Stars:
Robert DeNiro, Eddie Murphy, Rene Russo, Frankie R. Faison, and William Shatner
Writers:
Keith Sharon, Alfred Gough, and Miles Millar
Based
On A Story By: Jorge Saralegui
Director:
Tom Dey
Feature
length: 95 minutes
Extras:
Feature Length Audio Commentary With Director Tom Dey and Producer Jorge
Saralegui, HBO First Look: The Making Of Showtime, Additional and Extended
Scenes With Optional Filmmaker Commentary, Select Filmographies, and the
Theatrical Trailer
Languages:
English and French Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Subtitles:
English Captions and Closed Captions and French and Spanish Language Subtitles
Packaging:
Snap Case
Chapter
Stops: 28
Sound:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Year
of Theatrical Release: 2002/DVD Release: 2002
Theatrical
Distributor: Warner Brothers Pictures
Home
Video Distributor: Warner Home Video
MPAA
Rating: PG-13
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
Eddie
Murphy is a cop who aspires to be an actor and Robert DeNiro is a detective
forced into a reality show after he muscles a cameraman on a crime scene to save
the department and himself hefty legal charges. Paired as partners by their
producer played by Rene Russo and trained in the fine art of “Police Acting”
for the camera by William Shatner, playing himself while spoofing “T.J
Hooker,” Murphy and DeNiro go on the search of a gun maker whose bullets can
pierce armor and level a house.
“Showtime”
is a clever action comedy that subtly and not so subtly pokes fun at various
police dramatization franchises whether it is “COPS” or the “Dirty
Harry” and “Lethal Weapon” films. While Murphy and DeNiro are in top form
together and actually share great onscreen chemistry. William Shatner steels the
scenes he is in simply by adlibbing and being a good sport buy poking fun at his
own image. Rene Russo shows her sex appeal once again as one of the best-looking
Actresses working in feature films today.
Warner
Home Video is releasing both “Full Screen” and “Widescreen” editions. I
screened the widescreen version and it looks great with a beautiful anamorphic
(2.35:1) aspect ratio. The English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack is also
excellent with a wonderful use of the 6-channel surround sound. A French
Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack is also included along with
English Captions and Closed Captions for the hearing impaired and French and
Spanish Language Subtitles encoded on to the dual layered DVD as options.
Filmmakers
Tom Dey and Jorge Saralegui deliver a good screen specific feature length audio
commentary explaining how it was to work with the cast, how the project came
about with DeNiro attached and getting Eddie Murphy involved as well as various
anecdotes about the making of the film. They also provide an optional audio
commentary track for 8 deleted and extended scenes that are provided in a good
quality widescreen (2.35:1) aspect ratio that includes some great adlibs from
Eddie Murphy. These scenes can be
viewed individually or as one long 13-minute or so reel. Select Cast and
Filmmaker Filmographies are also included along with the 14-minute “HBO First
Look: The Making Of Showtime” featurette hosted by William Shatner.
The
widescreen (2.35:1) theatrical trailer wraps up the extra features on this DVD
release. The menus are standard interactive still frames that are easy to
navigate. “Showtime: Widescreen Edition” will debut on DVD-Video on Tuesday,
August 13, 2002 from Warner Home Video.
©
Copyright 2002 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.