Showtime (film)

Last updated
Showtime
Showtime movie eddie robert.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Tom Dey
Screenplay by
Story by Jorge Saralegui
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyThomas Kloss
Edited by Billy Weber
Music by Alan Silvestri
Production
companies
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • March 15, 2002 (2002-03-15)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$85 million [1]
Box office$77.7 million [1]

Showtime is a 2002 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Tom Dey. The film stars Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy in the lead roles alongside Rene Russo, William Shatner, Pedro Damian and De Niro's real life daughter Drena De Niro. The film was released in the United States on March 15, 2002. The film received generally negative reviews, with critics lamenting its lackluster humour and poor attempt to satirize the buddy cop genre. It received two nominations at the 23rd Golden Raspberry Awards: Worst Actor (for Murphy), and Worst Screen Combo (for Murphy and DeNiro).

Contents

Plot

Two LAPD cops, Detective Mitch Preston and Officer Trey Sellars, both from the Central Division, are paired for a reality police show and run into real trouble with a crime lord. Mitch shoots a news camera after a failed confrontation with local drug dealer Lazy Boy, who escapes by using a custom-built gun. Maxxis Television, the fictional network that employed the cameraman, decides to sue the police department for $10 million, but will drop the lawsuit if Mitch agrees to star in a reality cop television show, which Trey later calls Showtime!.

Trey enters the picture shortly after, as an LAPD officer who actually wants to be an actor while also trying to become a detective. He pays a friend to snatch the purse of the show's producer, Chase Renzi, and then retrieves it after a staged fight scene. Even though the deception is embarrassingly revealed, Chase is impressed and signs Trey on anyway. It is quickly revealed that the show's producers have little interest in filming an actual police officer's existence; they build a mini-movie set in the middle of the station, and replace Mitch's nondescript personal car with a Humvee, while Trey drives a C5 Corvette. They also hire William Shatner (who once played T. J. Hooker) to give both men tips on how to act; while Trey is eager to learn, Mitch is merely annoyed.

Despite all this, Mitch tries to investigate the mysterious supergun, which is subsequently used by arms dealer Caesar Vargas to kill the drug dealer and his girlfriend. Through a clever ruse by Trey, they are able to get the arms dealer's name from Re-Run, the dead dealer's henchman. However, Vargas is less than cooperative, which causes a brawl at his nightclub. Trey and Mitch are able to defeat him and his henchmen, and subsequently have a relatively friendly conversation on their way home. However, Mitch's good humor evaporates when he finds that, in his absence, the Showtime producers have drastically remodeled his house and given him a retired K-9 dog as a pet.

Vargas and his crew assault an armored car and kill the crew, then devastate the police who respond. Trey and Mitch arrive and are pulled into the shootout. When the attackers flee in a garbage truck, Mitch gives chase in a police car. In the ensuing mayhem, the car is rammed by the garbage truck, which winds up crashing into a construction site. Mitch survives by jumping from the police car to Trey's sports car (he had previously denounced "hood-jumping" as a useless skill). In the wake of the disaster, the police chief pulls the plug on the show, suspends Mitch from duty and demotes Trey back to patrol.

With the show ended, Mitch's car is returned and his apartment restored (but he refuses to return the dog, of which he has grown fond). While watching the final episode, Mitch calls Trey and apologizes for his actions and even offers him to help ask questions on the detective exam. But while doing so, Mitch sees one of his police colleagues at Vargas's nightclub. He and Trey investigate, finding that Vargas is selling the weapons at a gun show at the Bonaventure Hotel. Vargas flees with one of the weapons, taking Chase hostage in the process. The duo is able to rescue her, via a pocket pistol concealed in a Maxxis camera, but the ceiling of the room is shot. It is located just below the pool, so it floods, and Vargas is washed out the window to his death, Trey manages to save himself and Mitch by handcuffing them together. They wind up suspended from a broken beam outside the hotel.

Trey is promoted to detective, and he and Mitch are now partners and still working together with a new case, and there are hints of a romance between Chase and Mitch. Showtime is revived and in its second season, this time with two young and attractive female officers, who are just as antagonistic as Mitch and Trey were.

Cast

Soundtrack

Showtime: From And Inspired by The Motion Picture
Soundtrack album by
various artists
ReleasedMarch 19, 2002
Studio
Genre Dancehall
Length49:38
Label MCA
Producer
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]

From And Inspired By The Motion Picture Showtime, a soundtrack album composed of thirteen songs, was released on March 19, 2002 through MCA Records. Recording sessions took place at "The Boxx" and Main Street Studios in Kingston, Jamaica, at the Idea Lounge, The Ranch, Big Yard Studio and HC&F Studio in New York, at Iguana Recording Studios in Toronto, at the Tracken Place and Brandon's Way Studio in Los Angeles. Production was handled by Dave Kelly, Babyface, Christopher Birch, Gordon Dukes, Kardinal Offishall, Richard Browne, Shaggy, Sting International, Tommie "Bishop" McLaughlin, Tony "CD" Kelly, and Robert Livingston, who also served as executive producer together with Joel Sill and Michael McQuarn. It features contributions from Shaggy, Alias Project, Babyface, Bounty Killer, Brian & Tony Gold, Gordon Dukes, Howzing, Jully Black, Kardinal Offishall, Latrelle, Marsha Morrison, Prince Mydas, Rayvon, Rik Rok, Rude, Sean Paul and T.O.K.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Caramel" (performed by Alias Project and Shaggy)
Dave Kelly 3:27
2."Why" (performed by Rude)
  • D. Kelly
  • I. Watson
Dave Kelly3:33
3."Mr. Lover" (performed by Shaggy and Baby)
  • Burrell
  • Anthony Kelly
  • Ducent
Tony "CD" Kelly3:54
4."My Bad" (performed by Rayvon)Dave Kelly3:29
5."Lie Till I Die" (performed by Marsha Morrison)
  • Gordon Edward Dukes
  • Christopher Birch
  • Burrell
  • Ducent
4:52
6."Man Ah Bad Man" (performed by T.O.K. and Bounty Killer)
Richard Browne2:54
7."Money Jane" (performed by Kardinal Offishall, Sean Paul and Jully Black) Kardinal Offishall 4:19
8."Your Eyes" (performed by Rik Rok, Brian and Tony Gold)
  • Ducent
  • Thompson
  • Patrick Anthony Morrison
  • Robert McDonald Livingston
  • Birch
  • Burrell
Robert Livingston4:00
9."Fly Away" (performed by Gordon Dukes)
  • Dukes
  • Desmond Dottin
  • Livingston
Gordon Dukes4:00
10."Swingin'" (performed by Shaggy and Latrelle)
Tommie 'Bishop' McLaughlin3:10
11."Get the Cash" (performed by Howzing)
Sting Intl 3:45
12."Still the One" (performed by Prince Mydas)
  • Anthony Hawthorne
  • Livingston
  • Birch
Robert Livingston3:25
13."Showtime" (performed by Shaggy and Babyface)
Babyface 4:30
Total length:49:18

Other songs

These songs did appear in the film but were not released on any soundtrack:

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 25% based on 123 reviews, with an average rating of 4.7/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Showtime starts out as a promising satire of the buddy cop genre. Unfortunately, it ends up becoming the type of movies it is satirizing." [4] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 32 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [5] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale. [6]

The film was nominated for two Razzie Awards, for Worst Actor (Eddie Murphy) and Worst Screen Couple (Murphy and Robert De Niro).[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<i>Starsky & Hutch</i> (film) 2004 American action comedy film

Starsky & Hutch is a 2004 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Todd Phillips. The film stars Ben Stiller as David Starsky and Owen Wilson as Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson and is a film adaptation of the original television series of the same name from the 1970s.

<i>Bad Boys</i> (1995 film) 1995 action film directed by Michael Bay

Bad Boys is a 1995 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Michael Bay in his feature directorial debut, produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, and starring Martin Lawrence and Will Smith as two Miami narcotics detectives Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey. The film received mixed reviews from critics, but was commercially successful and spawned two sequels: Bad Boys II (2003), Bad Boys for Life (2020). A currently untitled fourth film is set for a release in 2024.

<i>Beverly Hills Cop</i> 1984 film directed by Martin Brest

Beverly Hills Cop is a 1984 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Martin Brest, with a screenplay by Daniel Petrie Jr., and story by Danilo Bach and Daniel Petrie Jr. It stars Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street-smart Detroit detective who visits Beverly Hills, California, to solve the murder of his best friend. Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Ronny Cox, Lisa Eilbacher, Steven Berkoff, Paul Reiser, and Jonathan Banks appear in supporting roles.

<i>Beverly Hills Cop II</i> 1987 buddy cop film directed by Tony Scott

Beverly Hills Cop II is a 1987 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Tony Scott, written by Larry Ferguson and Warren Skaaren, and starring Eddie Murphy. It is the sequel to the 1984 film Beverly Hills Cop and the second installment in the Beverly Hills Cop film series. Murphy returns as Detroit police detective Axel Foley, who reunites with Beverly Hills detectives Billy Rosewood and John Taggart to stop a criminal organization after Captain Andrew Bogomil is shot and seriously wounded.

<i>Midnight Run</i> 1988 film by Martin Brest

Midnight Run is a 1988 American action comedy film directed by Martin Brest and starring Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin. Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton, Dennis Farina, Joe Pantoliano, and Philip Baker Hall play supporting roles.

<i>Beverly Hills Cop III</i> 1994 American action comedy film by John Landis

Beverly Hills Cop III is a 1994 American action comedy film starring Eddie Murphy and directed by John Landis, who had previously worked with Murphy on Trading Places and Coming to America. It is the third film in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise. Murphy again plays Detroit detective Axel Foley, who once again returns to Beverly Hills and teams up with detective Billy Rosewood to stop a gang of counterfeiters at a local amusement park called Wonder World.

<i>K-9</i> (film) 1989 film by Rod Daniel

K-9 is a 1989 American buddy cop action comedy film starring Jim Belushi and Mel Harris. It was directed by Rod Daniel, written by Steven Siegel and Scott Myers, produced by Lawrence Gordon and Charles Gordon, and released by Universal Pictures.

<i>Liberty Heights</i> 1999 film

Liberty Heights is a 1999 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Barry Levinson. The film is a semi-autobiographical account of his childhood growing up in Baltimore in the 1950s. The film portrays the racial injustices experienced both by the Jewish and African-American populations. Both of Nate Kurtzman's sons find women "prohibited" to them; for Van because he is Jewish and white, and for Ben because he is white. Their father goes to prison for running a burlesque show with Little Melvin, an African-American and known local drug dealer.

<i>Freebie and the Bean</i> 1974 film by Richard Rush

Freebie and the Bean is a 1974 American buddy cop black comedy action film starring James Caan and Alan Arkin, and directed by Richard Rush. The film follows two offbeat police detectives who wreak havoc in San Francisco attempting to bring down an organized crime boss. The film, which had been originally scripted as a serious crime drama, morphed into what is now known as the "buddy-cop" genre due to the bantering, improvisational nature of the acting by Caan and Arkin. Reportedly, by the end of filming, both actors were confused by the purpose of the movie, not knowing that they had stumbled into a successful character formula. The movie was popular enough to spawn various other successful movie franchises such as, Lethal Weapon, 48 Hours and Beverly Hills Cop. Loretta Swit and Valerie Harper appeared in support roles.

<i>Trouble Man</i> (film) 1972 film by Ivan Dixon

Trouble Man is a 1972 American blaxploitation crime thriller film directed by Ivan Dixon and produced and released by 20th Century Fox. The film stars Robert Hooks as "Mr. T.", a hard-edged private detective who tends to take justice into his own hands. It is still of note today for its soundtrack, written, produced and performed by Marvin Gaye.

<i>Narc</i> (film) 2002 American crime thriller film directed by Joe Carnahan

Narc is a 2002 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed and written by Joe Carnahan and starring Jason Patric and Ray Liotta. The plot revolves around the efforts of two police detectives in search of the murderer of an undercover police officer. As they investigate, they engage in unethical behavior and uncover dark secrets that will challenge their fragile relationship.

<i>48 Hrs.</i> 1982 buddy cop film by Walter Hill

48 Hrs. is a 1982 American buddy cop action comedy film directed and co-written by Walter Hill, co-written by Larry Gross, Steven E. de Souza and Roger Spottiswoode, and starring Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy as a cop and a convict, respectively, who team up to catch two hardened criminals. The title refers to the amount of time they have to solve the crime.

<i>Rush</i> (1991 film) 1991 film directed by Lili Fini Zanuck

Rush is a 1991 American crime drama film directed by Lili Fini Zanuck and based on a novel written by Kim Wozencraft. It stars Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jason Patric as two cops in the 1970s who go undercover on a case. They become drug addicts themselves and, under pressure from the chief of police, falsified evidence in some cases. The book and film are both based on a 1978-79 drug scandal involving the Tyler, Texas police department and Smith County, Texas Sheriff's Office. An FBI investigation led to the book's author and her partner pleading guilty to perjury, serving time in federal prison, and testifying in a federal civil rights case against Tyler, Texas police chief Willie Hardy, who was found not guilty by a jury of his peers in Smith County, Texas.

<i>City by the Sea</i> 2002 American crime drama film

City by the Sea is a 2002 American crime drama film starring Robert De Niro, James Franco, Eliza Dushku, Frances McDormand and William Forsythe. It deals with the family problems of a wayward youth and is set against a man trying to break free of his past. It was directed by Michael Caton-Jones. It is based on the story of Vincent LaMarca.

<i>The Hard Way</i> (1991 film) 1991 action-comedy film directed by John Badham

The Hard Way is a 1991 American buddy cop comedy film directed by John Badham, starring Michael J. Fox, James Woods, Stephen Lang, and Annabella Sciorra. LL Cool J played his first fictional character in the picture, which for this reason has been referred to as his acting debut.

<i>The Seven-Ups</i> 1973 film by Philip DAntoni

The Seven-Ups is a 1973 American neo-noir mystery action thriller film produced and directed by Philip D'Antoni. It stars Roy Scheider as a crusading policeman who is the leader of the Seven-Ups, a squad of plainclothes officers who use dirty, unorthodox tactics to snare their quarry on charges leading to prison sentences of seven years or more upon prosecution, hence the name of the team.

<i>Fort Apache, The Bronx</i> 1981 film by Daniel Petrie

Fort Apache, The Bronx is a 1981 American crime drama film directed by Daniel Petrie. The film is about a hard-drinking, lonely veteran cop, Murphy, and his young partner Corelli, who work in a crime-ridden precinct in the Bronx. Although Murphy's life takes a good turn when he falls in love with Isabella, a young nurse, the arrival of a new, law-and-order-minded police captain commanding the precinct, Connoly threatens to tip the neighborhood's delicate balance into anarchy. Danny Aiello, Kathleen Beller, and Pam Grier play supporting roles. It was written by Heywood Gould and produced by Martin Richards and Thomas Fiorello, with David Susskind as executive producer.

<i>Righteous Kill</i> 2008 American thriller film

Righteous Kill is a 2008 American crime thriller film directed by Jon Avnet and written by Russell Gewirtz. The film stars Robert De Niro and Al Pacino as New York City Police Department detectives on the hunt for a serial killer. It is the third film in which both De Niro and Pacino appear in starring roles, and also stars John Leguizamo, Carla Gugino, Donnie Wahlberg, Brian Dennehy, and Curtis Jackson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonino Accolla</span> Italian voice actor

Antonio "Tonino" Accolla was an Italian actor and voice actor.

<i>Lets Be Cops</i> 2014 American film

Let's Be Cops is a 2014 American buddy cop action comedy film co-written and directed by Luke Greenfield. The film stars Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. as two friends who pretend to be police officers in Los Angeles. The film co-starred Nina Dobrev, Rob Riggle, James D'Arcy, and Andy García. It was filmed on location in Atlanta, Georgia, and released on August 13, 2014. The film received negative reviews from critics. It was a box office success grossing $138.2 million worldwide against a production budget of $17 million.

References

  1. 1 2 "Showtime (2002)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 2009-10-26.
  2. Henderson, Alex. "Original Soundtrack - Showtime [Original Soundtrack] Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  3. "Showtime (2002) - Soundtracks - IMDb". IMDb . Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  4. "Showtime". Rotten Tomatoes .
  5. "Showtime". Metacritic .
  6. "Find CinemaScore" (Type "Showtime" in the search box). CinemaScore . Retrieved April 4, 2022.