THE NAKED GUN -- A Worthy Successor to the Classic Comedy Franchise

Review by Camden Ferrell

The parody film is one that transcends generations. I still remember my father introducing me to Airplane! and Top Secret! at a young age, and it was one of the most profound ways in which I experienced how the medium of film could bridge two people raised decades apart in completely different worlds. It has been quite some time since we’ve had a mainstream parody movie on the big screen. I partially attribute that travesty to the ungodly inundation of theaters with low effort parody movie knock offs in the 2000’s. When a new installment in The Naked Gun franchise was announced, I was cautiously optimistic about its prospects, but I am pleased with the final product. The Naked Gun is a worthy successor to the original, featuring a committed and hilarious lead performance from Liam Neeson and the rest of the cast.

Frank Drebin Jr. is a member of L.A.’s Police Squad, and a bank heist leads him on a journey that sees the world put in peril. But if you’re reading this, you know the plot of the movies in this franchise are secondary to the comedy and absurdity. Written by Dan Gregor, Doug Mand, and Akiva Schaffer, this legacy sequel recaptures the magic of the original with some great gags. It immediately dives headfirst into the slapstick insanity that audiences are expecting. I’m also impressed with how it manages to consistently stay hilarious even when it aims for more earnest character development and plot progression. One of the main critiques I have with the writing is that its pop culture references are more frequent than I’d like, and I fear this might affect how well it ages into the future. It’s a double-edged sword as some of these moments are quite funny, but it does impact the movie’s timelessness when compared to its predecessor.
​
The typically stoic and menacing Liam Neeson gives one of his best performances in years as Drebin Jr. This movie lives and dies by the commitment of its cast, and Neeson clearly came to play ball. His ability to lean into the comedic material is clearly evident when he first appears in a comically small school girl’s skirt, and this is only the tip of the iceberg for the antics the movie has in store for him. He is joined by an ensemble that features Pamela Anderson and Paul Walter Hauser who both have great chemistry with Neeson paired with a fervent understanding of the comedic style their roles require. It may not be career defining for anyone, but they clearly knew what they needed to do to live up to the cast of the original.

Like the previous installments, this movie is overloaded with visual gags, physical comedy, and so-bad-it’s-good wordplay that will keep audiences engaged from start to finish. It might not be one of the all-time greats in the parody genre, but it is still undeniably entertaining. Even when jokes don’t land (several of them don’t), there’s always another joke not too far behind to keep the ball rolling. While I wouldn’t call this movie great, it does feature one bit that is so absurdly hilarious and drawn out, that it may genuinely be the hardest I’ve laughed in a theater in years.
​
Will this movie revive the parody genre? I’m not sure what the answer will be, but I will say that this movie is the best shot the genre has at a resurgence. As mentioned before, it might be a little too reliant on pop culture at times, but it still works as an all-ages laugh-along. In the same way my dad showed me the classic Abrahams and Zucker movies, I genuinely hope a new generation of fathers use this movie as an opportunity to introduce their kids to this genre. This world needs a laugh, and in a world where we all feel so disconnected, we desperately need a reason to laugh together.

The Naked Gun is a fun throwback to the comedies of yesterday while still imbuing a modern touch that is a bit hit or miss at times. Despite its flaws, it’s a tightly-paced comedy under 90 minutes that will definitely have crowds rolling around in laughter enough to justify the cost of a ticket. Neeson is in tip-top shape, and he gives his all to this movie. I can’t say I love the movie, but I love how it transported me back to simpler times with dumb laughs and old-school gags.

The Naked Gun is in theaters August 1.
​
Rating: 3.5/5