|
 he Robert De Niro comedy "Showtime" is a good
example of a film that really works when it sticks to its selling points, but
becomes embarrassing when it strays. A case in point: When De Niro's Detective
Preston sighs and rolls his eyes at the absurdity of formulaic and silly cop
shows, the movie works; but when Preston and his wiseass partner Trey (Eddie
Murphy) are chasing a gunrunner/bank robber/all-around-bad-guy, the movie shows
signs of schizophrenia.
Or how about this: When TV producer Rene Russo throws a
newspaper on the desk of her boss and exclaims that this is the network's new
hit show, the TV exec replies matter-of-factly, "You know I don't
read." Now that is funny stuff.
The whole thing starts after tough cop Preston shoots up a
TV newsman's camera and gets an ultimatum from his boss: Join Russo's TV show or
get toss from the force. Being that he's a born cop and a great Detective,
Preston reluctantly agrees to team up with Eddie Murphy's fellow
officer/aspiring actor Trey Sellars on Russo's buddy cop show. The buddy cop
show is being directed by William Shatner of TV's "Star Trek" fame,
here playing himself. Another funny joke: While trying to direct his two new
stars, Shatner talks about his days as T.J. Hooker, and uses it as inspiration
for his actors.
And then there's that thing with the gunrunner/killer/bank
robber and a hint of romance between Russo and De Niro that goes absolutely
nowhere fast. Neither of these two subplots are all that interesting, and
thankfully the gunrunner (played by Pedro Damian) only shows up once in the
beginning, once in the middle, and then once more at the end, for a total of 10
to maybe 15 minutes of total screen time.
For the most part, "Showtime" is funny when it
lampoons the workings of a TV network show, with Rene Russo's abrasive and
completely clueless (not to mention improbably named) Chase Renzi turning
Preston's life upside down. Not only does she have his old car towed away and
replaces it with a humvee without his knowledge, but she redecorates his house
and gets him a new dog because "research shows" it's what the audience
identifies with!
De Niro has made a second career out of playing straight
men in comedies. He did likewise in "Meet
the Parents" and similarly in "Analyze
That." De Niro is good
here, and all the real, unforced comedy revolves around his take-no-prisoners
Preston character's interaction with others. The man really knows how to make
the right faces to show his displeasure or appreciation of a situation or a
person, that's for sure.
Of course Eddie Murphy is suppose to be the comedy
sidekick, but he tries way too hard. The result is an Eddie Murphy that
comes across as too flamboyant, sometimes too irritating, and oftentimes just
not funny. Every now and then you can see it in Murphy's eyes -- that he knows
he's doing the same shtick since "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Coming
to America." In Murphy's heart of hearts, one gets the feeling he knows his
comedy routine is tired and old, and so is he. Unlike his co-star, who has
carved out a second successful niche in the arena of comedy, Murphy is still
stuck in the '80s, doing the same old stuff. (Yes, I am talking about the laugh,
too, Eddie.)
"Showtime" is funny when it sticks to what it
does best – poking fun at the TV business and cop movie clichés, and it's
painful to watch when it tries to go straight. Like its cop buddies, Preston and
Trey, "Showtime" seems to have a split personality. It should have
settled on one and stuck to it, because not doing so means it's only half-funny,
and the other half is just…awkward.
For example: There's a running gag about one of Russo's
cameraman being a former war correspondent, but who proves himself incapable of
running a few feet in any direction without stumbling into a fire hydrant
crotch-first or tumbling into a pool. And then there's a scene where the
gunrunner's gang blows up a house with heavy-caliber weapons, mercilessly
killing the two occupants inside.
The cameraman gag – funny. The house gag – not
funny. Luckily, there were more funny moments than the not-funny ones.
|
