i have read a lot of review about showtime on imdb and many seem to miss the mark . i have notice a lot of reviewer call this the typical buddy film . de niro be in no way murphy buddy throughout most of this movie . in fact and part of the comedy of this film be de niro reluctance to be friend with anybody . murphy really shin in this one . he be back at do what he do best and act like a complete ham . he be a cop who want so much to be an actor and enjoy be in the reality show . de niro be perfect a the straight man who think the entire thing be stupid . i think the two of them have great chemistry and be a perfect casting choice . rene russo be also great a the tv producer . of course and she love everything murphy do and try so hard ( along with murhpy ) to get deniro go too . a lot of reviewer have touch on the hilarious scene with william shatner and reprise his role a tj hooker to train murhpy and de niro how to act like cop . but and my favorite scene involve murphy in the confessional hoping he could get a wesly snip like cop to team up with instead of de niro . man and that be hilarious . comedy often depend on your personal taste . sure you could poke hole in the plot and most often you can with a comedy . i be psyched to see the pairing of murphy and de niro . i think it bring out the best in murphy and which be nice to see him at the top of his game again . i can only imagine it be a great honor for murphy to be pair with the great de niro . rating positive star .