"The Naked Gun" is a hilarious adult film that is a "modern day" slapstick comedy. Not since the mid-20th century had there been a slapstick film in the ilk of those of the silent and golden ages of Hollywood. The Marx Brothers and Three Stooges were the last of such films. Some may see this as slight spoofing of the police and crime films and series that were so common into the final decades of the 20th century. But, it's not hard to imagine that someone would eventually capitalize on all the crime and mystery films and series by making a clearly slapstick comedy.
The creators of "The Naked Gun" surely saw "The Pink Panther" of 1963. That film sort of opened the door to the main police character being something of a quirky character, if not an outright buffoon. The sequels with Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau reinforced the appeal of such comedy with audiences.
This film has an extended title, "From the Files of Police Squad." That's an obvious reference to the source of the material for the film. The 1982 ABC TV series, "Police Squad" ran just six episodes. But all the half hour shows were hilarious. British TV may have led the return of such slapstick with the BBC Comedy series, "Monty Python's Flying Circus," that ran from 1969 through 1974.
There were other films that were clear spoofs of the great detectives of literary fiction and film. "Murder by Death" of 1976 spoofed all the best known and great detectives of fiction. Some comedies right after the "Police Squad" series were about police ("Police Academy" of 1984 and sequels), but none were on the level of slapstick in "The Naked Gun." Nor were any others as funny.
So, this film was not so much a satire of police forces or police and crime films. It was instead a plain, but riotously funny slapstick film about a police officer and his equally wacky cohorts and sidekicks. The cast for the film is superb, with Leslie Nielsen and George Kennedy providing the bulk of humor. The film is obviously adult, although it's rated PG-13. It borders on the edge of crass and crude in a couple of instances.
Nielsen's character, Frank Drebin, is so unique that he's a police sergeant detective lieutenant. A sergeant-lieutenant? That's an unheard-of rank in the annals of police forces and military. Drebin's scenario as an umpire in a professional baseball game must be one of the funniest sports scenes ever filmed in a movie.
This is one very funny film that most adults should enjoy. It's probably not for people who don't have much of a sense of humor or who can't laugh at everyday things in life.
The creators of "The Naked Gun" surely saw "The Pink Panther" of 1963. That film sort of opened the door to the main police character being something of a quirky character, if not an outright buffoon. The sequels with Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau reinforced the appeal of such comedy with audiences.
This film has an extended title, "From the Files of Police Squad." That's an obvious reference to the source of the material for the film. The 1982 ABC TV series, "Police Squad" ran just six episodes. But all the half hour shows were hilarious. British TV may have led the return of such slapstick with the BBC Comedy series, "Monty Python's Flying Circus," that ran from 1969 through 1974.
There were other films that were clear spoofs of the great detectives of literary fiction and film. "Murder by Death" of 1976 spoofed all the best known and great detectives of fiction. Some comedies right after the "Police Squad" series were about police ("Police Academy" of 1984 and sequels), but none were on the level of slapstick in "The Naked Gun." Nor were any others as funny.
So, this film was not so much a satire of police forces or police and crime films. It was instead a plain, but riotously funny slapstick film about a police officer and his equally wacky cohorts and sidekicks. The cast for the film is superb, with Leslie Nielsen and George Kennedy providing the bulk of humor. The film is obviously adult, although it's rated PG-13. It borders on the edge of crass and crude in a couple of instances.
Nielsen's character, Frank Drebin, is so unique that he's a police sergeant detective lieutenant. A sergeant-lieutenant? That's an unheard-of rank in the annals of police forces and military. Drebin's scenario as an umpire in a professional baseball game must be one of the funniest sports scenes ever filmed in a movie.
This is one very funny film that most adults should enjoy. It's probably not for people who don't have much of a sense of humor or who can't laugh at everyday things in life.