Alerte à Miami Reno 911

Whenever I saw the regular series on television I definitely enjoyed it. "Reno 911!" is a highly creative and very funny show. However much to my dismay I've only caught bits and pieces of it so I went into this film not knowing nearly as much of the characters' backgrounds as many others in the theater on opening night. Fortunately, enough was explained that newcomers could quickly pick up on what went on despite some in-jokes definitely being present. Now even with bearing my limited level of "Reno 911!" expertise in mind I thought it was hilarious. The biggest problem this film will face is it was setup in a very similar style to last year's "Borat". Between the carefree male nudity and how sex was addressed, the resemblance was very much alike. Despite this approach being taken, this was very much its own movie and accomplished what it set out for.

The real-time mockumentary comedy that "Reno 911" represents has been prevalent on television for the past few years and recently it appears as if it's now being a preferred alternative on the big screen as well. This is with good reason because the characters seem more like actual everyday people than some ridiculous caricature that doesn't resemble anything close to a human being. Viewers can identify with these personalities more and thus stand a better chance of becoming sucked into the different situations no matter how over the top they are. I predict that humorous films will start adhering to this relatively new formula and will be the kick-start to a whole new generation of cinema.

Notwithstanding some of the downright hysterical moments, there were some pieces that didn't work. To start off with, the first half was much funnier then the latter part. As if the writers began running out of jokes and settled for any suitable finale. Also most of the dialog in the show is improvised where it appears that for the movie it was scripted the other way around and this certainly took away from the actors' spontaneity. Finally some of the scenarios are almost a little too far-fetched, even for a notorious farcical ensemble cast such as this.

All in all I found myself laughing out loud a lot and was very glad I caught this one. It appears it won't beat out the television show due to the advantage of getting to compress the running time, but it's still a very comical motion picture that'll guarantee to put just about anyone in stitches. I'd say there's a very good chance a sequel will be in the works and surely look forward to it. Law enforcement is no stranger to either parodies of itself or becoming a target for instances of goofiness that could never really happen, but this is a new take on big-hearted police officers that can't seem to get anything right that'll have you mimicking them for hours on end. Between the witty quotes, the oddball lawbreakers, and the refreshing celebrity guest list…Miami didn't know what hit it!

I know that many people are complaining about the short length of the movie, a sparse 84 min, but what's there is funny. I know that when I left the theater, my face, as well as the faces of my 9 friends who came with me were hurting from laughing so hard. If you a fan of the show, you will love the inside jokes and cameo of one of the shows most beloved characters (I won't spoil that for you, just look at the cast for yourself). There are also plenty of notable celebrity cameos such as Danny DeVito, and The Rock to name a few. I will admit that it isn't exactly up for any awards, nor will it go down in history as one of the funniest movies of history, but it has its moments. If you liked the show, you will like the movie.

I'd only seen part of one episode of the TV show before seeing the film, so my knowledge of the characters and the premise of the show was limited. No matter: the film does an excellent job of establishing its tone and the specifics of the characters right off the bat. No roadmap required.

My biggest fear with seeing a theatrical version of a TV series is that the film tries to overinflate the stakes of the plot to justify the increased length and budget and fails. Reno 911!: Miami took that necessity to its logical next step by moving the small town incompetence to a much larger scale in Miami, but due to some clever (and minimalist) writing, the relocation works. And, since nearly all of the humor in the film is derived from the characters and their reactions to their situations -- all of which speed by at a brisk pace, so as to not overmilk a joke -- the relocation never felt forced or unwelcome.

Impressively, the film veers into cliché territory on numerous occasions but never delivers the expected punchline. The actors know their characters so well that their improvisations keep the audience and their costars on their toes at all times. Even the traditional "caper" plot, which is really just an excuse to tie all the vignettes together, is handled with more originality than I would have expected.

Perhaps I should start expecting more from this creative team, since they're capable of sustaining my interest (and my amusement) over the course of a full-length feature. In fact, perhaps I should start watching the series...

I haven't laughed this hard in a theater since I saw Something About Mary. That said, I'm a fan of the TV series, and I thought the movie lived up to its expectations. My only complaint is it could have been longer. Nevertheless, I think the writers and actors were on their game. Take in mind this is dumb slapstick humor, with flatulence and vomit jokes, but its still very clever, unique, and definitely funny! There really wasn't much of a storyline, or I should say it had very simple plot. However, that's not what makes Reno 911 funny (a complex plot might even be distracting). What makes Reno 911 funny is the string of endless "skits" and scenarios these incompetent cops put themselves in. This is a great cast of actor/comedians.

I hear all these people saying that this flick is a disappointment. That it should have stayed on TV. They complain about the lack of plot. What this movie constitutes is basically a bunch of scenes that appear to have been mostly ad-libbed, stuck together with a very, very loose plot involving a disease which is really just an excuse for them to be where they are. I found the extreme lack of a story amusing, especially in a few scenes where its obvious how aware they all were of it, and they were able to make fun of it. The R rating allows for some great gags that wouldn't have been able to show on TV. Overall this flick isn't an amazing comedy. It isn't thought provoking or anything else to that extent. It's a bunch of good jokes strung together and pasted up on a screen. If you like the show, don't expect it to be much more then an extended episode of the show, with some more boundary pushing gags and celebrity cameos.