Starring: Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, Ricardo Montalban, O.J. Simpson
Lt. Frank Drebin (Nielsen) is a real man's man. He fakes his orgasms, loves a nice stuffed beaver, and laughs through comedies like 'Platoon'. Fresh off of kicking terrorist butt in Beirut, Drebin returns home to an empty apartment and a broken heart. Everywhere he looks, there's something to remind him of his old flame: in the smiling faces of happy couples, or a pair of twin breast-shaped nuclear reactors in San Onofre.
Enter Jane (Presley), the lovely assistant of real estate tycoon Vincent Ludwig (Montalban), and the woman of Frank's dreams. "How 'bout dinner?" he asks her. She can't make it, but offers a rain-check. "Well, lets just stick to dinner," he replies. They hit it off immediately, but Frank's got bigger fish to fry. Queen Elizabeth II is coming to Los Angeles, and it's up to Drebin and Police Squad, an elite unit of the LAPD, to keep her safe. Ludwig is the villain, and the movie makes it no secret -- by the 10min mark, he's already pumped Frank's partner Nordberg (Simpson) full of bullets. Luckily, Nordberg survives, albeit hospitalized and in critical condition. It's up to Frank and Capt. Ed Hocken (George Kennedy) to counsel his crying wife: "I think what Frank's trying to say is, as soon as Nordberg's better, he's welcome back on Police Squad," Ed explains. Drebin interrupts, "Unless he's a drooling vegetable -- but that's just common sense."
If it seems like I'm pumping this review full of quotes, I am. This is one of the funniest movies ever made. I can't count how many times I've seen it, and I die laughing each time. Directed by David Zucker, from a script he co-wrote with his brother Jerry and Jim Abrahams, The Naked Gun is based on a failed TV show the three of them produced for NBC, called 'Police Squad!' That the show was canned after only four episodes seems criminal. The ZAZ Boys, who also masterminded such comedy classics as 'Airplane!' and 'Top Secret!', are gifted comedians with a penchant for exclamation marks. Their gift is in casting accomplished dramatic actors to play everything straight. Kennedy was (and still is) an Academy Award winner; Montalban was one of cinema's great villains, playing opposite William Shatner's James T. Kirk in 'The Wrath of Khan'; Presley had been a prime-time soap star for years. Dead-panned, the words and sight gags speak for themselves -- and they speak volumes. Think I've ruined the best bits? Not even close, and you notice something new every time.
FINAL SCORE: 9.3 = A
The movie lives and dies by Nielsen, and Jacques Clouseau's got nothing on this hard-boiled doofus. Kicked off the force, Drebin bites his lower lip and says, "Just think...the next time I shoot a man, I could be arrested." This is classic comedy through and through.
Lt. Frank Drebin (Nielsen) is a real man's man. He fakes his orgasms, loves a nice stuffed beaver, and laughs through comedies like 'Platoon'. Fresh off of kicking terrorist butt in Beirut, Drebin returns home to an empty apartment and a broken heart. Everywhere he looks, there's something to remind him of his old flame: in the smiling faces of happy couples, or a pair of twin breast-shaped nuclear reactors in San Onofre.
Enter Jane (Presley), the lovely assistant of real estate tycoon Vincent Ludwig (Montalban), and the woman of Frank's dreams. "How 'bout dinner?" he asks her. She can't make it, but offers a rain-check. "Well, lets just stick to dinner," he replies. They hit it off immediately, but Frank's got bigger fish to fry. Queen Elizabeth II is coming to Los Angeles, and it's up to Drebin and Police Squad, an elite unit of the LAPD, to keep her safe. Ludwig is the villain, and the movie makes it no secret -- by the 10min mark, he's already pumped Frank's partner Nordberg (Simpson) full of bullets. Luckily, Nordberg survives, albeit hospitalized and in critical condition. It's up to Frank and Capt. Ed Hocken (George Kennedy) to counsel his crying wife: "I think what Frank's trying to say is, as soon as Nordberg's better, he's welcome back on Police Squad," Ed explains. Drebin interrupts, "Unless he's a drooling vegetable -- but that's just common sense."
If it seems like I'm pumping this review full of quotes, I am. This is one of the funniest movies ever made. I can't count how many times I've seen it, and I die laughing each time. Directed by David Zucker, from a script he co-wrote with his brother Jerry and Jim Abrahams, The Naked Gun is based on a failed TV show the three of them produced for NBC, called 'Police Squad!' That the show was canned after only four episodes seems criminal. The ZAZ Boys, who also masterminded such comedy classics as 'Airplane!' and 'Top Secret!', are gifted comedians with a penchant for exclamation marks. Their gift is in casting accomplished dramatic actors to play everything straight. Kennedy was (and still is) an Academy Award winner; Montalban was one of cinema's great villains, playing opposite William Shatner's James T. Kirk in 'The Wrath of Khan'; Presley had been a prime-time soap star for years. Dead-panned, the words and sight gags speak for themselves -- and they speak volumes. Think I've ruined the best bits? Not even close, and you notice something new every time.
FINAL SCORE: 9.3 = A
The movie lives and dies by Nielsen, and Jacques Clouseau's got nothing on this hard-boiled doofus. Kicked off the force, Drebin bites his lower lip and says, "Just think...the next time I shoot a man, I could be arrested." This is classic comedy through and through.