Showtime - PG-13\nStarring: Robert DeNiro, Eddie Murphy, Rene Russo\nDirected by: Tom Dey\nShowing: Showplace West 12\nDeNiro's latest low-grade comedy flounders in a shallow storyline and draws only some meager laughs. A conflict develops only 10 minutes before the end for Mitch (DeNiro) and his hyper-active partner, Trey (Eddie Murphy), to struggle with. The cheap comedy doesn't require capable comedians DeNiro and Murphy to play off each other, missing opportunities for cackles instead of brief giggles.\n"Showtime" features two polar-opposite cops on a "Cops"-like, primetime docu-drama of the same name. An ultra-aggressive television woman named Chase (Rene Russo) recruits them. The LAPD requires the constantly scowling Mitch to join the show because he made the department look bad by shooting a TV camera during a failed drug heist. Trey, a below-average cop/aspiring actor, intrigues Chase with his charisma. \nMitch and Trey seek out the murderer (Pedro Damian) of a drug dealer, whose body they discover on their first case together. That's about as intricate as the plot gets. The jokes are somewhat funnier, especially those that poke fun at media-chasing inept policemen -- the overweight, hairy cameraman tells the cops to wait before saving a kidnapped Chase because he has to switch the tape in the camera.\nThe uptight Mitch rejects every aspect of Chase's makeover for him, except for a huge, drug-sniffing German shepherd. The bit plays off DeNiro's role as an obsessive father who ironically adores a long-haired cat in "Meet the Parents."\nBecause of their contrasting personalities, Mitch and Trey don't hit it off right away, but the movie strays from character development, instead replaying rapid gunfire, unimpressive stunts and often-ridiculous jokes that remain within a PG-13 rating.\nTrey pretends to beat up and arrest a purse thief in order to draw Chase's attention. He throws a hubcap at the thief like a Frisbee, hitting him on the head. When Trey flashes a grin at Chase, Mitch handcuffs the unrestrained thief, who complains to Trey that this wasn't part of the bargain. The sequence ends with Mitch bending the thief's plastic knife to reveal Trey's phoniness.\nWhile the jokes stink, the actors entertain. An always-grinning Murphy charms with brashness. DeNiro and Russo also unveil intense personalities. His uptightness both amuses and irritates, as he acutely frowns at Trey and mumbles slap-stick lines. She convincingly portrays an overzealous media person, eating a raw hamburger to impress Mitch.\nBut a few laughs don't save a film whose plot is both shallow and unstimulating. But, hey, there is a Johnnie Cochran cameo.\n
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