Review of The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) by Ross L — 14 Aug 2012

Comedies are arguably the film genre which have it the hardest. Sense of humour is much more difficult to appeal to than sense of fun or thrill and to then do it consistently over 90 minutes is an even greater task. This is perhaps why so few comedies feature in peoples greatest films of all time lists.

The Naked Gun then, while not being an out and out comedy classic for this reviewer, manages it quite well. It's extremely silly and totally puerile but it is still very funny when it hits the right spot.

The bungling case of Leslie Neilsen's Lieutenant Frank Drebin of Police Squad follows his antics as he tries to uncover a plot to assassinate the Queen of England. But no one is really here for the plot.

The comedy in Naked Gun is split into two types. There's the obvious slap stick humour of Drebin constantly injuring people while parking his car as well as the more subtle word play. There are some really big belly laughs and never more than a couple of minutes goes by without the film provoking at least a small titter.

The jokes do start to wear a bit thin as the film approaches it's conclusion but it doesn't out stay its welcome. Comedy may have moved on to dirtier and more complex grounds in the 23 years since The Naked Gun was released but that doesn't stop it providing the kind of laughs that will never get old.