Anyone who has seen "Reno 911!" knows that crude language, drunken sex and gratuitous violence are all in a day's work for the Reno Sheriff's Department. Luckily, all these make it to the big screen in spades.
"Reno 911!: Miami" follows Lt. Jim Dangle and his team of barely qualified deputies as they head to Miami to attend a police convention. They end up being the only officers not quarantined in the convention center and thus become the only thing standing between Miami and complete lawlessness.
"Reno 911!" veterans Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon and Kerri Kenney wrote the movie, and it shows. The havoc the deputies tend to wreak is definitely up to par with the show and generally even more extreme.
The writers took full advantage of the R rating and included more graphic language, sex and violence wherever possible. Just like on the show, the humor is derived from the deputies' realistic reactions to incredibly unrealistic situations.
The cast of minor characters is brimming with comedic talent who most people have seen but few people recognize.
"Reno 911!: Miami" includes talent from "The 40 Year Old Virgin," "Friends," "Anchorman" and "King of the Hill."
Danny DeVito, who was an executive producer, also has a cameo. Fans of the show will undoubtedly recognize a few other faces as well because the rest of the cast is populated with other actors who have done episodes of "Reno 911!"
While the similarities between the movie and the television show mean that the movie is mostly what fans expect, it also means that some of the jokes feel reheated or just plain trite.
This isn't a particularly common occurrence, but it does happen enough to take away from the overall experience. Still, all of the jokes are funny, so those unfamiliar with the television show will be pleasantly surprised at how the deputies manage to botch even the simplest of duties.
Overall, the movie hits more often than it misses, and even though some of the jokes have been told before, it still manages to be a creative, raunchy and a hilarious good time.
Reach the reporter at: zachary.richter@asu.edu.
