Look, I don’t mean to sound 100 years old when I say this, but they really don’t make movies like they used to. Truth be told, I don’t really think that notion applies to most genres of movies, except the spoof movies. As a child, I was raised on the comedic tidings of your Mel Brooks and your Zucker Brothers, forever warping my sense of humor at an age where I was probably too young to be doing that. But once the 90s had passed, the art of the spoof really died out. Jokes became mostly low-hanging, obvious fruit meant to shock you while the creative nuances of something as simple as a magazine called Modern Sperm were completely disregarded. That being said, there are some decent modern parody movies, but nothing quite hits the absurdity of those classics.

Well, director Akiva Schaffer and producer Seth MacFarlane certainly thought it was time we tried again, leading to the first Naked Gun film in over 30 years. And look, nothing is probably ever going to touch the brilliance of the original, but damn it if this sequel isn’t a good time. 2025’s The Naked Gun is the best swing at mimicking the nonsensical nature of those classic spoof movies that I’ve seen in years, paying homage to the brilliance of the original while giving the formula its own coat of paint. This thing is stuffed to the brim with sight gags, wordplay and medical grade buffoonery, often leaving very little time where the film isn’t trying to make you laugh. Of course, not every joke lands, but that certainly isn’t the majority of the film, at least on my end. It’s the kind of stupidity that actually has a brain behind it that comedies have been sorely missing.  

So Frank Drebin Jr., lieutenant of the LAPD Police Squad is on the hunt for a murder potentially connected to one the city’s wealthiest tech moguls. Along the way he falls in love, eats some chili dogs, and causes massive damage across the city, all in the pursuit of justice.

Leslie Nielsen was a one of a kind actor that simply cannot be topped, but maybe we can find someone who comes close and weirdly has a similar sounding name. Liam Neeson certainly does an admirable job, adapting the same kind of blissfully unaware aura that Nielson made famous. I think most people usually associate Liam Neeson with action movies, sometimes of the straight to DVD variety, but his comedic timing cannot be denied. Like Liam, Leslie was also known for more serious roles before The Naked Gun, and it’s that background that helps both of them succeed. Neeson kind of brings this air of “somebody’s grandpa wandered on set”, cluelessly and haphazardly bulldozing through anything in his way. Yet whether it’s beating up criminals dressed as a little girl or running from a murderous snowman, Neeson plays it straightlaced and down the middle, which only makes the whole thing funnier. 

By his side is Pamela Anderson playing Beth Davenport, the sister of the film’s murder victim and eventual lover of Drebin. I’m admittedly not the biggest watcher of her work, as Baywatch was a bit out of my age range when it was airing, but I do think she does quite a solid job here. She plays a bit of a seductress and a bit of a scorned woman, yet has her own moments of goofiness, like a nonsensical scat routine at a jazz club. She does a swell job paired alongside Neeson, bouncing off each other with humorous noir-style retorts that often make no sense in the best way. The bit players do just as well, with many people getting their moments. Paul Walter Hauser is always a joy to see, Danny Huston effortlessly slides into his 100th villain role, and others like Cody Rhodes, Dave Bautista and Bruce Buffer all get a moment to shine in one way or another. 

Really, this entire review could just be me naming bits I liked. There’s certainly no shortage, as there’s usually always a pun or a sight gag onscreen at any given time. The jokes are so rapid fire that even if one happens to miss, we move right on past and onto the next. Luckily, there’s still plenty to parody from police procedurals that the original Naked Gun hadn’t already covered. Things like officers being given coffee for any given event and guests taking the phrase “take a chair” very literally are just some of what the film is cooking with. Then there’s more meta gags, like a character exiting the left side of the frame only to reappear on the right side, or Drebin hitting the same cyclist every time he’s in a car. Sure, some of these jokes are quite obvious, but the film knows how to make them hit. Admittedly, I do think the film uses most of its best jokes in the first half, as I found the comedy slowly waning as we got closer to the final act, but I was laughing through this thing way more than I wasn’t.

There’s really not too much more to say. If you yearn for the bygone era of nonsensical spoof films, then the new Naked Gun might just scratch that itch. It manages to feel both timeless and timely, proving this comedy style and structure still has some legs in the modern day. It’s one of those rare legacy sequels that managed to understand the assignment, and I think that’s definitely worth something. Take it from a fan of the genre, this had me dying of manslaughter. Oh…that’s supposed to be man’s laughter.

RATING

GLAZED AND CONFUSED

If there’s three things I know cops like, it’s coffee, donuts and a third thing. Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr. is no exception, making his way through cups of coffee like people go through sunflower seeds. So this drink honoring those brave boys in blue will be dessert sweet with a bit of a kick thanks to some powerful espresso. Plus, we’re gonna decorate it all nice and fancy with some icing, sprinkles, and a bit of donut for the hell of it. Whether you’re hard boiled or a fat bozo chowing down on spaghetti, we’re gonna get to the bottom of this drink together.

INGREDIENTS

• 2oz dark rum
• 1/4oz creme de cacao
• 1/2oz cinnamon syrup
• 1.5oz half and half
• 1/2oz espresso
• dash vanilla extract
• Rim: frosting
• Rim: sprinkles
• Garnish: donut

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Using a knife, coat the rim of a rocks glass with icing, then coat it with sprinkles.
2. Add ingredients to a shaker and shake with ice.
3. Strain into prepared glass over ice.
4. Garnish with piece of donut.