Reno 911!: Miami —The Movie

With Reno 911!: Miami, the popular Comedy Central mockumentary ensemble jumps to the big screen, sporting an R rating that allows it to be, as one wag put it, “lewd, crude, and nude.” The story opens with the Reno cops—Lt. Jim Dangle (Thomas Lennon) and deputies Travis Junior (Robert Ben Garant, who also directed), Raineesha Williams (Niecy Nash), Cherisha Kimball (Mary Birdsong), Trudy Wiegel (Kerri Kenney-Silver), Clementine Johnson (Wendi McLendon-Covey), James Garcia (Carlos Alazraqui), and S. Jones (Cedric Yarbrough)—being shut out of a Law Enforcement Convention in Miami. But when a bioterrorist attack traps all of the other cops inside the convention center, the incompetent eight are drafted to fight crime on the streets and beaches of Miami. There are some amusing vignettes here, and Paul Rudd contributes a neat supporting turn as a Scarface-like poseur, but the laughs are scattershot at best, and the movie's thin premise only serves as a reminder that half-hour TV shows don't always translate well into feature length films. Optional. [Note: Available in either R rated or unrated versions, DVD extras include three audio commentaries—the first with director Robert Ben Garant and co-writers Thomas Lennon and Kerri Kenney-Silver; the second with characters Lt. Dangle (Lennon), Deputy Junior (Garant), Deputy Weigel (Kenney-Silver), and Deputy Williams (costar Niecy Nash); and the third with costar characters Deputy Garcia (Carlos Alazraqui), Deputy Johnson (Wendi McLendon-Covey), Deputy Jones (Cedric Yarbrough), and Deputy Kimball (Mary Birdsong)—six extended scenes with optional commentary (67 min. total), a “Fox Movie Channel Presents” five-minute featurette from the world premiere, four mock PSA's (4 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a so-so comedy.] (E. Hulse)[DVD Review—Sept. 16, 2008—Fox, 2 discs, 83 min., not rated, $19.98—Making its second appearance on DVD, 2007's Reno 911!: Miami boasts a great transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. DVD extras include an extra “Lost Version” of the film featuring approximately 70 minutes of deleted/extended scenes cut together, the same costar audio commentary with director Robert Ben Garant and co-writers Thomas Lennon and Kerri Kenney-Silver, four extended scenes w/optional commentary (14 min.), a five-minute blooper reel, a three-minute intro to the “Lost Version,” three mock PSA's (3 min.), a bonus digital copy of the film, and trailers. Bottom line: Reno 911! fans will want to check this out.]