Posted: 03/01/2007

Reno 911: Miami

(2007)

by Clint Fletcher

I’d like to start off by saying that I’m a big fan of Reno 911! on television. I think it’s one of the funniest shows of the past decade, right up there with South Park and Family Guy. So naturally, when I saw the trailer for this puppy, I got pretty psyched. With its R rating in tow, I expected it would do the show justice in the same way the South Park movie did. From this perspective, I was a little let down.

Don’t get me wrong. I still think this movie was pretty funny, but that’s the best compliment I can give it. It was certainly nothing spectacular and didn’t do the show near as much justice as it could’ve. First off—why does the production value of the movie look cheaper than that of the show? The cinematography was terrible, the focus was blurry and the production value was the equivalent of the Pamela/Tommy Lee sex tape. So, if the production value blows and the script was subpar compared to the show, why make a feature film in the first place? A good $20 million should’ve been invested into this flick. It still would’ve easily made its money back and profit after that.

Secondly, much like the show, many scenes are completely improvised from the actors. On the small screen, this talented bunch usually hits the mark when it comes to big laughs. Well, the big laughs in the movie were few and far between. It was almost like watching a really weak episode that got unnecessarily stretched into a feature. If people are going to do a feature, an actual full-on screenplay couldn’t hurt. Either that, or they had better have their shit together on a Borat level. Some scenes were a little pointless and unfunny, which, again, makes me question why a feature was developed in the first place. Two fine examples would be the presence of Paul Rudd (playing a cheesy Scarface knock-off villain) and Patton Oswalt as the acting mayor. While Oswalt has never been funny, I was surprised to see Rudd in such a retarded, unfunny role. Again, Rudd is a regular guest star on the show and is usually funny there, but he isn’t in the movie. What’s the deal, guys?!

I know it seems like I’m mostly bashing this flick, but I just wanted to get the negative stuff out of the way before diving into the good. The great news is the movie is funny more times than not. It’s loaded with classic cameos from The Rock, Danny DeVito, Nick Swardson, etc. And I also really dug the concept of the movie, where the gang thought they were invited to a police convention, only to be kicked out and be the only escapees of a terrorist attack inside the arena. So these guys are literally the only cops around in Miami to enforce the law. Classic. It also had some killer deleted scenes/outtakes in the credits, too, and many of them were funnier than the ones that made the actual cut.

Despite a few flaws and bad decisions made production-wise, Reno 911: Miami is 10 times better than all the other shit comedy films out right now. Fans of the show should be able to appreciate it for what it is. And it’s probably your safest bet to having a good time at the movies until 300 comes out next week, so enjoy it while it lasts!

Clint Fletcher is a reviewer in Chicago.

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