One of the sad realities of life is that sometimes when things seem too good to be true'they are. A lot of people salivated upon hearing that Eddie Murphy and Robert De Niro were starring in a movie side by side. They couldn't wait for the movie in which De Niro would build upon the comedic prowess he showed in \Meet the Parents"" and ""Analyze This,"" while Murphy would return to playing a loudmouth cop like he did in the ""Beverly Hills Cop"" and ""48 Hours"" movies. Unfortunately, a choppy plot, stiff acting performances, stale jokes and a flaky premise keep ""Showtime"" from nearing its potential.
The movie centers around Trey Sellars (Murphy), a part-time actor and full time Los Angeles cop, and Mitch Preston (De Niro), a no-nonsense veteran cop, who stumbles into the spotlight and is forced to stay there when he is coerced into doing a reality TV show that partners him with Sellars in a more edgy take on the ""Cops"" premise. The movie follows both the Hollywood end of the show, which shows the producer (Rene Russo) constantly trying to keep the show lively, and the police end of the show, which follows the investigation of an illegal arms producer.
The problem is partially that the movie is indecisive about whether it's a total spoof or an action-comedy in its own right. The greater problem is that it isn't good in either respect. As a spoof, it just isn't very funny. The spoofs of Hollywood types, like everything involving Russo's character and her bosses and coworkers, are lame, irritating and altogether familiar. As an action-comedy in the buddy-cop mold, it is not nearly as good as most of the movies it takes indirect shots at, like ""Lethal Weapon"" and ""Beverly Hills Cop.""
The only saving grace of the movie comes from the fact that Murphy and De Niro could probably make a mass funeral have funny moments. Even though the movie tries to derive most of its humor from the concept of the movie and the characters it creates, almost all of its funny moments come from De Niro and Murphy turning to the mannerisms that have always worked for them. It is a shame the two didn't come together in a movie with a less suffocating premise.
Overall, ""Showtime"" is not terrible, but Eddie Murphy and Robert De Niro should be doing better, and so should moviegoers.
