Review: Reno 911!: Miami - We Wear Short Shorts

Bostonist caught the Reno 911!: Miami sneak preview a few days ago and fully intended to write about it sooner if it weren't for another unmentionable movie based on a TV show. Overall, the audience was pleased with the big-screen version of the Comedy Central COPS spoof.

The audience was even happier when two actors from the movie came out as their characters. The ladies loved Cedric Yarbrough, who plays the self-described studmuffin cop "Jonesy." Yarbrough cut quite a swath through Boston, wowing the Track Girls and almost causing Billy Bob Thornton to surrender his underpants.

Not to be outdone, comedian Carlos Alazraqui, who voices just about every cartoon character you can think of and was once the voice of the Taco Bell Chihuahua, came out as the mustachioed Garcia.

Yarbrough and Alazraqui launched into comedy routines before and after the screening. They tried mightily to stay in character as they warned the audience that they had been duped into participating in a documentary. But most of the time the women were hooting at Yarbrough and trying to invite the actors out for post-movie drinks. On the subject of life in Boston, Yarbrough/Jones yelled, "Get the f*ck out!" and Alazraqui/Garcia said he'd consider doing a sequel in our fair city, but "Not durin' the f*ckin' winter!"

As far as comedies go, the movie pretty much what you'd expect of a long-form version of the Comedy Central show - just with more cussing, boobies, and self-pleasuring. One of the best scenes in the film shows different sets of characters trying to have sex with each other and failing miserably, only to wind up in their hotel rooms for what can only be described as a masturbation orchestra.

When they're not trying to get laid, Reno's finest are trying to earn respect when they attend a national police convention in Miami. But when they show up underdressed in awesomely trashy hot pants and loud prints, those organizing the convention "lose" their registration, and the Reno officers must stay in a shady motel.

Of course, hot pants are de rigeur for Lieutenant Dangle (Thomas Lennon). Without them, he wouldn't be able to "move like a cheetah."

That kind of flexibility is exactly what Miami needs when a mysterious crime figure unleashes a toxin that incapacitates all the acceptable police officers. As a result, the ragtag Reno crew must keep Miami safe.

The rest of the movie proves that Miami needs to be protected from the Reno police, not the other way around. For example, the officers fail miserably when called upon to immobilize an alligator in a swimming pool, and, in true Reno 911! style, they save the day by sheer accident.

Most of the gags are pretty funny, but don't expect any real plot. A few plot lines that could have been interesting, such as the trampy Clemmie's (Wendi McLendon-Covey) finding the love of her life and Dangle's yearning to join the Aspen Sheriff's department, ultimately fail. The script aims for instant gag gratification instead of more developed jokes that could have been funnier in the long run.

How much would this Bostonist pay to see Reno 911!: Miami in a theater? A few bucks, or about the cost of a DVD rental. How much would this Bostonist, the Track Girls, most of the preview audience, and Billy Bob Thornton pay to see Cedric Yarbrough in hot pants? That would be priceless.