If you enjoy the misadventures of the Reno Sheriff's Department on Comedy Central TV, then you'll probably have a good time watching Reno 911!: Miami at the multiplex. This is Reno 911's first stab at generating laughs on the big screen, and fortunately, its format -- even the program's hit-or-miss structure -- adapts easily to the big screen. 

It's business as usual in Reno, Nevada, where Lt. Jim Dangle (Thomas Lennon) and deputies Garcia (Carlos Alazraqui), Jones (Cedric Yarbrough), Junior (Robert Ben Garant), Wiegel (Kerri Kenney-Silver), Johnson (Wendi McLendon-Covey), Kimball (Mary Birdsong), and Williams (Niecy Nash) help keep the peace -- and by that, I mean they try to capture the occasional stray chicken on a desolate highway. One day the entire Reno crew receives an invitation to a police convention in Miami. The officers expect a few days of sun, booze, and cheap strip clubs, but a biochemical attack is launched on the convention, leaving all law enforcement officials under quarantine -- except the eight men and women of Reno. They take it upon themselves to show the other cops what they're worth and eagerly (though bumblingly) tackle Miami's crime, which ends up landing them their biggest case ever when they cross paths with a sadistic, Scarface-like gangster (Paul Rudd).

Although it's cliched to describe a movie based on a TV offering as essentially a longer episode of the show, in the case of Reno 911!: Miami, that's a pretty good description. There's a lot more swearing and a few dashes of good old gratuitous nudity, but other than that, the jokes are the same and the plot next to non-existent, just like on Reno 911. The faux-"Cops" presentation comes across the same (although the movie often drops it at its own convenience), the main cast remains intact, and the script is partially improvised.

Is it a bad thing that both versions are so similar? Not necessarily. Just as the average TV episode evokes a good share of chuckles and includes dry patches of humor, so does the film. There are plenty of funny scenes here, the best of which include a cameo appearance from The Rock and a sex scene that takes a turn for the unexpected. The actors also seem to be enjoying themselves by having as much fun in the movie as a they do on the show. Still, not all of the jokes work, and although Reno 911!: Miami has a relatively short running time, it contains a lot of tired  filler as well as a subplot involving the wannabe Scarface kingpin that could have been stolen from the eighth Police Academy movie.

Reno 911!: Miami approaches comedy like it's making spaghetti: it cooks up a bunch of gags and throws them on the wall, so your enjoyment depends on how much ends up sticking. Personally, although I'm not eager for a return meal, the film was satisfying enough during its 80-minute running time.  

MY RATING: ** 1/2 (out of ****)

(Released by Twentieth Century Fox and rated "R" for sexual content, nudity, crude humor, language and drug use.)