No-nonsense L.A.P.D. detective Mitch Preston (ROBERT De Niro) is a man of few words, little patience and even less style. All he wants is to be left alone to do his job the way he's been doing it for more than 20 years.

Patrol Officer Trey Sellars (EDDIE MURPHY) is a different story. Instead of being a cop, he would much rather play one on TV. A frustrated actor, he spends his workdays rousting pickpockets and his evenings perfecting action poses in front of a mirror, just waiting for the one big break that will change his life.

One night Trey stumbles into an undercover operation in progress, inadvertently blowing Mitch's big chance of nailing a gang of drug dealers. Moments later, a television news crew barges in on the action, lights ablaze, further hindering Mitch's desperate attempts to catch his fleeing suspects.

Frustrated at seeing months of work go down the drain, the detective fires a shot at the camera. If there's anything he hates, it's intrusive reporters. And if there's anything he hates more than that, it's a joke of a cop like Trey getting in his way.

Mitch's impulsive action lands his photo on the front page of every newspaper the next day, simultaneously buying him an official reprimand and making him an instant media celebrity. It also gets him the attention of powerhouse network television producer Chase Renzi (RENE RUSSO).

Knowing a sure ratings draw when she sees one, Renzi swoops in and sells the Chief of Police on the PR benefits of letting her crew follow Mitch around the clock for a live reality show about cops. It's the last thing in the world Mitch wants to do but the only thing that will get him off suspension so he can get back to tracking the drug dealers who slipped through his hands.

But first, to compensate for Mitch's gruff manner and apparent total lack of acting talent, Renzi must find him a charming, talkative, camera-ready partner -- someone more polished, more media savvy, someone more like...Trey. Never mind that Mitch can't stand the sight of him. Together, they're poised to become the stars of the biggest hit reality show in television history.

For Mitch, it's a living hell. For Trey, it's his dream come true.

It's Showtime.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures and NPV Entertainment, a Material Production in association with Tribeca Productions, starring Robert De Niro, Eddie Murphy and Rene Russo: Showtime, also starring Frankie R. Faison and William Shatner. The film is directed by Tom Dey from a screenplay by Keith Sharon and Alfred Gough & Miles Millar, story by Jorge Saralegui. Jorge Saralegui and Jane Rosenthal are the producers; Will Smith, James Lassiter, Eric McLeod and Bruce Berman are the executive producers. Billy Weber is the editor, Jeff Mann is the production designer and Thomas Kloss is the director of photography. Music is by Alan Silvestri. Showtime will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, an AOL Time Warner Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures. Soundtrack album on Big Yard/MCA Records.

This film is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for "action violence, language and some drug content."