When the fate of a major metropolis is hanging in the balance, be sure to call on the most ridiculous, backwards police department in the nation to save the day.
Comedy Central's hit show "Reno911!" kicks it up a notch in its big screen debut. As expected, the feature length film is similar to an hour-and-a-half long episode of the TV show, only the jokes are raunchier and the laughs are a lot harder.
When a bio-terrorist threat leaves all of Miami's law enforcement authorities quarantined inside a convention center, it is up to the Washoe County Sheriff's department led by Lt. Jim Dangle (Thomas Lennon, "The Ten") to protect and serve the citizens of Miami.
Hilarity ensues. The plot is ludicrous and poorly developed, but with a movie of this nature, who cares?
After four seasons and a fifth in production, the "COPS" parody "Reno911!" has become a cable TV phenomenon, though most of the actors had earned a revered cult status from their work on "The State" and "Viva Variety."
"Reno911!" contains the same kind of highbrow misuse of lowbrow ideas that make previous shows so appallingly off-the-wall.
The movie contains all the show's familiar antics. Deputy Garcia (Carlos Alazraqui, "Happy Feet") and Deputy Jones (Cedric Yarbrough, "Unaccompanied Minors") attempt to photograph women on a topless beach, while Deputy Raineesha Williams (Niecy Nash, "Code Name: The Cleaner") and Deputy Trudy Weigel (Kerri Kenney, "Pledge This!") ignore 911 emergency phone calls in order to watch TV at the station.
Even the small details remain faithful to the Comedy Central program, right down to Deputy Clementine Johnson's cleavage and Lieutenant Dangle's hot pants.
"Reno911!: Miami" was written and directed by Robert Ben Garant, who also plays Deputy Travis Junior. Garant also directs the show, which explains why the two are pretty much identical in format.
Whether it is an encounter with a crocodile in a pool, a dead whale on the beach, or motel sex scenes not fit for cable television, "Reno 911!: Miami" is chock full of laugh riots from start to finish.
However, the movie's guest appearances are rather disappointing. Paul Rudd ("Anchorman") plays the movie's villain - more or less - as a Miami drug lord named Ethan. His minimal screen time and underdeveloped character make his performance somewhat insignificant.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson guest stars briefly as an intimidating SWAT officer, and Danny DeVito, who produced the film, also appears in an opening scene cameo.
One of the shows funniest guest characters, "Terry," played by comedian Nick Swardson ("The Benchwarmers"), has one of the best scenes. Terry is a gay roller-skating male prostitute turned pop singer. This character's moments on screen are great, though short.
"Reno911!: Miami" is loaded with over the top toilet humor, sexual situations, and overall idiotic yet hilarious behavior. Fans of movies like "Super Troopers" or "Police Academy" will like this movie, and fans of the show are guaranteed to love it.
