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A parody of Top Gun (1986) in which a talented but unstable fighter pilot must overcome the ghosts of his father and save a mission sabotaged by greedy weapons manufacturers.

Director:

Jim Abrahams
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Popularity
2,617 ( 517)
1 win. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlie Sheen ... Topper Harley / Rhett Butler / Superman
Cary Elwes ... Kent Gregory
Valeria Golino ... Ramada Thompson / Scarlett O'Hara / Lois Lane
Lloyd Bridges ... Adm. Benson
Kevin Dunn ... Lt. Cmdr. Block
Jon Cryer ... Jim 'Wash Out' Pfaffenbach
William O'Leary ... Pete 'Dead Meat' Thompson
Kristy Swanson ... Kowalski
Efrem Zimbalist Jr. ... Wilson
Bill Irwin ... Buzz Harley
Heidi Swedberg ... Mrs. 'Dead Meat' Thompson
Bruce A. Young ... 'Red' Herring
Ryan Stiles ... 'Mailman' Farnham
Rino Thunder ... Owatonna, 'The Old One'
Mark Arnott ... Rosener
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Storyline

Topper Harley, a top gun fighter pilot, is recalled to serve on the SS Essess. Topper's mission is to destroy Saddam Hussein's nuclear plants. Unfortunately, Topper is psychologically imbalanced and is sure to crack under pressure. Written by Rob Hartill

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

1990s | mission | iraq | combat | plane | See All (158) »

Taglines:

The mother of all movies! See more »

Genres:

Action | Comedy

Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The opening crowd shot of the boxing match attended by Lt. Cmdr. Block and Wilson is reused footage of the final fight scene of Rocky II. In addition both of the fighters and their corner men that are used for more close up shots filmed for this movie are dressed in exactly the same colored robes and uniforms as worn by Sylvester Stallone, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith and Tony Burton in Rocky II, along with matching floor canvas and ring rope covers used to match both film footage together seamlessly. See more »

Goofs

When the planes are landing on the carrier, in close-up shots of the rear of the plane the hooks that grab the wire to help the plane stop are present. In far away shots of the planes coming it to land, the hooks are missing. See more »

Quotes

Lt. Commander Block: How are ya, sir?
Admiral Benson: Hawaii? Goddamn it, Bill! I'm supposed to be in California.
Lt. Commander Block: No, sir, this is California.
Admiral Benson: Well, gotta run. Good luck.
Lt. Commander Block: But, sir, this is your command.
Admiral Benson: Oh, good. First before we get to the base, I need to use the men's room. I have a sensative bladder. Got part of it blown off at Guaducanal in 1942.
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Crazy Credits

NOBBY BUNS 4 cups sifted flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 cup butter 3 eggs Cream butter until well softened and add to sugar and eggs.Mix quickly with flour.Drop mixture from a teaspoon and small jagged heaps onto a cookie sheet and bake in 375 to 400 degrees oven. See more »

Alternate Versions

The film was cut in Australia after the distributors received an M rating. The word "fuck" was removed to obtain a PG rating. The distributors had the option of using the uncut version for VHS but chose not to, the film only being released uncut on DVD many years later. See more »

Connections

Spoofs Superman (1978) See more »

Soundtracks

The Brady Bunch Theme
Written by Sherwood Schwartz and Frank De Vol
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User Reviews

 
The King of Sight Gags
11 March 2017 | by zkonedogSee all my reviews

Here's the basic formula for dissecting this film: If "Airplane" spoofed a single film (in this case "Top Gun") instead of an entire genre (disaster films), you'd get "Hot Shots".

For a basic plot summary, "Hot Shots" basically spoofs the movie "Top Gun" with any and all types of sight gags included. Charlie Sheen, Valeria Golino, Cary Elwes, and Lloyd Bridges provide the starring roles, and are all hilarious in every scene they carry.

For some people, this type of humor is childish and won't elicit much more than a simple chuckle. For others (myself included), though, the sight gags and hilarious physical comedy will have you in tears of laughter. The chemistry between Sheen and Golino is incredible, Elwes is at his maniacal best, while Bridges basically steals the show as the hilarious old general who always seems to save the day in the end.

This is a film that is kind of hard to explain in print. You really just need to sit down and watch it to determine if it is the right kind of comedy for you. You'll know within the first few minutes.


7 of 7 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 July 1991 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Des pilotes en l'air See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$26,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,848,182, 4 August 1991

Gross USA:

$69,467,617

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$181,096,164
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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