The Naked Gun

by Mike McGranaghan

Doggone, it was nice to see a comedy in a theater again. Ever since Covid rocked the nation’s cinemas, the studios haven’t been releasing big comedy movies. They go to streamers instead because they’re far less likely to earn a billion dollars worldwide than a superhero flick or an action picture. This is a disgrace beyond words. The Naked Gun is a perfect reminder of why theatrical comedy matters. Yeah, it will still be funny at home, but the silliness is magnified up on the big screen.

Liam Neeson takes over the franchise playing Lt. Frank Drebin, Jr. He and partner Ed Hocken, Jr. (Paul Walter Hauser) begin investigating a mysterious death tied to tech genius Richard Cane (Danny Huston). During that process, Drebin falls for the deceased’s sister, Beth Davenport (Pamela Anderson).

The story doesn’t matter, of course. The Naked Gun is all about spoofery. Director Akiva Schaffer (Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping) and co-writers Dan Gregor and Doug Mand do something very smart in contemporizing the series. They structure the film as a parody of the generic action fare Neeson has been cranking out nonstop for the past decade. That allows them to recreate the original’s style of humor while also bringing a modern sensibility to it.

Neeson is a great choice to fill Leslie Nielsen’s shoes. The actor understands the value of playing such wacky material straight. In fact, he plays it as if he’s starring in yet another Taken sequel. Watching him do his trademark tough-guy routine while saying/doing absurd things results in big laughs. Deadpan line delivery is a skill he absolutely possesses, but surprisingly, so is physical comedy. Again, by playing against the joke, he turns even the goofiest gag – like Drebin’s body cam capturing an episode of intestinal distress - into comedic gold.

And somehow Pamela Anderson still steals the show. Coming off her winning dramatic turn in The Last Showgirl, she continues an impressive career renaissance. Anderson brings a humorous touch to the femme fatale trope, and a scene where Beth spontaneously attempts to sing a seductive song to Cane might be the movie’s funniest. It’s certainly the most unforgettable.

The Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker team perfected spoof comedy with Airplane! and The Naked Gun, inspiring a lot of imitators who, frankly, didn’t understand what made the formula work. It’s not about referencing other movies, it’s about referencing cliches and conventions. For example, there’s an inspired running joke about Drebin and Hocken being handed cups of coffee every time they enter the police station or a crime scene. Schaffer and crew similarly grasp the ZAZ joke construction blueprint. When Drebin invites Beth to sit down by telling her to “take a chair,” she replies, “No, thank you. I have enough chairs at home.”

As is par for the course in spoof movies, not every joke elicits the same level of laughter, and different gags will hit different viewers in different ways. For me, the hit-to-miss ratio was pretty high. The Naked Gun has a couple big belly laughs, a few guffaws, a lot of cackles, and many chuckles. Enrico Pollazzo would be proud.

---