This has not been a banner year for big-screen laughter, a fact hammered home by recent films whose jokes arrive more like memos than punchlines.
“The Naked Gun†thunders in with whoopee cushion rudeness to arrest this trend. The farcical law enforcement franchise has been rebooted with ribald enthusiasm and an almost all-new cast (Priscilla Presley and “Weird Al” Yankovic return in cameos). The movie sports a big question mark like a badge: spawned in the Excessive ‘80s, how will it play in the Triggered ‘20s?
Reasonably well, it would seem, judging from the hoots heard at a recent preview screening, although let’s not lose control of ourselves. As Lt. Frank Drebin, played by the inimitable Leslie Nielsen in the original “Naked Gun†trilogy, said to a rioting mob, “Nothing to see here. Please disperse.â€
Actually, there is something to see in “The Naked Gun†2025. It’s the affectionate interplay between Liam Neeson, as the equally dense and deadpan Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., and Pamela Anderson as Beth Davenport, femme fatale and comic foil.
These two get along like a flaming clown car, seeming to wink to the camera (and each other) even when they don’t. Comedy comes naturally to Neeson, who has taken mostly dramatic roles since “Love Actually†in 2003. The same goes for Anderson, the former “Baywatch†star who loves to cameo in funny films.
Lighthearted support and like-minded dumbness is supplied by a supporting cast that includes Paul Walter Hauser as Ed Hocken Jr., Drebin’s dumbfounded sidekick; Danny Huston, as the Bond-villainish tech-bro megalomaniac Richard Cane; and CCH Pounder as Chief Davis, Drebin’s frustrated and furious boss.
It’s a good thing the personal chemistry is so good because the screenplay is a dog with fleas. The plot revisits the Los Angeles setting of the (fictional) Police Squad, while also riffing on 007, “Mission: Impossible†and “Dirty Harry†movies, even David Fincher’s “Se7en.â€
There’s a ridiculous MacGuffin, a gizmo actually referred to as a “P.L.O.T. Device†(meaning Primordial Law of Toughness), that is like a digital catalyst for the Rage virus of the “28 Days Later†franchise. A twist of the dial makes people “calm up,†which means go berserk.
Crazy as it is, this could actually make for a scary movie, but that’s hardly on the minds of writer-director Akiva Schaffer and co-writers Dan Gregor and Doug Mand.
They want to recreate the spirit and much of the look of the original “Naked Gun†movies by the comic holy trinity of Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker, aka ZAZ, the loons also behind the 1980 comedy classic “Airplane!,†starring Nielsen.
Schaffer, who cut his teeth on the “Saturday Night Live†short gems “Lazy Sunday†and “Dick in a Box†before moving up to such cultish features as “Hot Rod†and “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping,†believes comedy means bypassing the brain and heading straight for the funny — and corny. Dad jokes seem like comedy gold in comparison.
The brassy score by Lorne Balfe is pleasant. But, really, for a movie like this, all you need is a drummer supplying rim shots to punctuate the dialogue.
“May I speak frankly?â€
“I prefer English.â€
There’s also a running gag about Drebin’s fondness for coffee, cups of which are delivered to him even as he speeds down the highway in pursuit of evildoers.
Many of the film’s best laughs have been spoiled by the trailers, never a good thing.
And many of the jokes left onscreen have a head-scratching fondness for pop culture references from 20-odd years ago, such as Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction at the 2004 Super Bowl and “Sex and the City.†(This latter one arises during a tortured gag involving legal Miranda rights.)
Do I need to say there’s also a lot of bad-taste humour, including jokes about O.J. Simpson and Bill Cosby? Somehow the original “Naked Gun†trilogy seemed funnier, although it certainly wasn’t any smarter.
But nobody goes to a “Naked Gun†movie expecting logic, civility or great storytelling, so it’s best to just buckle up and take the ride, even if the cop driving the car might be inclined to slam into a brick wall.
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