Now in its fourth season on Comedy Central, the "Cops" spoof "Reno 911!" remains one of the funniest shows in the basic cable universe, despite the fact that it violates a bedrock principle of parody by mocking something that is already inherently funny. "Cops" has long been an uproarious guilty pleasure for those who enjoy watching toothless meth addicts run around naked (and who doesn't?); "Reno 911!" enhances the fun by adding police officers who are just as hapless as the criminals they pursue.
The real reason for the success of the series lies not in its unoriginal "inept cops" premise, however (see Super Troopers, The Naked Gun, Police Academy, et al), but in the chemistry of its cast, which features talented sketch comedy veterans Thomas Lennon, Ben Garant, Niecy Nash, Mary Birdsong, Kerry Kenney, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Carlos Alazraqui and Cedric Yarbrough.
With Reno 911!: Miami, the show receives the feature film treatment, which essentially entails the addition of cursing, nudity and celebrity cameos. The story involves the loveable losers from the Reno Sheriffs Department descending upon Miami for a national police convention which, incidentally, happens to coincide with Spring Break. Trouble greets them almost immediately upon their arrival, however, when a clerical error prevents them from getting in to the convention. Embarrassed and dejected, they resolve to sample the various delights the city has to offer.
(Astute observers may note that the plot mirrors those of two other comedy masterpieces, Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise and Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach.)
But the vacation ends quickly for Reno's Finest. When the entire roster of convention attendees fall ill with food poisoning, the responsibility for maintaining law and order lands squarely into their laps. Woefully overmatched, the bumbling crime fighters try their best to stave off anarchy, which, not surprisingly, leads to any number of hilarious comic mishaps.
Or so one would hope. Though it delivers occasional laugh out loud moments, Reno 911!: Miami ultimately disappoints. As is typically the case with TV shows that attempt the leap to the big screen, something is lost in translation with this movie. It seems almost haphazardly thrown together, even for a pseudo-reality show shot in a hand-held, cinema verite style.
Timing is everything in comedy, and some awkward editing sabotages many of the movie's jokes: some payoffs come too soon, while others arrive late or not at all.
It's unclear how much of the story is scripted and how much is improvised, but a lot of it looks improvised -- and not in a good way. Characters often seem to be grasping for jokes that simply aren't there.
As in the show, Thomas Lennon stands out as Lieutenant Jim Dangle, the hotpants-clad, openly gay leader of the "Reno 911!" crew. Paul Rudd (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy) and stand-up veteran Patton Oswalt are excellent as Cuban druglord Ethan and whiny deputy mayor Jeff Spoder, respectively. (Rudd's hilariously over-the-top Cuban accent would make Pacino proud.) Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Paul Reubens and Danny DeVito all turn in respectable cameos.
Fans of the Comedy Central series will likely embrace this movie, if only because the show is currently on a lengthy hiatus. (The last new episode of "Reno 911!" aired almost six months ago.) Unfortunately, the smattering of laughs elicited by underwhelming film version will have to suffice until the vastly superior TV series resumes in April.
ReelzChannel Rating: 
Check out ReelzChannel.com's Reno 911!: Miami page for clips from the movie and more.