It’s hard to write a review about something like “The Naked Gun,” a tried and true slapstick comedy they just don’t make anymore, so much so that it isn’t really about anything at all. It exists solely for the sake of the jokes themselves, its one and only goal to make you laugh as often as possible for as long as the film is on screen. On that front, this film more than achieves what it sets out to do, delivering constant laughs per minute the whole way through and honoring the originals without feeling like a rehash or carbon copy. Sometimes movies don’t have to be any deeper than that, and we shouldn’t ask this one to be anything other than a joke machine. The only question that needs to be asked is whether or not the jokes land, and thanks to sharp writing and genre accuracy, the land rate is extremely high.
Even if you find that not all of the jokes in “The Naked Gun” land for you, it sports an impressively brisk 85 minute runtime that gets you in and out. Hell, even if you walked way feeling like only 50% of the jokes landed, that’s still a solid 42.5 minutes of jokes that make you laugh out loud. That’s a hell of a batting average for any comedy, and I’d argue that this one actually hits slightly better than that. Big studio comedies may be dead, and while it may not revive the genre as a whole back to life, it’s refreshing to return to a time when you can sit back, relax and laugh your ass off in the theater. It’s a film who’s experience is enhanced by seeing it with a packed audience who know what they’re in for. laughter is contagious, and something like this is made all the better for its infectiousness.
Akiva Schaffer is clearly the comedic engine that powers The Lonely Island, and his writing/directing work on things like “Hot Rod,” “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping,” and “Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers” prove that while he may not be the face of the comedy trio, he is most certainly the one with the most effective comedic sensibilities. So much of “The Naked Gun” feels very Lonely Island coded, and it’s Schaffer’s excellent wit and timing that provides the sturdy bones for non stop laughter. There’s a confidence and strong understanding of the genre tropes that Schaffer masterfully infuses this new iteration with, and when paired with his fellow writers Dan Gregor and Doug Mand make this easily one of the funniest movies of the year. I’ll stop short of getting too hyperbolic because its joke-per-minute style is almost exhausting to a fault.
Thankfully it’s done right, and packed with a game cast completely committed to the bit. Liam Neeson taking on the mantel of Frank Drebon Jr. is perfectly cast, cementing himself as a worthy successor to the all timer straight man imbecile Leslie Neelson. And yes, there is no way you can convince the similarity of names is a coincidence. It is simply too in on its own joke to not have done that on purpose.
Neeson is so game here, never missing a single beat and completely attuned to Schaffer’s comedic styling. He’s great at comedy, and I’ll take Neeson making more of these than more of his straight to streaming action slop any day. The real surprise standouts are Pamela Anderson and Danny Houston, the former given more freedom to showcase her range and actual performance skills she’s always possessed but has never been allowed to flex.
Anderson is given so many moments to shine, and she is up for every challenge, sinking her teeth into the satirical spoof version of a femme fatale. It helps that Neeson and Anderson are dating in real life, adding a sweetness to their silly onscreen chemistry that makes all of their banter that much more enjoyable. Houston is one of the great villain actors of our time, and watching him perform similarly to Neeson by also making fun of his long standing career as the bad guy is just another selling point, and another excellent casting choice. He has two of my favorite moments in the movie, one involving The Black Eye Peas and the other during fight that literally had me in stitches. Paul Walter Hauser and Kevin Durand are equally excellent albeit in smaller roles, proving this film doesn’t have a single weak link.
One of the most impressive aspects of the film is not just the volume of jokes, but the consistency of sight gags that permeate every single moment of this film. The foreground and background are jam packed with slapstick gags that you don’t even realize are happening because there’s a joke happening among the film’s characters, adding to the joke density that only something like “The Naked Gun” could even begin to attempt to pull off successfully. Schaffer is also well studied to avoid specificity, creating a broader satire of film noir and crime procedurals rather than requiring you to have seen a specific film. These are the pitfalls of things like “Meet the Spartans” or “Superhero Movie” that rely heavily on whether or not you’ve seen the movie their parodying.
Look, the very first joke is a macguffin device stolen from a safety deposit box during a bank robbery literally called “P.L.O.T Device” so you know pretty quickly what kind of movie you’re in for. If you’re not down with that, then the rest of the film probably won’t be for you. But this is the kind of film we need more of, one in very capable hands with a self awareness and smart blend of intelligent cultural reference humor and low brow fart jokes. “The Naked Gun” needs both and has both in spades, and I found myself laughing hysterically at nearly everything it had to throw at me. The best bits aren’t in the trailers, so you’ll be pleasantly surprised by everything you haven’t seen yet, and most of my favorites were completely unexpected.
Sure, it’s not quite as good as the original, but it doesn’t have to be so long as it honors its legacy and does right by the classics. This film does both of these things, and if you’re looking for a good riotous time at the movies, you really can’t go wrong with this one. The world is an unrelenting hellscape right now, and if for 85 minutes we can come together and laugh until our stomaches hurt, “The Naked Gun” has done its job and does it very, very well.
Someone get me another cup of coffee! Justice for TiVo!
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
“The Naked Gun” is now playing in theaters. You can watch the trailer below.
