RENO 911!: MIAMI
Reviewed by Sam Hatch
Fans of Reno 911!, Comedy Central's long running faux-reality spoof of the TV show COPS may be wondering if that concept is suited for the big screen, but Reno 911!: Miami delivers plenty of too-naughty-for-telly gags while still keeping its low budget street cred intact. Others may complain that the end result feels too small-screen, and that they shouldn't have to pay to see what they can get for free at home (assuming you're a cable thief, which you aren't, are you?).
The film begins with a sly trick, as the doofus characters of the series are introduced in true Hollywood blockbuster style, clad in leather (and some sporting copious amounts of cleavage) and stylishly entering a crime scene by either rappelling from helicopters or jumping over cars with a customized Reno PD motorcycle.
This action filled (and cameo filled) intro usurps most of the film's budget before crashing back to reality as we find that one officer has dreamed the entire scenario while sleeping behind the wheel of his cruiser. Thus, the real story begins. If you haven't encountered the TV source material by now, I'll briefly recap that it's the saga of the bumbling police men and women who populate the Reno Sheriff's Office in Nevada.
Most of their jobs are spins on traditional fare from COPS, such as domestic disturbances and animal control situations, all of which spiral out into comedic disaster. Lieutenant Jim Dangle (Thomas Lennon) is their superior officer, a closeted male who makes excuses for wearing tight hot pants as part of his regulation uniform, and who must consistently dodge the amorous intentions of his oblivious fellow officer Deputy Trudy Wiegel (Kerri Kenney-Silver)
Other deputies are portrayed by Carlos Alazraqui, Ben Garant (aka Robert Ben Garant, the film's director and cowriter), Cedric Yarbrough, Niecy Nash (sporting a monstrously ginormous prosthetic posterior), Mary Birdsong and Wendi McLendon-Covey. Dangle seemingly hates his crew (except for Yarbrough's Deputy Jones, whom he often tries sleeping with), and wishes to join the prestigious Aspen, Colorado Sheriff's Department (led by David Koechner of Anchorman). His big chance to suck up to them comes with a sudden invite to the National Police Convention in Miami, Florida.
As expected, this group of misfit lawgivers arrives to find themselves omitted from the invitation roster, and are forced to shack up at a seedy downtown motel. Thus begins one of the film's tour de force moments, as each character is turned down for sex by their intended target. This results in a masterfully orchestrated pants-pissingly funny reveal of a motel-wide masturbatory spree.
Deputy Clementine Johnson (McLendon-Covey) also returns from a night of drunken debauchery to discover that she's fallen in love with a man she has no recollection of – save for a shoddy tattoo of his face etched onto one of her mammaries. Things get better (and worse), as the group discovers that the entire convention center has since been contaminated, and the building is on quarantine lockdown with all of the United States' finest trapped inside.
Forced to entrust the dorks from Reno with the fate of Miami, deputy mayor Jeff Spoder (Patton Oswalt) hands them the keys to the police department, as well as a fleet of sweet new Mustang interceptors. What follows is essentially a raunchier play on typical events from the television show, as our ill-prepared friends embark on a series of failed attempts at keeping the peace. There's a dead alligator (or is it?) in a pool, a prostitution attempt by repeat Reno offender Terry (Nick Swardson) who happens to be in town, and the ridiculously obscene demolition of a dead whale on a nudist beach.
There's also a running nonsensical thread with Paul Rudd's Tony Montana wannabe Ethan the Druglord routinely kidnapping policemen and confusing them with other people. These bits are pretty funny, as he threatens victims not with a chainsaw, but a weed-whacker. Rudd is just one of many great cameos, and I'll resist the urge to spill too much about the others. I was however insanely excited to find that every member of the defunct MTV comedy skit show The State appears here. Lennon, Kenney-Silver and Garant all originally hailed from that groundbreaking series, and it was my love for that show that ultimately led me to enjoy their work in Reno 911!.
All in all, I can't complain about this movie's lack of 'cinema' qualifications. Sure, it's merely an inflated episode with slightly higher production values, but it's still a very funny one. Just watch the movie and laugh your ass off. And stick around through the end credits for a great gag wherein Dangle and Deputy Travis Junior (Garant) mistake a very unpleasant device for a bong. Whatever you do, don't call the cops – you're probably better off on your own!