An arresting spoof comeback.
Leslie Nielsen as Lt. Frank Drebin carried the “Naked Gun” movies, kudos to Zucker, Abrams, and Zucker (ZAZ). In fact, it played like a live action cartoon where it’s actually funny and actually smart. And it knows how to handle jokes, whether they’re in the foreground or background. In fact, it was among the many other ZAZ spoofs to have that style like “Airplane.”
ZAZ made the comedies that obviously Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg haven’t studied closely, considering that they made “Date Movie,” “Epic Movie,” “Meet the Spartans,” and “Disaster Movies,” among others. Those movies may have made some money, but did anyone think they would be up to the ZAZ level?
Since Nielson is dead, why not get Liam Neeson as his son? He’s Lt. Frank Drebin, Jr. or “The New Version” as he likes to call himself. Now, you would think this new “Naked Gun” would be a giant middle finger to the original, which was also based on the TV show “Police Squad.” After all, “The Dukes of Hazzard” and “Baywatch” were mean-spirited debacles. But think again, because the style is back, the comedy is back, and the stupidity is back.
Who cares about the logic of Frank driving and being given a latte? Who cares how he disguises himself as a little girl? Who cares that kids with a lemonade stand are being arrested? And who cares about arms being ripped off and no blood is pouring out? I don’t, and nobody cares neither.
This “New Version” was co-written and directed by Akiva Schaffer and produced by Seth MacFarlene, both of whom are comedy geniuses. And while not all the jokes land and some of ideas seem to be borrowed from the “Austin Powers” movies and “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” there’s a relentless energy and lots of humor to keep you going. This will do anything it can to live up to ZAZ’s standards without being so self-congratulatory. It’s something that “Vacation” learned the hard way a decade ago, and it didn’t deserve any “National Lampoon” name.
We also get Pamela Anderson making another successful comeback after “The Last Showgirl” as the femme fatale Beth Davenport, Paul Walter Hauser as Ed Hocken Jr.. the son of the late Capt. Ed Hocken (whom the late George Kennedy played), Danny Huston as the villain Richard Cane, Kevin Durand as his henchman Sig Gustafson, and CHH Pounder as the police chief who is tired of the hero’s antics. And plus we get Liza Kochy, Busta Rhymes, Weird Al Yankovic, and Dave Bautista coming in.
The only Liam Neeson movies I have enjoyed lately were independent features like “Widows” and “In the Land of Saints and Sinners,” which both failed to find big audiences. Commercial films like “Men in Black International” and “Retribution” were complete wastes of his talents. But in this “New Version” of “The Naked Gun,” he delivers with the right kind of stern attitude and the right kind of comic timing. He might be making a comeback, too.
This would be two years in a row in which Anderson is getting back in the saddle again. She gave a career best performance in “The Last Showgirl,” and in “The Naked Gun,” she has the kind of goofy and sexy appeal. And I think she works well with age.
It’s interesting that Neeson, Anderson, and the spoof genre are all making comebacks, because soon marks the 75th anniversary of “Sunset Boulevard,” which was about a silent movie star trying to make a comeback. I wonder who somebody had to shoot in the pool to bring spoofs back.
This spiritual sequel is funny, and the credits are funny, too.