The Naked Gun - Are We Allowed To Laugh Again?

Review Summary

The reviewer opens with a joke about monkey evolution, then reflects on Hollywood’s reluctance to make comedies for fear of offending people. With old comedy franchises returning, he wonders whether The Naked Gun signals a change. To his surprise, he finds that it mostly works.

Plot

Frank Drebin Jr., a Police Squad detective, foils a bank robbery and discovers it was a distraction from a theft. He is then drawn into the suspicious death of a software engineer and joins forces with the victim’s sister, Beth, to investigate tech billionaire Richard Kaine. Kaine’s plan involves a deliberately named “plot device” and a scheme to wipe out much of humanity. Frank and Beth must stop him and save the world.

Comedy and Performances

The film doesn’t reach the comic heights of Airplane! or Blazing Saddles, and not every gag lands. Still, it recaptures the original Naked Gun films’ slapstick, absurd situations, and deadpan delivery. Running jokes include Frank repeatedly being handed fresh coffee and casually running people over while driving and talking.

The reviewer praises Liam Neeson’s straight-faced comic timing, Danny Huston as the eccentric villain, and Pamela Anderson’s willingness to be goofy and poke fun at her public image. He also jokes that the billionaire villain may be a reference to real life and teases Neeson about his chemistry with Anderson.

Verdict

The reviewer considers the film a fun, brisk, nostalgic comedy rather than a classic. He wonders whether the return of comedy franchises means Hollywood is finally ready to laugh at itself—or is simply mining the last genre left to reboot. Either way, he hopes audiences are ready to laugh again.

Personalities Mentioned

The Critical Drinker (the reviewer), Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Danny Huston, Akiva Schaffer, Leslie Nielsen, David Zucker, Adam Sandler, and Mr. T.