The Naked Gun

I was perfectly content with waiting for this summer's THE NAKED GUN to arrive on some streaming service.  I saw the trailers and was unimpressed.  The idea of having Liam Neeson assuming the role of Lt. Frank Drebin was amusing but iffy.  Who could possibly follow the comedic genius of Leslie Nielsen? Another actor who initially made his name in serious roles.  Was this a train wreck waiting to happen? Another ill advised attempt to capture yesteryear magic? The team of Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker, who created the original 1988 movie and Police Squad, the cult TV series on which it was based, were not involved.  But Seth Macfarlane was.  Hmm.

As the August 1st release date approached, the buzz was strong and favorable from professional critic and amateur alike.  Huh, maybe they pulled it off, I thought.  Last Sunday my mother-in-law wanted to escape the South Florida inferno and catch a matinee.  My wife and I joined her at Movies of Lake Worth.  You may recall that is where I saw ANORA last fall.  Technical difficulties with that screening prompted management to give everyone a free ticket to a future movie.  And here we are. 

I was glad it was free.  Yes, this new NAKED GUN, directed by Akiva Schaffer, was a disappointment.  I'm certainly in the minority.  It seems everyone finds this "legacy" sequel to be a comedic triumph. "Comedy is so back!" they exclaim.  Mainly, a return to the sort of parody once very common in the multiplex.  Goofball humor that was a big part of my formative years.  We took it for granted.  Thought it would always be a part of popular culture.  Younger audiences aren't much for filmed comedies, it seems.  They prefer their humor of the bite sized variety on Tik Tok or in a meme.  Admittedly, the funniest stuff anymore seems to be there.  Certainly not on television.

Neeson is in generally good form, though doesn't quite achieve the requisite cluelessness that Nielsen did so effortlessly.  He just seems tired.  His delivery runs hot and cold.  His leading lady is Pamela Anderson.  Inspired casting and she does just fine, particularly during her scat scene.  Other times she too seems low energy, just like this movie during its worst moments, despite a lightning fast pace.

You expect there to be hits and misses.  The few hits are golden.  My favorite gag -

Bartender: You shot my brother in the name of justice.

Drebin: That could be thousands.

Bartender: You shot him in the back.

Drebin: Hundreds.

Bartender: He was unarmed.

Drebin: Maybe fifty.

Bartender: He was white.

Drebin: You're Tommy Rolland's brother!

The kind of joke ZAZ would've written. Just the right type of men in blue satire.  The screenplay by Schaffer, Doug Mand, and Dan Gregor is mostly just silly, featuring a nefarious plot by techie bad guy Richard Cane (Danny Huston) that almost seems plausible these days.  Silly does not always equate with hilarity.  Note the snowman sequence.  There are also liberal lifts from not only the original NAKED GUN, but also AIRPLANE! and Police Squad.  The thermal camera scene (alone enough to earn the PG-13 rating) recalls some AUSTIN POWERS gags.  There are quick bits in the margins of scenes that produce smiles.  

The film doesn't really play up its Los Angeles setting.  To wit, it was shot in Atlanta!

Maybe you'll enjoy it more than I did.  Of course, I will turn out for more of these should Paramount get the box office receipts they hoped for.