Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: "Reno:911!," "The State," Mockumentaries
Likes: Police Academy
Dislikes: TV shows that become movies
Hates: Unneeded double-dips

The Story So Far...
Fox has released two previous versions of Reno 911!: Miami on DVD, an unrated and theatrical version. DVDTalk has reviews of the unrated version from Aaron Beirele and Francis Rizzo III.

The Movie
(Note:The unrated cut on this DVD is the same as the previous release, so the same can be said for my review of the film.)

Sure I've said it before, but as long as Hollywood continues to mine the small screen for "inspiration," it bears repeating: TV shows don't usually turn into good movies (and vice versa) unless you use the show as actual inspiration (see The Brady Bunch Movie.) That hasn't stopped bad ideas like "Starsky & Hutch" from darkening our theaters though. So when I saw the first preview of Reno:911! - Miami, I just figured it was a joke from a group of very funny comedians. Then when I found out it was going to be an actual film, my reaction was not a positive one.

Like previous Comedy Central series-turned-movie "Strangers with Candy," "Reno:911!" is a parody of a TV series, namely "Cops." So why make a movie adaptation of a TV series parody, when it removes the context of the parody and stretches the pacing of material that has been more or less perfected for a half-hour time frame. The only real reason to do a movie, if you aren't a pay-cable ahow, is the chance to add nudity, violence or profanity.

Well, Miami certainly adds the nudity and profanity, but not much else, which isn't really a bad thing. Yes, the documentary conceit is somewhat lost (in places), but what you get is a lengthy helping of the Reno crew's trademark goofiness, set in a new locale, taking a page from Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach.

The Reno sherriffs find themselves in Miami, Florida for a police convention. Thanks to some unique coincidences though, they are soon the only active law enforcers in town, and their ineptness is set loose on an unsuspecting populace, as they tackle loose wild animals, menaced topless beaches, and even their old pal, Terry the roller-skating male prostitute (Nick Swardson.) In between calls, they get into their usual hijinks, most of which are less-than-enthralling, like Clemmy (Wendy McClendon-Covey) and her mystery tattoo.

Though it would be hard to distinguish the big-screen misadventures from the last few years of TV fun, when the film does hit its marks, it results in some solid humor, like the tremendous "Masturbation Ballet," which can stand amongst the best in large-scale one-scene comedy constructs ever, despite its rather base comedy, or Paul Rudd's silly Scarface imitation. As always, Reno does a great job of squeezing every drop from its celebrity cameos, including appearances by Rudd, Dwayne Johnson, David Koechner, Patton Oswalt, Paul Reubens, Mindy Sterling, and most of the cast of "The State."

Though there's a lot of fun to be had watching this film, there are some pretty slow spots, which an certainly be chalked up to the length required for a feature film. It's not hard to see the stretching in places, with a large chunk at the end easily described as tacked on, even if it will make fans of the series smile. In this day and age of the DVD box set though, are there many "Reno:911!" who haven't watched 90 consecutive minutes or more of these bumbling cops? Just look at it as three bonus episodes of the series, with bonus boobs thrown in for good measure.

The DVD
A two-disc set, thanks to the infamous digital-copy that's all the rage with studios lately, this release arrives in a clear dual-hubbed ThinPak with a dual-sided cover, which is inside a very snug slipcover. Inside the packaging is a small insert with your digital-copy activation code. The DVD has an animated anamorphic widescreen menu with options to watch the film, select scenes, adjust languages and check out special features. Audio options include English Dolby Digital 5.1 track and French and Spanish Dolby 2.0 tracks, while subtitles are available in English and Spanish, along with closed captioning.

The Quality
The image is generally good, with a pretty high level of detail and nice color, though there's some excessive grain in spots. There's no obvious dirt or damage in the transfer, and no noticeable digital artifacts. Considering this is supposed to mimic a documentary, it looks pretty damn good.

The audio, presented at a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, has the perfect excuse to sound mediocre, as it's supposed to be a mockumentary, but it's a very clean presentation, delivering crisp dialogue through the center speaker. The sides and rear speakers are used mainly for the score and soundtrack, along with the occasional sound effect, making for a deeper sound field than might have been necessary.

The Extras
The real difference between this release and the previous uncut version of Reno 911!: Miami is in the extras, where they've swapped out all but two elements, and replaced them with some new versions of them. Joining the theatrical trailer in returning to this release is the audio commentary by director/writer Robert Ben Garant and writer/actors Thomas Lennon and Kerri Kenney-Silver. It's a solid chat that stays focused on talking about how the film was made, but leaving plenty of room for the longtime collaborators to joke around and enjoy themselves. Unfortunately, the other two commentaries on the previous release, which were in-character tracks with the sheriffs, were left off of this DVD.

New to this DVD is the so-called "Lost Version" of the film, which is preceded by an intro with Lennon, Kenney-Silver and Garant, in character. This 69-minute version of the film is not much of a movie, as it's crafted by putting footage deleted from the movie in chronological order, and lacks important things like plot. In fact, if you hadn't seen the actual movie, this would be nothing more than a bunch of odd, disconnected moments. Saying that, there are some very funny moments in here, including extended versions of some of the funnier moments in the final film. Unfortunately, it has neither subtitles nor closed captioning.

Four different extended scenes are included on this DVD, each with optional commentary by Lennon, Kenney-Silver and Garant. The footage is much shorter than the extended scenes on the previous disc (which were almost as long as the "Lost Version"), and didn't have as many laughs, with short scenes from three busts and what might be the most memorable part of the original movie. There's also three different PSAs, one of which, featuring Jones on talking in the theater, is almost unbelievable.

New with this release, in addition to the digital copy that allows you to easily transfer the film to your portable media player, is a five-minute blooper reel, which is fun to watch as the sheriffs break character. There's something about people trying to act "real" and messing it up that's hilarious.

The Bottom Line
If you like the "Reno:911!" TV series, there's no reason you won't like the movie, and if you like the series and breasts, you're guaranteed to get a kick out of this DVD. The film is just as funny in terms of the comedy, though the pacing isn't quite as good, but that won't stop you from getting some good laughs. The DVD looks and sounds very nice, but the selection of extras probably isn't extensive enough for purchasers of the previous release to double-dip. For those of you choosing between the two versions, unless you really need a digital copy of the film to tote around, the first release offers more entertainment.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.