Hey guys and welcome to a brand new version of this review! Today I am going to be talking about what many are calling the attempt to bring the mainstream comedy back to the big screen in a major way (or at least that’s what the PSA said), The Naked Gun. This is the 4th installment of the iconic comedy series of films that spoofed crime/detective movies that were conceived by Abrahams and the Zuckers and which starred Leslie Neilson in the lead role. I am a big fan of those films as I find them to be hysterical comedies that never cease to make me laugh (even the lesser third installment has its moments) and I just love that style of comedy in general. We don’t really get these sorts of spoofs done like at this level anymore (blame those Seltzberg and Freeberg disasters for that) so when this new one was announced, I was surprised and interested in seeing what direction this would go. When the people behind Lonely Island were set to be involved, who have good comedy experience (highly recommend Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping) and Liam Neeson was announced to take on the Nielson role, my anticipation only increased as I thought that if pulled off, this could be something very special. Was I correct in that thinking? Let’s jump right in and see whether this is a good cop or a bad cop situation!
We follow one Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr., son of the original trilogy’s protagonist, who works in the LAPD police squad and is among the more reckless members of the force. After stopping a bank heist dressed as a school girl, he gets reassigned by the chief due to his methods becoming more of a legal liability than anything. He goes on to investigate the death of a software engineer by the name of Simon Davenport, which he sees as a suicide at first, but then discovers that there may be more to this case than meets the eye. This leads to him going down some unexpected paths involving Simon’s sister, Beth, who believes that her brother was killed, as well as Simon’s employer, Richard Kane, the CEO of tech company, Edentech, who has some sort of plan up his sleeve.
Making a comedy is not an easy task at all. Going the route of making a comedy where there is a joke every single second, is even more of a challenge as one has to sustain a consistent stream of jokes so that the proceedings never get tiring or something of a pain to watch. However, when successful, we can get some truly hilarious pieces of work that can stand the test of time (i.e. Airplane, Blazing Saddles, the original Naked Gun, etc.). With that said, I am so happy to say that this Naked Gun is just that piece of work and I am amazed at just how well director, Akiva Schaffer, accomplished this. His comedic sensibilities are an excellent fit for this brand as he and the writers are able to throw so many jokes at the wall and they somehow are all able to land. They take the basic story of a detective mystery and then see how they can find ways to pour a bunch of outlandish scenarios within in a way that works and never gets dull. The script is immensely entertaining with plenty of clever wordplay that flows successfully and as random as some of it can be, it works because there is clear commitment from the cast to make it all convincing and it just seems like the kind of script that was a blast to write (I’ll never look at the word, manslaughter, the same).
The deluge of amazing gags throughout are so memorable that it’s hard for me to pick my favorite as they can range from the raunchy (a scene involving a discussion between turkeys and ovens with X-ray vision being involved) to the absurd (snowman is the MVP of the feature) and there is no fear from the creatives to lean hard into every major joke. There’s also plenty of fun parodies of action movie tropes and scenarios with one scene that was clearly inspired by one of the most iconic scenes in the Mission: Impossible series and it is amazingly handled. Beyond just the comedy though, the film actually manages to work on a story and character level as I was interested in seeing where things would go and did genuinely enjoy the company of the characters we are with. I also feel it served as a strong commentary of legacy sequels and the struggles they can have in trying to both please the fans with the familiar while setting its own course, and the film goes on to answer that dilemma by doing the latter so successfully! The bad guys of the feature almost represent those who want things to be stuck in the past where Frank ends up being the complete opposite, so the conflict works a push pull between the clashing ideologies that these sorts follow ups can create. All of this packed in a very brisk runtime that never overstays its welcome and has some spectacular pay offs by the end.
What elevates a good spoof film is when it is treated and made like the genuine article. The $42 million budget here is taken full advantage of as so much effort is put in to make all the comedic mayhem possible. The feature is polished with some scenes looking straight out of some old school detective movie with the way they are shot and presented in a way that just enhances the movie immensely and makes the scenes of farce go even harder (this also applies to Lorne Balfe’s score which did not need to be as great as it ended up being). There are a number of fun transitions as well that could get a laugh and the editing is excellent in regards to making all of the comedic bits flow and the choice of angles to present certain scenes only made certain jokes more effective. I even like the use of practical work used in some of the slapstick sequences with the aforementioned Snowman being a wonderful display of puppetry for instance. Not only that, but the action sequences manage to work well, regardless of comedic intent as they are both funny, but also quite exciting and full of energy and a creative use of objects with one gun fight involving no bullets being a particularly nice scene.
It is hard act to follow up the comedic greatness that is Leslie Nielson (who is payed tribute here in a funny, yet quite lovely way), however I feel like Liam Neeson is the among the best possible choices one could’ve gone with and wow does he prove that. While many might know him for his gritty action performances and dramatic work, Neeson has proven that he has solid comedic chops in other areas (his brief cameo in Ted 2 is a notable one) and he absolutely nails the tone this film is going for. His deadpan wit is utilized perfectly, playing the most absurd of scenarios completely straight and putting in all the commitment in the world in selling the ridiculous (in a great way) dialogue with on point delivery for every line. He brings a lot of intensity in certain scenes which makes things even better as far as treating the absurd with seriousness. Frank Drebin Jr. ends up being an outrageous force of hilarity unlike many others, as an excellent parody of stubborn, brash cops with a dark history and the film spares no expense as far as making fun of the flaws of the justice system. Joining him as the second billed star is Pamela Anderson, who plays Beth, an obvious riff on the strong willed love interests these sorts of movies have and she plays that part excellently, succeeding just as well as Neeson while displaying a feistiness that is often a joy to watch. She and Neeson have genuinely great chemistry with plenty of wonderful dialogue exchanges and I thought their budding relationship was actually handled in a way that is definitely silly, but also sincere in a way I found oddly heartwarming. Oh and she shows off some impressive singing chops in one of my favorite bits in the film.
When it comes to the rest of the performers, they are just as committed as our leads. Paul Walter Hauser is per usual a welcome screen presence as Capt. Ed Hocken Jr., filling in for George Kennedy who played Ed Hocken Sr. in the original films. He plays the character’s understandably exhausted personality very well and serves the role of Frank’s victim of chaos nicely, trying to be the voice of reason to no avail. CCH Pounder is also perfect as the strict no nonsense, Chief Davis, getting one of my favorite running gags in the feature, involving her sleeping husband. As far as spoofing one’s own onscreen persona, Neeson ain’t the only one doing that here, as Danny Huston also looks to be having a grand time as Richard Cane. I’ve always found it amusing the extent to which Huston gets cast in villain roles and so it was it neat to see him essentially spoofing that type cast and showing off some excellent comedic chops. He bounces off both Neeson and Anderson excellently and is able to do well as a misogynistic CEO who yearns for the days of the past and has a plan that is amusingly reminiscent of the plot of a villain from another prolific action movie from the 2010s. Also found Kevin Durand to be a hoot as his right hand man, Sig, whose reactions to some of the things that go down being on point and hysterical. We also get plenty of cameos and special appearances from stars of all shapes and sizes which was a joy to see, including one that serves as a perfect call back to the original (oh and if for some insane reason, one is a fan of Nordberg from the originals, well prepare to be disappointed lol… that scene from the trailer plays just as good in the movie FYI).
All in all, I found The Naked Gun to be an utter joy of a comedy that had me grinning and dying of laughter from start to finish! It is excellently paced, has so many gut busting gags, the dialogue is clever, it has a nice sincerity that I appreciated, it is very well made, has fun action, has fun characters, and is acted superbly by a cast that knows how to handle what they’re given. Fans of this kind of comedy are going to get a lot out of this, but this movie works regardless of one’s familiarity with the original films, with only a handful of callbacks and no repeated jokes. If your in the mood for an excellent comedy, this is one of the biggest recommendations I can give. It stands as the most fun I’ve had at the theater this year and the best outright comedy I have seen in a while. It serves as a needed reminder of just how much fun seeing comedy in the theater can be and why we need more of them being made at the studio level. Not much to say except take a seat (whether you want to drag it or not) and get ready for a wild ride that does the parody genre proud!
Side Note: I would recommend staying through the credits as there is some fun stuff that goes down and there is an after credits scene at the very end that serves a great pay off to a joke set up earlier in the movie.
Rating: A+
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