You would think that the Police Academy series would have convinced people that incompetent cops aren't all that funny, but apparently the lesson has yet to be learned. Perhaps will this one will do the trick. Based on a successful US TV show - which is itself a parody of fly-on-the-wall documentary series Cops - Reno brings the lo-fi shakycam feel of Spinal Tap to police comedy, with what might kindly be described as mixed results.
Reno 911!: Miami, to give it it's full, appallingly punctuated title, is the story of a bunch of no-hoper cops from Reno who find themselves unexpectedly in charge of Miami. This happens just in time for a biological terror scare to trap the entire local police force in a conference centre. The plot is largely unimportant though; it's just a flimsy framework for a series of semi-improvised gags about everything from masturbation to torture by strimmer.
"FAILS TO RAISE EVEN A TITTER"
Reno 911 is a funny film. Not funny ha-ha (or at least, not very) but funny peculiar. While it consistently fails to raise even a titter with its bludgeoning routines on enormous bottoms and exploding whales, there is nonetheless a certain brilliance to the performances - Thomas Lennon's Lt Dangle, with his eye-watering shorts and unflappably sweet nature, is a fascinating character, and when left to their own devices, the actors improvise together beautifully. Unfortunately, director Ben Garant and his team don't trust themselves to bring the funny without resorting to the usual gross-out crudity, and the pressure of creating slam-bang set pieces - like the aforementioned whale - quickly sends the film off the rails.
Reno 911!: Miami is released in UK cinemas on Friday 27th April 2007.