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March 26, 2009
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
Should I see it?
Yes.



We all have our guilty pleasures, this is one of mine. I admit it, I love this film. I can quote it all day long.


Ludwig
So they were able to get him to the hospital in time?

Frank
Yes, he's in the intensive care ward at Our Lady of the Worthless Miracle.

_____________________


Ed
Yeah, but going into Ludwig's office without a warrant, you're taking a big chance.

Frank
I know. You take a chance getting up in the morning, crossing the street or sticking your face in a fan.


_____________________


Ed
Doctors say that Nordberg has a 50/50 chance of living, though there's only a 10 percent chance of that.



I consider this to be one of the best comedies ever made. The scene between Ricardo Montalban and Leslie Nielsen meeting each other in the office is worth the price of admission alone.

The Zucker Brothers (David and Jerry) along with Jim Abrahams and Pat Proft adapted this film from their failed television show Police Squad. Those of us who remember the original airing of the show remember its penchant for ridiculous sight gags and twisted dialog. This film revels in both. If you are a fan of dumb humor such as puns, sight gags and other farcical jokes, this is your Citizen Kane. The humor is not for everyone. Generally when I hear this film mentioned the reactions are pretty stark. Either people love it or they really, really hate it.

Leslie Nielsen portrays Detective Frank Drebin of Police Squad. Drebin is a bumbling Cousteau-esque goof who’s just a little more belligerent. Nielsen revived his career with this performance and kept him gainfully employed for the next fifteen years making some serious terrible movies. In his film he is perfect. His delivery is praise worthy and in my opinion stands as one of the best comedic performances in the last fifty years. I’m sure there are people who will disagree, but I have a lot of respect for his performance in this movie. It is not easy to deliver the lines he has with a straight face and still be as funny as he is in his role.

As good as Nielsen is, the real star of the movie is the script. It is very well structured. It is obvious they went through the story first and laced in the jokes once they knew what they were doing. This is often the best way to write comedy. Get the mechanics down, then worry about the gags. Without a properly structured story all you have is a string of jokes and usually this isn’t enough to keep a production going.

The best way to gauge if you will like this movie is if you think the Zuckers/Abrahams/Proft movie Airplane! is funny. Me? I love it. Where else can you see something as wonderfully written as this...



Brilliant. If you don't think this is funny I don't know what to say to you.



Related Reviews:
Comedies
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
An American Carol (2008)


Other Critic’s Reviews:
Roger Ebert
eFilmCritic



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posted by Michelle Obama's Left Nut at 8:00 AM




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1 Comments:

Anonymous K said...

"Nice beaver."

The scene in the office with the piano was some of the best physical humor since Laurel and Hardy. Not to mention that the tone of the film was decidedly pro American.

But what really makes this film stand out is the comparison to present day gross out comedy. Laughter is based on surprise. Gross out comedies are one joke wonders - you're surprised they did something so horrible and tasteless that you laugh. Films like Police Squad use the more traditional approach.

March 26, 2009 at 10:47 AM  

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