Rating:
Director: Tom Dey
Producers: Jane Rosenthal, Jorge Saralegui
Writers: Jorge Saralegui, Keith Sharon, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
Director of Photography: Thomas Kloss
Cast: Robert De Niro, Eddie Murphy, Rene Russo, William Shatner
| SHOWTIME Rating: Director: Tom Dey Producers: Jane Rosenthal, Jorge Saralegui Writers: Jorge Saralegui, Keith Sharon, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar Director of Photography: Thomas Kloss Cast: Robert De Niro, Eddie Murphy, Rene Russo, William Shatner |
|
Review by: Dan
Tester
3/17/02
What has happened to Robert De Niro? There was a time, if you will remember, that De Niro was the preeminent dramatic actor of our day. Remember The Deer Hunter, The Godfather II, Raging Bull? There was actually a time when a film like Midnight Run was regarded as a "delightfully surprising comedic turn". How stunning then that recently the "comedic turns" that were once so rare and uncharacteristic have now become sleepwalk commonplace, and the dramatic risks that were once a career trademark are now reduced to classics like 15 Minutes and The Score. I bring this up only to emphasize the total disappointment I felt while watching Showtime, a film that reeks of studio manipulation and, quite frankly, a complete disregard for moviegoers, except the American sheep audience members who need to see a car chase and a Eurotrash bad guy to leave the theatre feeling satisfied.
I will give a brief description, as well as I can muster. The film stars De Niro as a grizzled and burned out policeman (see Cinema 101, or possibly Intro To Cinema, or at this point, maybe even Home Economics) who, after a botched sting operation involving heavy artillery and gang bangers, angrily shoots a camera out of the hands of a television cameraman covering the event. This act, which is conveniently being covered live by a struggling FOX style network, inspires a producer (Rene Russo) to create a COPS type reality show around this maverick and daring police officer. Of course the De Niro character would never agree to this kind of insanity, but you see, the network is going to sue the LAPD for damages unless De Niro will agree to star in their... well, never mind. Eddie Murphy plays the younger, wiseacre cop; an aspiring actor who manipulates his way into the sidekick role by creating a fake snatch-and-grab scenario involving Russo and... well, never mind. Somehow, the Gods of comedy conspire, and De Niro and Murphy are teamed together to star in this "TV reality show." In a bit of remarkable creativity (for this movie anyway), William Shatner is cast as himself to coach the two in the fundamentals of TV cop protocol (he was TV's T.J. Hooker). This actually manages a few chuckles about 1/3 of the way through the movie, and then, sadly, Shatner is no more.
Here is where the movie really goes off track; it becomes standard fare. Up until this point, there is actually potential. While a parody of television reality shows is probably a lost cause, considering the insipid material it is satirizing, this movie actually becomes a stereotype of its target. This whole concept should have centered on the stupidity and manipulation of a television network deciding to show TRUE cops at work, while the presence of the cameras allows for nothing less than "performances" from those involved. TV could have been a great villain. The Rene Russo character should have been the bad guy in this film, and we might have had some fun. But she is instead the "likeable third lead." I kept thinking of Faye Dunaway in Network as I watched her character, but that movie didn't have a car chase. Instead, the filmmakers abandon this angle midway through the film and decide to introduce the subplot involving bad guys and really big guns. And this becomes the final half of the movie. The TV reality show subplot becomes amazingly discarded for routine action and shoot-outs.
On the positive side, Eddie Murphy has
some moments that show he may be ready to emerge from his nearly
five-year transvestite hooker penance of kiddie flicks, and return
to his early comedic form. He does get some laughs early on as
he tries to earn a spot on the TV show, and the scenes between
him and De Niro often show a sort of chemistry that should have
been explored further. But Bobby, Bobby. It is time to stop slumming
and get back to doing what you do best -- drama. These "De
Niro parody" performances have simply gotten old. Please
call Marty and line something up. Unfortunately, with Meet
the Fockers and Analyze That on his plate, this seems
unlikely any time soon. Perhaps it is simply time for Shatner
to try Raging Bull II.
Agree? Disagree? Talk about it in the forums.
|
|
|
|
|