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Review

Reno's bumbling police force heads to the big screen in this adaptation of the cult hit cable series. Comedy Central's film output in the past has ranged from the sublime (South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut) to the abysmal (Strangers with Candy) with Reno 911!: Miami, falling smack in the middle. The laughs are hit-or-miss, but the cast members seem more enthusiastic about their roles than ever before.

The faux-"Cops" style of the original series is preserved as the cameras follow Reno's finest to a police convention in Miami. Introductions are provided for the uninitiated although the characters themselves are such archetypes (the slut, the closet gays, the snappy black woman, etc.) that any viewer will immediately be in on the joke. Due to a clerical error they are refused admission to the convention and are thus unleashed upon the city like a bunch of college students on spring break. A plot is soon introduced involving a quarantine at the convention center, which results in the Reno fuzz being called upon to protect a defenseless city. This leads to the much shorter than expected series of hilarious encounters with Miami residents as well as one tagalong character from back home (Terry, the flamboyant, roller skating male prostitute, who is funnier than ever thanks to Nick Swardson). The quarantine eventually ties into the criminal activities of a mumbling, Scarface wannabe (played by Paul Rudd who is visibly enjoying himself) and the Reno cops return home heroes of a sort.

The film was written by its three main stars (two of which were also responsible for last year's mega-hit Night At the Museum) who were members of mid-90s cult favorite comedy troupe The State. Its worth noting that all of the troupe's members appear in the film, although some of their screen times amount to mere seconds. There are plenty of guest stars and cameos from name actors that range from annoying (Danny Devito) to amusing (The Rock, Paul Reubens). Character actor/comedian Toby Huss hands in the film’s funniest performance as a vulgar hotel clerk that shouts obscenities at his residents. It's much funnier than it sounds.

Those who are unfamiliar with the television series will probably be scared off by a title that includes an exclamation point followed by a colon, but fans will be justly rewarded.

 -- Eric Bresler