy), inadvertently intervenes, a television news crew shows up and Mitch loses his cool, which results in a lawsuit by the television station that's going to cost the department some big bucks.
With stars like De Niro and Murphy, Dey, of course, had a leg up on this project to begin with, but he's the one who keeps it on track, demonstrating that he knows what works, achieving just the right blend of physical comedy and action, and employing the subtleties of the dialogue to great effect.
Trey is a cop, but also an aspiring actor-- and a bad one-- and it gives Murphy the opportunity to play on the over-exuberant side of his personality (reigned in enough by Dey, however, to keep him from soaring over-the-top into Jim Carrey territory), which works perfectly for this character and this film.
Los Angeles detective Robert DeNiro and silly beat cop Eddie Murphy get partnered together in "Showtime", a funny, but honestly mediocre buddy comedy.
Some have made the case that the film ends up becoming the kind of movie it's supposed to be making fun of, and while that's true, it still ends up being enjoyable.Critiques:If you like the loud, potty-mouthed, confident, hilarious, charismatic Eddie Murphy from the 48 HRS or Beverly Hills Cop movies, you will get a little of that, but not as much as you're probably hoping for.
Now, obviously, Eddie will have some funny scenes just because he's Eddie Murphy, but he is still limited by the script, and it doesn't seem like he ever is able to really cut loose or be himself, and some of his lines can feel forced at times.Now, while I didn't find the main plot to be that bad, it is still not the best, and it's not super-engaging.
The plot is that two very different police officers (Eddie Murphy, Robert DeNiro) are approached by a TV studio who are looking to make a hit buddy cop show, and the two are coerced into going along with it as the stars.
Murphy is great, it's good to see him in this kind of role again, and De Niro is fantastic as always.Showtime is about a cop, Mitch Preston (DeNiro), who after a huge screwup, is forced by his department to do a reality cop show.
Let's hope that Eddie Murphy keeps this kind of role up, as I miss his Beverly Hills Cop days.Definately the best cop buddy movie since probably Lethal Weapon.
Many viewers will be annoyed, considering what a high profile movie it is, that it just trundles along the tired old clichés and jokes but others will find it forgettable and basic fun  I supposed it depends on your mood and you expectations.The cast is maybe part of the reason expectations would be high since both have had some success with the mismatched buddy genre before (Midnight Run and, to a lesser extent, Beverly Hills Cop).
I had also made the mistake of watching 48 Hours and Beverly Hills Cop recently before seeing Showtime and for some strange reason thought Eddie Murphy was still funny.
Robert De Niro, Eddie Murphy and Rene Russo had the potential to make Showtime work, but not even these talented actors can save this movie.
Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed with the end result.Robert De Niro plays Detective Mitch Preston, a no nonsense, humourless and gruff 28 year LAPD veteran who is partnered with Officer Trey Sellars played by Eddie Murphy who has life long aspirations to become an actor.
William Shatner spoofing his T.J. Hooker character was just one big unfunny joke.Showtime does little justice to the buddy cop comedy genre and the entire movie was just a fizzer.
It's a total shame that not even Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy could make this movie work, given the potential.
I laughed really hard when Trey (Eddie Murphy) said, "Showtime!" If you ask me, Mitch (Robert De Niro) was an absolute grouch most of the time.
Now, in conclusion, I highly recommend this excellent movie that will make you laugh really hard to any Robert De Niro or Eddie Murphy fan who hasn't seen it.
De Niro was the star of the film as you'd expect, and good performances from Renee Russo and the cameo from William Shatner make this fun enough, if not quality..
The plot is not really the best thing in this movie (Two cops who don't like each other have to work together), but it's the excuse to put Murphy and De Niro characters in hilarious situations, making the audience laugh all the time.
Eddie Murphy, a cop trying to become a movie star and the older, does things his way cop, Robert DeNiro.
De Niro makes a good work, but I always liked DeNiro performance, Murphy came with a more humble part than his other past movies, It's like watching his old days...
This is an enjoyable cops comedy, staring some big names - de Niro, Eddie Murphy, Rene Russo.
Showtime has pretty much the same feel has Eddie Murphy's other films (has a few curse words here and there, but still feels like a family movie).
Other than this, we have seen Showtime before..Murphy does his usual comedy role alá Beverly Hills Cop. Most of the time, he knows what he's doing and he's actually quite funny throughout the movie..
We have already seen the story in 'The Hard Way'.The only things that maybe save this flick from being below  average are : Eddie Murphy (he is always TOP, in any comedy part), some really funny lines from Rene Russo's character Chase Renzi, the pretentious TV show producer (not enough screentime in order to be really  memorable but Rene Russo saves her part pretty well, as always) and of course the HILARIOUS cameo part of William Shattner as ex 'T.J Hooker' !.
If you like him, you won't be disappointed.)The film features a detective (Robert De Niro) who is coerced into filming a reality-based tv show with a rather hyper cop (Eddie Murphy).
The rest of the film features them trying to get along (not always successful!) and chasing down the bad guys.The movie has its moments, and the chemistry between Murphy and De Niro was good.
This film doesn't just have its cake and eat it too; it has the whole bakery.Detective Mitch Preston (Robert De Niro) has a drug bust interrupted by the media and a brash, cop-slash-actor named Trey Sellars (Eddie Murphy).
While a spoof of a reality based cop show could be funny, the team of writers and director Tom Dey (Who made the far superior Shanghai Noon a few years ago; see that movie instead) seem to be on unsure footing, and instead of slamming the TV industry, they really let them off light (The harshest thing they seem to be able to say about network execs is they like to play ping pong at work).
It was good to see that Eddie Murphy still can pull off his shtick like he did in the original Beverly Hills Cop, De Niro has a couple of funny scenes, although he's completely underused as actor, and the William Shatner cameo is a hoot.So, if you're in the mood for a quite old-fashioned buddy-movie without any special merits except for a couple of decent action scenes and a good laugh every now and then, Showtime may be your movie.
Showtime (Robert De Niro, Eddie Murphy, Rene Russo) is meant to be a spoof of cop movies but contains enough `action' in the form of big guns and car chases to make that debatable.
Well, being a big fan of both Eddie Murphy and Robert De Niro, I had high expectations for this film.
A very well made comedy with two of the best comic actors of the last years: Robert de Niro, proved again that he can easily change genres like drama and comedy, as vilan, hero or anti-hero (his last movies chronologically: "Analyze This", "Rocky & Bullwinkle", "Men of Honor", "Meet the Parents", "15 Minutes", "The Score" and "Showtime") and be great in all of thenEddie Murphy, although is voice is still deeply connected with The Donkey, shows that can perform in his performance and unfortunately the best scene is probably the beginning when he is talking about his Irish childhood (but his speech about the uncle is also very comic)Rene Russo is back to screen with Robert de Niro (in a movie 4 times better than the previous one), in a role similar with her Catherine Banning from "Thomas Crown Affair" but to small for her to show all her talent
Though i would say there was a waste of talent here, and Eddie Murphy was making me pretty much sick, he is so "over".Robert Deniro barely did a good job either, i liked him in "MEET THE PARENTS" but how could he accept such a poor script?
Beat cop Trey Sellers, played by Murphy, has the Hollywood dream and wants to be a big movie star.
There were some good comedy skits but there wasn't a strong theme tying them together.Who should see this film:-- Big fans of Eddie Murphy or Robert DeNiro-- Action fans with nothing better to do on a rainy day-- People who watch reality crime TV like "COPS"Like most viewers, I give this one a 6 out of 10..
"Showtime" is a funny film starring funnymen Robert DeNiro (Meet the Parents,A Bronx Tale) and Eddie Murphy (Shrek, Dr. Dolittle).
I think he did a pretty good job with this film, and I again look forward to his next work.All in all, it was a good movie, but I wouldn't recommend paying full price for a ticket unless you're a die-hard Robert De Niro/Eddie Murphy/Rene Russo fan.
For an actor of his caliber and his age, I wonder what it is that lures him to tripe like "Showtime."Eddie Murphy is his usual self, and although he has his funny moments, I got the feeling that script and story-wise, he was not given that much to work with.Rounding out the cast are Rene Russo (as the pushy, sexy TV executive), Drena De Niro (playing her assistant) and William Shatner in a brilliant cameo as himself.
Minute for minute, Shatner had the most laughs in his short time on screen -- too bad he wasn't on for longer!My last bit of "beef" with this movie is that we never actually get to see what "Showtime" (the show) looks like to the viewers at home, which, as you exit the theatre, is a very frustrating realization.So, unless you are a die-hard Eddie Murphy or Robert DeNiro fan (and love seeing their mugs on the big screen), wait for this one to come out on VHS or DVD.
Showtime is a "fun" movie to watch, especially if you're a DeNiro or an Eddie Murphy fan.
To me, DeNiro was just as funny as Murphy in this movie, even though the laughs were not as often as I had hoped.