Reno 911!: Miami, much like the Comedy Central show that inspired it, is obsessively random, and proud of it. The movie centers on the inept officers of Reno County, Nevada, as they travel to a national police convention in Miami. After being denied admission to the conference, a bio-terrorism attack quarantines all of Miami's finest, leaving Miami's safety and security up to our blundering heroes. Plot, however, becomes an afterthought to comedy, or - in the nature of the show's twisted satire - the cause of it. The real focus is the interaction among the officers as they attempt to preserve order while dealing with a Scarface-like mafia figure, alligator pool-sighting incidents and a slew of celebrity cameos too hysterical to give away.
The movie's success is due to the decision to stay with the TV show's inherent structure: take some actors portraying comically flawed yet supremely confident police deputies, combine them with actors portraying victims/perpetrators of random 9-1-1 calls that would make COPS proud, stir gently with a shot of tequila, and let all hell break loose. Naturally, hijinks galore ensue, along with an equal number of funny moments and unnecessary ones (plenty of nudity, violence, sexuality, language).
Much like last year's Borat, this movie never loses focus on what made it work on the small screen, and comedy takes precedence over plot. And for the most part, it's pretty successful, providing consistent laughs and chuckles throughout rather than the traditional set-up, punch-line routine. The movie is fun, and unlike most movies these days, it doesn't drag on in length. For a February comedy release, one couldn't ask for much more.
