Alright, the joke’s over. If only this film were as funny as the trailer.


While there are a couple of laughs interspersed here and there (which means it's a thousand times funnier than anything Ben Stiller has ever done) this is a distant relative of the original The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! It is expected that the jokes are forced, that’s part of the humor, but in this case the jokes are crammed in. Instead of the humor stemming from the situations they feel pasted on in this film. Half of the time it would have been less obvious just to have a big “THERE’S A GAG” sign should flash on the screen. This is very broad humor, it’s not about subtlety but the Zuckers/Abrahams team is far too pushy with their jokes this time around – and the jokes just aren’t that good. The entire final act where Frank Drebin breaks into the Oscars to thwart a terrorist attack is poorly conceived and fails from the start. Even in a bad comedy, are we really supposed to believe Pia Zadora is performing at the Oscars? Really?

Even if you loved the first two films, this outing will still disappoint.


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Labels: David Zucker, film, leslie nielsen, movie review, Police Squad, Zucker Brothers

If you love physical humor you’re not going to find anything funnier than the first five minutes of this film – at least from anything made in the last twenty years. Even after all of these years, it still slays me.

After peaking with their brand of humor The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, the Zucker Brothers and Jim Abrahams released this sequel. It's a faded copy of the original. The jokes are a little more forced (amazing that it is even possible) and there is a serious, SERIOUS political agenda being played out. Detective Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) is nearing retirement from Police Squad. His relationship with Jane (Priscilla Presley) has fallen apart and she has moved on. Jane is now paired with the corrupt Quentin Hapsburg (Robert Goulet). Goulet is perfectly cast as the mustache twisting villain/straight man. He deserves a good amount of attention. As a straight man, his reactions are priceless in contrast to Nielsen’s hammy performance. Hapsburg’s big sin is fronting a conspiracy which will lead to environmental destruction. This film was one of the early attempts at the openly political films we’ve come to know today. The political agenda is slathered on pretty thick and the audience is forced to look beyond it to get to the good stuff. If you can stomach the all business men and Republicans are Satan nonsense sprinkled liberally (literally) you will find some very smart jokes. The bomb site in the first act – hilarious.

Note that beyond just an obtuse political agenda, this is just like the rest of the Zucker/Abrahams comedies. It often will be crude. It is not for kids. If you are sensitive to low humor you will want to avoid this film.


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Labels: comedy, David Zucker, film, leslie nielsen, movie review, Police Squad, Zucker Brothers

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.












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.



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Labels: David Zucker, film, leslie nielsen, movie review, Zucker Brothers

Following 9/11 there has been some in the industry who were woken up from their liberal stupor. These 9/11 conservatives may still believe in the false promises of a welfare state but at least they understand the evil that confronts us. They also see the wonder that is America, and that it is a beautiful place that deserves protection rather than derision. Jon Voight, Dennis Hopper, James Woods, Ron Silver among others have changed their politics as of late and have joined the ranks of conservative/libertarian/Republican Hollywood names like Bruce Willis, Adam Sandler, Jessica Simpson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mel Gibson and others. The growing conservative movement in Hollywood has slowly been gaining ground. Now there's the first wide release film to promote this movement.

David Zucker (Airplane!, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad) isn't known for making Shakespeare, he's known for creating simple comedies littered with cheap laughs. This film is just that, a collection of cheap laughs. The jokes, however, are pointed at the left. Michael Malone (Kevin Farley) a caricature of Michael Moore seeks to abolish July 4th and is then visited by the ghosts of Patton, George Washington and the Angel of Death who turn him around and make him into an American loving guy. The premise is good, the delivery is uneven.

Now, I'm a conservative but I'm also a film geek. I went into this wanting to like it because, to be honest, I enjoy mocking liberals - they're wrong and should be ridiculed. I also knew that it was likely this was going to be devoid of humor. What I got was something lukewarm. For conservatives, there is plenty of red meat. The movie goes after many liberal institutions with various degrees of success, the joke on the ACLU is particularly humorous. There are also moments of poignant commentary regarding the return McCarthy Era blacklist (tying it to how political conservatives are treated), and the fact that "important" directors make movies crapping on Christians and Americans but intentionally avoid criticizing Muslims out of naked fear of being killed for their efforts.

For film geeks, there's less to love. The script is not well structured despite being based on Dickens' classic story. There is a lack of focus in a number of areas and many of the scenes begin with a strong set up but fail to develop into a cohesive piece. Often the scenes toss out some humorous gags and then stumble to a close. The disjointed, bumpy structure makes this a difficult movie to get into. While there are some moments of genuine humor to be found it's an unfortunately rough ride getting to them. Unlike The Naked Gun films or Airplane!, the jokes aren't a mile a minute. In many respects, this is like watching those movies with many of the jokes removed. This leads to scenes that are left wanting for gags. There is space for the gags, but the scenes are left empty.

The casting of Kevin Farley as Malone is inspired and he shows comedic talent. He does a solid job of carrying the broken narrative and holds his own next to a number of very experienced, and well-known actors. Much of the cast does well in their roles including Kelsey Grammar as George Patton and Jon Voight Washington. The actors do their best with the material they're given which is to their credit.

Overall, this is not a great film. It will please, but not inspire, conservatives desperate for customized entertainment. It will not do much for the unconverted. Liberals should just avoid it altogether. All it will do is frustrate you just like when conservatives urge you to support your beliefs with reason and not your precious feelings.


Cautions: This is farce so it's not for small children. Zucker avoids many of the sexual jokes that populates many of the other films he's been a part of, but keeps the cleavage gags. In addition, the language is rather tame but there is some swearing.




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Labels: David Zucker, film, James Woods, Jon Voight, Kelsey Grammar, Kevin Farley, movie review, politics