''Reno 911!: Miami'' is a 2007 American cop

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

based on

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

's ''

Reno 911! ''Reno 911!'' is an American television sitcom created by Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon and Kerri Kenney-Silver for Comedy Central. It is a mockumentary-style parody of law enforcement documentary shows, specifically '' Cops'', with comic ...

'' series, directed by series co-creator

Robert Ben Garant Robert Ben Garant, credited earlier in his career as Ben Garant, is an American screenwriter, producer, director, comedian and actor. He has a long professional relationship with Thomas Lennon and Kerri Kenney-Silver from their time on the ske ...

. The film stars Garant alongside

Carlos Alazraqui Carlos Jaime Alazraqui (born July 20, 1962) is an American actor. His voice acting roles include the original voice of Spyro from '' Spyro the Dragon'', the Taco Bell chihuahua in the Taco Bell commercials, Rocko on ''Rocko's Modern Life'', D ...

Mary Birdsong Mary Evans Birdsong (born April 18, 1968) is an American actress, comedian, writer, and singer. In addition to her work in theater and voice acting, she was a regular cast member on '' Reno 911!'' and appeared in the HBO series '' Succession''. ...

Kerri Kenney-Silver Kerri Kenney-Silver (born January 20, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and musician. She is best known for starring as Trudy Wiegel on the mockumentary series ''Reno 911!'', for which she has been nominated for four Prime ...

Thomas Lennon Thomas Lennon (born August 9, 1970) is an American comedian, actor, and screenwriter. He plays Lieutenant Jim Dangle on the series ''Reno 911!'', Andrei Novak on '' Santa Clarita Diet'' and Felix Unger on '' The Odd Couple''. He is the screenw ...

Wendi McLendon-Covey Wendi McLendon-Covey (née McLendon; born October 10, 1969) is an American actress known primarily for her work in comedic and improvisational roles. From 2013 until 2023, she played the role of family matriarch Beverly Goldberg on the ABC come ...

Niecy Nash Carol Denise Betts (previously Nash, née Ensley; born February 23, 1970) (), known professionally as Niecy Nash, is an American actress. Her career began in the late 1990s, with appearances in the films '' Boys on the Side'' (1995) and '' Cooki ...

and

Cedric Yarbrough Cedric Yarbrough (; born March 20, 1973) is an American actor and comedian. He has starred in the series ''Reno 911!'' as Deputy S. Jones and as Kenneth on the ABC sitcom '' Speechless'', as well as voicing Gerald Fitzgerald on the Netflix comedy ...

. Distributed in the United States and Canada by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

and internationally by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

alongside

Comedy Central Films Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

, the film was theatrically released on February 23, 2007, receiving mixed to negative reviews, with much of the criticism aimed at its lack of appeal to non-fans.

Plot

The film opens outside a building where terrorists are holding hostages and a nuclear bomb. The fictitious

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

Sheriff's Department arrives in a helicopter, called in as experts. As the group prepare to deal with the situation, Deputy Travis Junior wakes up and realizes it was a dream; he was asleep at the wheel, and the vehicle he and Lt. Dangle are in crashes into a port-a-potty. The film continues with introductory clips of the officers, exploring how they became interested in law enforcement, à la '' COPS''. After a scene involving a chicken in the road miscoded as an "armed person on a roof", Dangle tells everyone that they have been invited to the American Police Convention in

Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The municipality is located on natural and human-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean an ...

. On arrival, the group finds they're not on the entrant list. Having nowhere to stay, they rent rooms at a motel that seems to be a hub of illegal activities. After partying most of the night, most of the sheriff officers unsuccessfully attempt to seduce one another at the motel, with the men eventually turning to pleasuring themselves to the shock of onlookers. As everyone recovers from their hangovers, Johnson discovers a tattoo on her breast of a mystery man. The team return to the convention to see if their tickets were found but instead discover the building has been the subject of a biochemical terrorist attack that has quarantined the police attendee inside. The only city official left outside is assistant deputy mayor Jeff Spoder. The head of National Security asks the Reno Sheriffs Department to provide law enforcement for Miami Beach. A high-ranking

SWAT A SWAT (''Special Weapons and Tactics'') team is a generic term for a police tactical unit within the United States, though the term has also been used by other nations. SWAT units are generally trained, equipped, and deployed to res ...

agent, Rick "The Condor" Smith, arrives on the scene to give a pep talk but ultimately blows himself up with a grenade he had unpinned during the talk. The team assume the Miami Sheriff Department’s responsibilities and respond to several emergency calls including an alligator in a swimming pool; street prostitution that leads to ''Reno: 911'' regular Terry, who is in town to record an album; and a dead beached whale, which they eventually remove by blowing it up. Jones and Garcia are repeatedly kidnapped by Ethan, a drug lord who imitates

Tony Montana Antonio "Tony" Montana is a fictional character and the villain protagonist of the 1983 film '' Scarface''. This character is portrayed by Al Pacino in the film and is voiced by André Sogliuzzo in the 2006 video game '' Scarface: The Worl ...

. Spoder fires the team for incompetence, but as the team brings a cake to apologize, they learn that Spoder is in cahoots with Ethan to create a drug empire. Spoder kills Ethan and escapes with the bioterrorism antidote. The team take pursuit, and Spoder holds them at gunpoint until Jones and Garcia arrive in a Marine helicopter, at which point Spoder surrenders. Dangle arrests him, but Wiegel, who had been siting in the helicopter, accidentally blows Spoder up. The antidote is distributed, and the Reno Sheriff's Department are eventually congratulated by their peers for their actions. Dangle accepts a job at the Sheriff's Department in

Aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species in the Populus sect. Populus, of the ''Populus'' (poplar) genus. Species These species are called aspens: * ''Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China, south of ''P. tremula'') * ''Populus da ...

, which had repeatedly turned him down previously. The remaining team are offered a flight back to Reno by Terry, revealed to have a wealthy father, on Terry’s private jet. Back in Reno, Garcia briefs the team on their day's work. Dangle enters, interrupting the briefing and explains that Aspen has a zero-tolerance policy forbidding homosexual sheriffs. Dangle continues the briefing, and reveals the group have been invited to a convention at

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's London boroughs, 32 boroughs. Its name derives from the location of the original ...

Cast

as Deputy James Oswaldo Garcia *

as Deputy Cherisha Kimball *

as Deputy Travis Junior *

as Deputy Trudy Wiegel *

as Lieutenant Jim Dangle *

as Deputy Clementine Johnson *

as Deputy Raineesha Williams *

as Deputy S. Jones *

Nick Swardson Nicholas Roger Swardson (born October 9, 1976)

as Terry Bernadino *

Michael Ian Black Michael Ian Black ( né Schwartz; August 12, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He has starred in several TV comedy series, including ''The State'', '' Viva Variety'', '' Stella'', '' Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp'', ...

as Ron *

David Koechner David Michael Koechner ( ; born August 24, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. His prominent roles include Champ Kind in the '' Anchorman'' film series (2004–2013) and Todd Packer in ''The Office'' (2005–2013). Koechner first became i ...

as Sheriff of Aspen *

Patton Oswalt Patton Peter Oswalt (born January 27, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. His acting roles include Spence Olchin in the sitcom ''The King of Queens'' (1998–2007) and narrating the sitcom '' The Goldbergs'' (2013–2023) as adult ...

as Jeff Spoder *

Danny DeVito Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series ''Taxi (TV series), Taxi'' (1978–1983), which won him ...

(''cameo'') as District attorney *

Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on a part-time basis. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional w ...

(''uncredited cameo'') as Agent Rick "The Condor" Smith *

Paul Rudd Paul Stephen Rudd (born April 6, 1969) is an American actor. Rudd studied theatre at the University of Kansas and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before making his acting debut in 1991. He was included on the ''Forbes'' Celebrity 100 li ...

as Ethan *

Paul Reubens Paul Reubens (; ; August 27, 1952 – July 30, 2023) was an American actor and comedian, widely known for creating and portraying the character Pee-wee Herman. Born in Peekskill, New York and raised in both Oneonta, New York and Sarasota, Flo ...

as Sir Terrence Bernadino * Marisa Petroro as Ethan's girlfriend * J. P. Manoux (''uncredited'') as Naked Armenian *

Joe Lo Truglio Joe Lo Truglio (; born December 2, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. Best known for his role as Charles Boyle on the Fox/ NBC sitcom ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'', he also was a cast member on the television series '' The State'' and '' Reno 91 ...

as Deputy Frank Rizzo

Production

The film stars series regulars

Ben Garant Robert Ben Garant, credited earlier in his career as Ben Garant, is an American screenwriter, producer, director, comedian and actor. He has a long professional relationship with Thomas Lennon and Kerri Kenney-Silver from their time on the ske ...

, along with

, and

. Certain famed actors make cameos, namely

(who co-starred with Lennon and Kenney in ''

The State A state is a political entity that regulates society and the population within a definite territory. Government is considered to form the fundamental apparatus of contemporary states. A country often has a single state, with various administrat ...

'' and ''

Viva Variety ''Viva Variety'' is an American sketch comedy series that aired on Comedy Central from April 1997 to December 1999. The series satirizes European variety shows. Overview The show stars Thomas Lennon as Meredith Laupin, Kerri Kenney as the fo ...

''),

(comedian and ''

The King of Queens ''The King of Queens'' is an American television sitcom that ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007, with a total of 207 half-hour episodes spanning nine seasons. The series was created by Michael J. Weithorn and David Litt, who al ...

'' co-star),

(one of the film's executive producers),

(playing a different character than he plays on the series),

Nick Swardson Nicholas Roger Swardson (born October 9, 1976)

(who appears as his show character "Terry"), and

(professional wrestler The Rock). All members of ''The State'' appear in the film. The theme song, "

Police and Thieves "Police and Thieves" ( "Police and Thief") is a reggae song first recorded by the falsetto singer Junior Murvin in 1976. It was covered by the punk band The Clash and included on their self-titled debut album released in 1977. Junior Murvin ve ...

", is performed by

Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (; born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He founded the rock band Foo Fighters, of which he is the lead singer, guitarist, principal songwriter, and only consistent member. From 1990 to 1994, he was the drummer of th ...

of the

Foo Fighters The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...

and subsequent theme song "Do Little Things" is performed by " Changing Faces and

Ivan Matias Ivan Matias is an American singer, songwriter, producer, arranger, hip hop ghostwriter, and entrepreneur. He is primarily known for writing and producing hit songs for artists like En Vogue ("Don't Let Go (Love)"), Angie Stone ("Wish I Didn't M ...

". This is alluded to by Lennon, Garant, and Kenney-Silver on one of the audio commentaries, who say they are not allowed to discuss who performed the song, but advise that viewers "Google it" to find the answer. For the benefit of first-time viewers and unassuming moviegoers, the film reprises some jokes from the series, an example being Dangle's explanation for wearing shorts on the job, also featured in the pilot episode.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

took place throughout March 2006 in Miami and Southern California.

Reception

Box office

''Reno 911!: Miami'' opened in 2,702 venues and earned $10.3 million in its debut, ranking fourth in the North American box office and second among the week's new releases. The film ended its run on May 3, 2007 with $20.3 million domestically and $1.7 million overseas for a worldwide total of $22 million. Based on a $10 million budget, it was a moderate success.

Critical response

''Reno 911!: Miami'' received mostly mixed reviews from critics, holding a 35% rating on

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

based on 100 reviews, with an

average In colloquial, ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by ...

of 5.0/10. The site's consensus states: "''Reno 911!'' anarchic brand of comedy loses much in translation to the big screen where it feels slapdash and shallow."

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

reports a 47 out of 100 score based on 22 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Home media

In North America, the DVD was released in two versions on June 19, 2007, an unrated version and the theatrical version. The DVD sold 894,739 units, which gathered a revenue of $16,282,178. A second unrated cut was released on September 9, 2008.

Cancelled and potential sequel

Garant and Lennon stated in their book ''Writing Movies for Fun and Profit'', a

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

would not be produced because of insufficient box office returns. In the book, a treatment, or extensive outline of what the sequel would have been is included, entitled ''Reno 911!: SOS''. The plot involved the characters of ''Reno 911!'' getting stuck on a deserted island with a serial killer on the loose.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Reno 911 Miami 2000s American films 2000s English-language films 2000s parody films 2000s police comedy films 2007 comedy films 2007 directorial debut films 2007 LGBTQ-related films 2007 films 20th Century Fox films American LGBTQ-related films American mockumentary films American parody films American police films Comedy Central films Films about bioterrorism Films about terrorism in the United States Films based on television series Films directed by Robert Ben Garant Films produced by Danny DeVito Films set in Miami Films set in Reno, Nevada Films shot in California Films shot in Miami LGBTQ-related crime comedy films Paramount Pictures films English-language crime comedy films