Can a buddy-cop parody still qualify as a good buddy-cop movie? Showtime struggles to prove it's possible, and with a few solid laughs it almost succeeds. No movie starring Eddie Murphy and Robert De Niro could be a total turkey, and their pairing--as (respectively) a brash patrol cop/wannabe actor and a seasoned detective with zero tolerance for showmanship--yields a few choice moments of slick, professional comedy. Still, most of Showtime represents a missed opportunity, squandering Rene Russo's talent as a TV producer who casts Murphy and De Niro in a buddy-cop reality show that turns them into overnight celebrities. In an effort to repeat the modest success of Shanghai Noon, director Tom Dey capitalises on the casual chemistry of his leads (especially Murphy, who outshines his co-stars) until parody succumbs to routine action involving big guns and bad guys. With a sharper sense of satire, this passable entertainment could have been a comedy juggernaut. --Jeff Shannon

Robert de Niro was very good in this film playing a serious-minded diligent policeman who gets teamed up for a reality tv show with Eddie Murphy who plays another cop who is loud and unsubtle, but the contrast between the two of them - which is supposed to be a a main feature of the story - didn't work that well and their coupling and the plot as a whole seemed contrived and unlikely even in the context of a comedy.There was lots of action in Showtime and some funny moments but overall it was a very average movie.

You have to admit that the idea of teaming up Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy is certainly interesting, but who would have thought they both would be upstaged by William Shatner playing William Shatner? Of course, "Showtime" came out in 2002, and that was before Shatner started winning all those Emmys for playing Denny Crane on "Boston Legal." But this movie and those Priceline commercials probably prompted David Kelley to unleash Shatner on prime time television once again (We knew there was life after Captain James T. Kirk, but who knew there was such life after T.J. Hooker as well?).

"Showtime" is a film that has its cake and eats it too by making fun of the cop buddy comedy movie at the same time it embraces the genre. That might explain why you have the feeling at the end of this film that you are watching a different movie than the one you started out watching. De Niro is Mitch, a streetwise cop who lives in the real world and takes pride in doing his job and the fact that he has never had to choose between cutting the red wire or the green wire. Murphy is Trey, a patrolman who likes being a cop but would also like to play a cop on TV. Rene Russo is the television executive, sort of a second grade Faye Dunaway "Network" type, who takes the opportunity to bring these two together when Mitch makes the mistake of blowing away a television camera during a shootout (his partner has been shot, there is a guy out there with the biggest gun you have ever seen, and for some reason Mitch does not like a bright light being shined on them in the dark of night). To avoid a multi-million dollar law suit Mitch is ordered to play ball with the television people, even if that means constantly being followed by cameras as he tries to do his job and putting Trey in the seat next to him. While Chase waits for Mitch to explode on camera, we wait for him to bond with Trey.

That is the premise of "Showtime," and the biggest irony is that the best scenes involve setting up the premise rather than the plot that keeps intruding on the fun. The only thing better than Eddie Murphy teaching Robert De Niro how to act is when William Shatner shows up and the pair have T.J. Hooker show them how it is done. Perhaps not since the Marx Brothers ran rampant has the screen had three such divergent approaches to acting in a single scene, which Shatner steals from the other two. The best line in the film is when Shatner informs Chase that Mitch is the worst actor he has ever seen. Unfortunately the rest of the film does not match the levels of humor at work during this training sequence and you have to give credit to the actors who can make a simple scene such as Mitch watching Trey watching Shatner hysterical.

The film is directed by Tom Dey, who did "Shanghai Noon" and apparently is content to find a niche as a buddy film director. Then again, if you get De Niro and Murphy should you be complaining about being typed as a director? This is an action comedy where the action gets in the way of the comedy and once Shatner disappears the movie shifts into a different gear. Yes, there is a point where comedies like this have serious moments and we realize that underneath the banter and animosity there are feelings of affection and mutual respect, but with "Showtime" you just get the feeling they are pouring on the cliches they spent so much time ridiculing in the first half of the film.

Personaly i really enjoyed this film, although i do know a few people who dont feel the same.
The films opening really gives you a feel on how the rest is going to be, with each actor getting a suitable scene that best suits their acting styles.
Rober Deniro opens it with the "lowdown" on cop life, he gives the most serious, realistic and harsh version on how the average dectective lives and does their job. "..if you break the law, i will do all in my power to hunt you down and put you behind bars, that is a promise." Then the camera pans out and hes talking to an elementary school class! Which is the first of many humerous moments. He finishes it up by sayin that being a cop is not exciting and is not what you see on TV. The it immediatly skips to eddie murphy giving an excellent over the top performance whilst talkin gto his captain. Things like jumping off roofs shooting 2o guys, then you discover that he was just at an ordition for a television reality show. Where the humour really kicks in is 2 seconds later when you see that he is actually a real cop, which is quite sad!
The two actors hate each other at first, but over time the usual happens and they learn to like and learn from each other, becoming a team.

This film is worthit for the unique idea, the action and humour, and the great cast, including William Shatner from the original startrek who plays himself! If you happen to run into this film then hear it out, you wont b dissapointed.

showtime is one of the best films out just now, i read the critics reviews and thought oh i dont fancy that much but i went to see it and it was great! if it isn't gladiator or pulp fiction its not worth a look in, this is a great buddy cop movie, de niro is actually really funny in it, if you like rush hour you will love this. tom dey is also a good director he made shanghai noon, so if you want to see a great buddy cop film here is the one to watch