Robert De Niro is becoming quite the comedic actor. With such hits as Analyze
This, Meet The Parents (one of my favorites), and now Showtime, De Niro proves that he is quite
comfortable with the lighter side. He really seems to know how to pick a good
film, and to team up with the right people. Whether it is Billy Crystal, Ben
Stiller, or, most recently, Eddie Murphy, he has surrounded himself with nothing
but the best.
Showtime is funny for several reasons. First of all, it is funny because of the
situation. A TV producer (Rene Russo) comes up with an idea for a reality
television show centered around a single police officer (later it was made a duo
after Murphy's character desperately lands himself a starring role). It is a
twist on Fox's COPS but follows a pair of officers rather than a whole host of
officers. Furthermore, it focuses on the officers themselves rather than the
crimes; thus they film them in the office or at home as well. What makes this
situation hiliarous is that:
- Mitch (De Niro) does NOT want to do this, but he is forced to in order to keep his job.
- Russo and the TV crew do NOT want reality, but would rather script, decorate, and rehearse. There is a great set of scenes in which William Shatner is brought in to teach these real-life cops how to be TV cops.
- Trey (Murphy) is more concerned about fame on the show than the duties of being a police officer.
Showtime works because of the situation described above, and the fact that all 3
actors are able to pull it off. De Niro brings a no-nonsense intensity that
achieves hilarity because of his surroundings and his situation. Eddie Murphy
builds upon his good-guy image of late (he was the Donkey in Shrek, Mishu the
dragon in Mulan, and the lovable Sherman Klump in The Nutty Professor). Not
that he is a saint, but he is almost childlike in his enthusiasm, and that is
fun to see on screen (as opposed to hearing the F-word in its many conjugations
and contexts for 2 hours). And Renee Russo rounds out the trio as a producer
who has no problem interfering in peoples lives.
My favorite scene from this movie is one in which William Shatner (as himself) is teaching
Trey and Mitch how to taste a white powder in order to tell if
it is cocaine. Shatner and Murphy each give their impressions of an officer
slowly recognizing the taste of the drug. They then ask Mitch (De Niro) to do the same.
He responds with something to the effect of, "That's ridiculous. I'm not doing
it. No officer would ever do that. I mean, what if it's cyanide!"
HAHAHAHAHAHA!
What is ironic is that De Niro's character goes on to do some pretty outlandish
stuff that no real cop would ever do. But hey, it's the movies! And, as Murphy
says in this film, "It's Showtime!"
Very funny!
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