Showtime (2002) User Reviews

Not as Bad as People Say

[monkeysgalore · 6/10 · 14 November 2018]

Honestly, I've never understood the hate for this movie. Is it the best buddy cop or action comedy movie? Obviously not. Have both Eddie Murphy and Robert DeNiro made better movies? Of course. Does that mean this movie sucks? Not in my opinion.

Most of the people who watched this probably came for three reasons:

1. They liked either one, or both, of the two main stars.

2. They like buddy/buddy cop action comedy films.

3. They came because of both of the first two reasons.

Now, as I said, obviously it's not the best movie, but it was originally intended as a satire, or at least as a little jab, at the 'buddy cop' genre, so naturally it's not going to take itself incredibly seriously. 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. This does prove for some interesting moments, but it's not enough to carry a movie on.

The other main plot, which one could argue, devolves the movie into becoming just like any other buddy cop movie, is the suave, sophisticated, nefarious, foreign arms dealer who rolls into town selling high-powered weaponry. It's not incredibly interesting, but it serves its purpose, and it does take a back seat to the TV show plot, at least until the third act.

As for comedy, this flick did have some funny moments, but it just didn't seem to really try, and other times, it didn't try at all. Overall, it is funny, but not as funny as a lot of the films that it's trying to be.

Postive Things:

The action, at least what's there, ends up being pretty well-done, at least the large-scale car chase about halfway through, the bar fight, and the final climax. I'm glad that the movie didn't focus solely on action, as the action wasn't the point of the movie, but the action that is there, while fine, did't feel entirely realistic, or just not super engaging, but I did like it.

I did enjoy the disagreeable chemistry between the leads, and I definitely think that Eddie Murphy saved this movie, even if he wasn't at the top of his game.

Director Tom Dey hasn't done much, but he does have "Shanghai Noon" as one of his credits, which is honestly a much more enjoyable film. I'd definitely recommend that one over this film.

Overall, I did like it, but it didn't need a sequel, and I'm glad one never came. 6/10.

it's showtime

[FeastMode · 7/10 · 2 January 2021]

Fun and funny movie, with good characters and great chemistry between the leads. you really buy into their relationship. some unrealistic stuff but very enjoyable overall. (about 3 viewings, 1/1/2021)

Surprise! It was funny.

[mm-39 · 7/10 · 27 August 2002]

When I saw Eddie Murphy as De Niro's co-star, I thought this movie was going to be awful. I was pleasently surprised. When Eddie Murphy does not produce, director or write his own material, he can be funny. Robert De Niro does comedy very well along with his action and drama movies. William Shatner does a cameo appearance. He has put on the weight. Rent this one, it is rather funny. 7/10

A fun film, and it even has Robert De Niro

[Agent10 · 7/10 · 16 May 2002]

I cannot understand why so many people did not like this film. Robert De Niro was on top of his game, delivering his lines with such aplomb, one has to believe this is his everyday demeanor. Granted, the film seemed to take on many buddy-film conventions while trying to make fun of the concept, it goes without saying this film was genuinely funny. From the police dog, to the fact Eddie Murphy didn't annoy the heck out of me, this film is a real keeper. Rene Russo also evened out the rest of the cast perfectly, establishing her role so it does not interfere with the budding relationship between De Niro and Murphy.

Decent buddy comedy from Murphy/De Niro

[dworldeater · 6/10 · 20 September 2016]

Of course, I could be wrong but I seriously doubt that the film in question, Showtime is not to too many folks the greatest movie ever made. However, Showtime is a pretty decent buddy action/comedy that is fairly entertaining. 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. Both of these actors are great at what they do with De Niro being an excellent dramatic actor Eddie is a comic genius and while Robert De Niro is one of the best actors of his time Eddie Murphy is equally talented in the comedic realm. 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. Both Murphy and De Niro are great here, but the film itself is nothing spectacular. 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.

The best buddy cop movie in years!! Murphy and De Niro are great together!

[Lumberjackyl · 2 September 2002]

Absolutely entertaining. That is all I can say about this movie. This is one of the first movies in years that I can say I did not want to shut off halfway through. 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. Preston is teamed up with Trey Sellars (Murphy), a cop who wants to be an actor, and the fun begins! Rene Russo is also in this film, and she is beautiful as always.

There are some extremely funny moments, as well as some great stunt scenes. 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. If you are a fan of the Lethal Weapon series, you will definately love this one.

A decent show by two well intentioned leads

[Quinoa1984 · 4/10 · 15 March 2002]

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. In all, a conventional and surely enjoyable escape on a weekend day. B+

Entertains, But Not Too Memorable

[ccthemovieman-1 · 6/10 · 8 August 2006]

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. You get a good combination of humor and action in here. 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.

All together, kind of bad but hey, pretty funny

[policy134 · 4/10 · 23 March 2005]

I put down this vehicle from Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy, and Murphy in particular the first time but having seen it again, recently, I can see that it does have some very funny bits.

This is by no means to say that this is the greatest buddy comedy of all time, but really what can you do to the already exhausted subgenre? What director, Tom Dey, has tried to do is make it a satire of the clichés of buddy comedy and the media. Early in the movie the executive of a cable network asks: "How is this different from Cops?", when Chase Renzi is pitching the idea of a reality show dealing with De Niro's character, Mitch Preston (hilariously boring name by the way). That's when I saw it in a new light that I hadn't previously noticed.

The idea is to show all the elements of the buddy comedy and put a twist on them. De Niro's reluctance to star in the show and to partner up with Murphy is right out of every cop film you can think of. You can say that De Niro is actually playing himself asking: "Why would I do another movie playing a cop?" Chase Renzi is portrayed to be a Hollywood phony but if you look at her opening scene again, she is merely doing it to save her job. She somehow sees the ridiculousness of what she is doing but she wants to succeed despite that. One line says it all: "Who doesn't want to be on TV?" Maybe this is reading too much into what is essentially a lightweight film, merely set to entertain, but it does give it a little spin that I hadn't noticed before.

As for Murphy. You got to applaud him for looking this ridiculous. Trey wants to be a star so bad that he is willing to sell out everything he comes in contact with. Murphy was a big star and maybe it struck a nerve that it is all so fleeting.

The plot with the gun is of course pretty boring. The action sequences are nothing special, except the end which required a lot of effort both from cast and crew. One thing that I noticed about the villain is that he is dressed like an 80's pop star. George Michael comes to mind and that adds to the whole media spin.

So, I trashed it the first time around but what the heck; if you are gonna do this, why not point out how ridiculous it really is and De Niro and Murphy took a big chance doing this.

A TYPICAL EDDIE MURPHY SPOOF

[iohefy-2 · 7/10 · 18 March 2002]

I went to see this movie not expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised by the teaming of Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy. It was a fast paced movie and the hour and a half went by fast. This one certainly won't win any Academy Awards but it was a change of pace for Mr. De Niro. He is good in comedy. Overall I enjoyed it.

A Day Job?

[bkoganbing · 3/10 · 29 September 2008]

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. Other than that I can't think of a reason to justify the film's existence. Not that it isn't amusing in spots, it certainly is, but the concept is so completely ludicrous that the laughs are somewhat muted.

The thing that really got me was Eddie Murphy's character. I can't seem to wrap my mind around the concept of someone being a police officer as strictly a day job. When I was working person at New York State Crime Victims Board I had to deal with all kinds of cops and they ran the gamut between the really dedicated and some real slugs, but I can't think of one who thought that this was just something I do until I get my career going in an area far afield. 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. He's undercover and Murphy is part of his backup. So what does the showboating Murphy do, he calls a reality based TV series like COPS to film the action.

So DeNiro's bust gets blown sky high, but the producer of the show gets some good footage of Murphy and DeNiro and decides on a new reality based television series. 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.

I guess Murphy wanted a chance to work with DeNiro and DeNiro must have gotten one hefty paycheck to do this film.

Pure gem

[UniqueParticle · 10/10 · 1 April 2020]

Love this movie so much I used to watch the VHS many times! Hilarious fun that is wild and comforting to me. Some of it is not meant to be seriously which is ok sometimes, Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy are excellent together! Oddly satisfying for an autistic guy like me. I love the shine, glossy, and natural lighting to several scenes. The soundtrack is a delightful treat that flows well with the story. I think it's great how there's genuineness then there's whacky aspects; plus Caesar Vargas is a awesome villain.

The Bob & Eddie Show!

[MadBadMovieman · 7/10 · 16 March 2002]

This is a funny movie. The Bob & Eddie Show feel of it could lead to a sequel but I doubt it will make enough money.

Deniro proves he can be a great Straight man again with some hilarious and spontaneous moments. Eddie was fun to watch working with people instead of CGI animals and rodents. Rene Russo- well she's just fun to watch anyway and she's played her part excellent.

Some wild and unusual stunts, especially the garbage truck scene. This was worth seeing in the theater. We needed a good laugh and got many from the movie and the great out-takes at the end. DO NOT LEAVE at the start of the credits!

At least a 7.

Blowtime

[movieman_kev · 2/10 · 21 January 2005]

After De Niro destroys a network's property in the midst of chasing down a criminal, they threaten to press charges unless he does a realty TV show with Eddie Murphy. Listen, Eddie, I know you've been in a huge slump and the little talented you had after the '80's ended was sucked from you by that transvestite, but bro, don't let your aura of badness take down Robert De Niro too. He can pull out of the funk that he's currently in. You can not. This Showtime movie sucked as much as ANY other live action movie you've done since the '90's (barring "Life" which I liked). Stick to your "Shrek" films. And Tom Dey, I'm let down, "Shanghai Noon" was an entertaining film. This isn't.

My Grade: D

DVD extras: Commentary with Tom Dey, Jorge Saralegui and Billy Webber; HBO first look featurette; deleted scenes; filmographies; Theatrical Trailer

Enjoyable

[slightlymad22 · 30 January 2018]

Showtime (2002)

In 2002, Murphy tried to move away from the kid friendly movies to disastrous box office effect. He started off the year by teaming with Robert De Niro (who was reinventing himself as a comic actor) in this Buddy Cop Picture.

Plot In A Paragraph: Two very different cops are forced to team up on a new reality based television cop show, while tracking down the manufacturer and distributor of an illegally made semi-automatic firearm.

It starts off well (especially the first 30 minuted or so) and I was enjoying myself. Sadly, it ends up becoming the type of movies it is making fun of. So it's early promise is not fully lived up to, but I still liked it.

There is decent chemistry between the two leads. Every good scene in this movie features De Niro and Murphy. Usually without specially effects or action. William Shatner shows up to give Murphy and De Niro acting tips which is a lot of fun.

All in all, it's an enjoyable action comedy for me.

Showtime ended 2002 as the 70th highest grossing movie of the year, with a domestic haul of $38 million dollars. Against an $85 million budget.

A fun movie

[Purplelorikeet · 7/10 · 12 December 2002]

I saw this on dvd recently and it's a fun movie. It's nothing great and the story isn't the greatest but it has many funny moments. I did notice some of the cut out scenes would have allowed the movie to have a bit more sense. The continuity was pretty poor. But still it was good for a laugh.

Highly underrated humorous film.

[DeadHeadCycler · 7/10 · 26 June 2010]

Watching this film again, after a few years since the last time, I was shocked to see that we users at IMDb thought so little of this film. To each his/her own, but I find this film just as enjoyable as the first time. My reviews are typically harsh and unconventional to the norm. My feelings on this film also do not follow the crowd. Simply, this is a genuinely funny film. Whereas, Murphy's roles and acting has waned over the years, this is one he can hang his hat on. De Niro, how does he morph himself into an appropriate character in most films, similar yes, but different enough to make you forget about his last film. Russo's expressions and reactions are dead on target. I have a renewed appreciation for this lady.

Many good laughs and humorous story about two implausible police partners.

This must have been a good screenplay

[clvrmnky · 1/10 · 22 September 2002]

This movie never really decides what kind of film it wants to be. It attempts to be a bit of a clever cop-movie spoof, but stumbles early on and never regains it's footing.

Clearly, there must have been good material here at one time to attract the talent. Russo, Murphy and DeNiro play well enough together, and they get a lot of help from the supporting cast. They do a decent enough job with what is basically an "unlikely-cop-duo-versus-the-euro-trash-bad-guy" film (or a clever play on one, we are never sure). Lots of things go *boom* and bad guys are assumed to be bad, justifying further explosions.

The real crime here is that it could have been better. The ham-handed directing and haphazard editing destroyed what small amount of clever pacing and ironic humour that _may_ have been intended by the author.

The screenplay must have been better and, judging from the "outtakes", made a lot more sense than the finished product.

Don't blame the actors on this one. This film may be an example of what happens when a writer gets a chance to produce his own picture, and hooks up with a bad director.

Pretty bad film. The pacing is awful and the editing is criminal. Rent it to have a laugh and eat some snacks.

Good matinee film

[jim_4520 · 7/10 · 11 February 2003]

By no means is this film a blockbuster, but it is still a basic comedy and fairly entertaining. I saw this during a Saturday matinee and realized how appropriate that was. It made for a good matinee film to kill an afternoon.

Murphy made for a good self-centered introvert. De Niro, as always, can easily adapt himself to any role. Even though he was supposed to be the serious character, it was obvious by the end that he probably had fun making this film.

This is definitely one worth renting for a rainy weekend.

A Soul-Sucking Waste of 90 Minutes

[emgarcia · 1/10 · 3 April 2002]

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. Give me a fun little picture any day; I don't always need intellectual stimulation from my celluloid.

But I *hated* Showtime. It was ninety minutes of life-force-draining shlock that made me depressed and p***ed off for the rest of the day. I only spent $5.75, but that was at least $5.74 too much.

I'm not going to go into the plot -- enough reviewers have done that already -- but suffice it to say that from the very first frame of the film (a schoolroom gag used about twenty times in the last ten years), one could pretty much telegraph the rest of the movie across the board. There were nearly no surprises, and except for a small chuckle or two here and there, few laughs. The theater was half-full, and I wasn't the only one shifting around in my seat.

This is my first review on IMDB -- I never felt like taking the time to review a film here before, but I gladly took a few extra minutes out of my day just to warn people about this movie. Go watch something else, or read a book, or hit yourself over the head with an anvil -- any of these will bring you more satisfaction than watching Showtime.

Passably good self-indulgent Hollywood spoof.

[BadWebDiver · 7/10 · 6 April 2005]

I thought this film worked for the most part. The idea reminded me a lot of the similar - and IMHO more superior - LAST ACTION HERO; in that we have an action film that pokes fun at the conventions of action films.

I really love Robert de Niro in this. For a long time I was a bit sceptical of the gushing hype around him as a brilliant actor - "best in the world, ever" type thing. To me, the top actors can do everything from light escapist entertainment, to deep serious profound life- delving drama. It isn't the ones who just play artsy-fashionable grunge character roles that please the academics and serious film buffs, and hardly anyone else. But Bob in this role has finally proved to me he's truly an all-rounder. His prestigious critical reputation may be tarnishing a bit by doing more broadly entertaining type roles; but to me he's finally shown that he can do pretty much everything you throw at him - any faults are now usually the production or the script. He's got the range and experience to pull virtually any character off down pat.

And Eddie Murphy does cement himself as a top professional comic actor. His role in this however. does seem to be a shade lighter riff of his role(s) in BOWFINGER. And I have to complain that the lighting and make-up in this film doesn't really compliment him that well. His extended African-style brow ridge comes up very prominently in a lot of scenes, which is a bit of a distraction. But, as stated on the DVD commentary, he does prove that he is the type of star who is funny, but when he holds a gun - it's serious.

Storywise, the show is pure escapist fun. It does feel a little bit like a lot of standard Hollywood action scenarios and shots are just cobbled together, going through the same old formulaic motions. But in this particular case, that actually what makes it work. The story relies on the setups and climaxes being familiar - almost clichéd. The viewer needs to be orientated very quickly as to what is happening and WHY it is happening. Not much room for anything TOO fancy or unusual. Don't get me wrong - staying with the old scene clichés can get stale REAL fast. The industry constantly needs fresh blood and ideas all the time. But it needs to be in moderation, and for a tangible reason - not just show off the glitzy new concepts for the heck of it. A bit of old and a bit of new actually works best.

I have to say the villain of the piece actually is very good, with the right balance of humor and menace. And the henchman played by T J Cross is very cool and fun - especially the prison interview scene, which really cooks.

And finally, kudos to William Shatner for really providing the comic highlights of the story. The guy is a pure comic gem, and deserves all the applause he can get. I think he's earned it!

Enjoyable

[alexpeychev · 4/10 · 26 October 2022]

In 2002, Murphy tried to move away from the kid friendly movies to disastrous box office effect. He started off the year by teaming with Robert De Niro (who was reinventing himself as a comic actor) in this Buddy Cop Picture.

Plot In A Paragraph: Two very different cops are forced to team up on a new reality based television cop show, while tracking down the manufacturer and distributor of an illegally made semi-automatic firearm.

It starts off well (especially the first 30 minuted or so) and I was enjoying myself. Sadly, it ends up becoming the type of movies it is making fun of. So it's early promise is not fully lived up to, but I still liked it.

There is decent chemistry between the two leads. Every good scene in this movie features De Niro and Murphy. Usually without specially effects or action. William Shatner shows up to give Murphy and De Niro acting tips which is a lot of fun.

All in all, it's an enjoyable action comedy for me.

Showtime ended 2002 as the 70th highest grossing movie of the year, with a domestic haul of $38 million dollars. Against an $85 million budget.

Funny Movie!

[StreepFan126 · 10/10 · 4 October 2002]

I don't care what some of the reviews said, this movie was funny. The thing with this film is that you can't expect anything else except to be entertained. This is not some intellectual comedy, this is a clever popcorn movie. The three main cast members are great and work very well with each other. Shatner is a standout in the supporting cast as himself, a former TV cop, brought in by Russo's character to coach the cops on how to be "TV cops." Those are by far the funniest scenes. If you want to be entertained and just sit back for a laugh, then watch this movie.

Lackluster comedy/action romp

[=G= · 6/10 · 16 August 2002]

"Showtime" is a step down for DeNiro, Murphy, and Russo as it stomps clumsily through its story about an all business detective (DeNiro) and an hammy wannabe actor uniform street cop (Murphy) who become the centerpieces of a reality TV show of the title name and a criminal investigation involving a sort of super gun. The flick has all the usual Hollywood action (stunts, chases, pyro, shootouts, etc.) with some Murphy signature silliness and a taste of drama thrown together to make a mediocre but entertaining no-brainer flick which is best served with a bag or chips, some dip, and a sixer. Save for broadcast, turn off brain, and enjoy. (C+)

It's showtime...

[paul_haakonsen · 5/10 · 27 June 2014]

"Showtime" is actually an enjoyable action comedy, but take it for what it is, because it is not a stroke of genius masterpiece in cinema history.

The story is about two police men (De Niro and Murphy) who are forced together on a reality TV show about policemen in the line of duty, being followed around by a film crew as they solve cases and dish out justice to the criminals.

The dialogue is fairly average for an Eddie Murphy movie, so if you enjoy his movies, then you will certainly enjoy "Showtime" as well.

What works in the movie is the chemistry between Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy as the two very different policemen coming from two very different aspects in life.

"Showtime" is the type of movie that you will watch, then shelf it for a long, long period, and then perhaps do take it out once again a couple of years down the line. It is right up the likes such as "Lethal Weapon".