It’s been a while since I’ve seen a good comedy film. Sure, I’ve watched films with comedy elements, but it’s never the focus. I’m talking about films where their entire reason for existing is to make you laugh (or at least chuckle). It’s also been a while since I’ve seen Liam Neeson in anything, as I was kinda turned off by his yearly action schlock fests (mans can’t keep being an action star at his age). In comes The Naked Gun, directed by Akiva Schaffer and starring Liam Neeson. It’s a sequel to the original Naked Gun series, which ended back in 1994 (I wasn’t even alive yet, it’s that old). This continuation of a comedy series from the 90s initially didn’t grab my interest, but the more I saw of Neeson in the trailers, the more I realised that this was a film I had to see.
Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr. (son of Frank Drebin from the original series) of Police Squad thwarts a bank robbery singlehandedly. Believing the crisis to be averted, he continues his daily life at Police Squad, which involves drinking an inhuman amount of coffee. However, the bank robbery was just a cover to steal the P.L.O.T. device (yes, that’s what it’s actually called), and even more mysteries follow. The death of a software engineer, a shady businessman, and a crime novelist who seems to have eyes for Drebin, it’s starting to look like this case is more than it seems. Can Drebin uncover the mystery, stop the bad guy, and get the girl, or will he fail to live up to his father’s legacy?
The story in The Naked Gun is nonsensical, but in a funny way. Almost every plot point is a bit, and while there is an overarching narrative, it takes a backseat to the comedy every time. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, quite the opposite for most of the 85-minute run time; however, it did lead to a lack of connection with the story and characters. I didn’t feel attached to any of their personal struggles, or really care if the villain was stopped; I was just invested in the next joke. This worked for my first viewing, but I doubt it would have the same effect on a second watch. Granted, the jokes do land a lot on that first viewing, and had me laughing multiple times.
While the story may be a bit lacklustre, the characters and their constant jokes make up for it a lot, with a few being standouts. Hands down, the best character in the entire film is Frank Drebin Jr., played by Liam Neeson. I never would’ve guessed that Neeson would nail a comedy film as the lead. Sure, he had that one bit in Ted 2 (the one with the cereal), but I had doubts he could lead a comedy film. Those doubts were quickly erased as his straightforward delivery of some of the dumbest lines imaginable was a joy to watch. It also helped that Pamela Anderson, as Beth Davenport, was an excellent co-star, and their banter and chemistry throughout the film was fantastic.
The rest of the cast also did well, but I couldn’t really tell you anything about their characters aside from stereotypes. Paul Walter Hauser played Drebin’s partner Ed and fell very much into the bumbling sidekick mould. There were a handful of good moments, but I wish he had more screentime with Neeson. Danny Huston was the villain, Richard Cane, and he was a pure caricature of villains from the '80s. While I didn’t find him intimidating in the slightest, he did the job he needed to.
Aside from the main cast, cameos from the likes of Cody Rhodes, Dave Bautista, Busta Rhymes, and “Weird Al” Yankovic all caught me by surprise in a good way. It was fun to see a random famous face pop up, all the while not disrupting the overall pacing of the film. And what was even better was that none of them overstayed their welcome. In an 85-minute film, they could not afford to waste time; they had too many jokes to cram in.
I’ve gone over how, while I found the story to be lacklustre, I did enjoy the characters, which normally wouldn’t be enough to get me to really enjoy a film. If a story sucks, no amount of great characters will sway my opinion, but that’s not the case with The Naked Gun. Despite my issues with the plot, I found myself having a great time laughing my ass off. Between Neeson’s delivery of the most stupid lines known to man and his chemistry with the rest of the cast, the film just works.
Multiple jokes had me holding back laughter, including one about chilli dogs, one about babysitting jobs, and the random appearance of Dave Bautista. I was able to look past the story faults and ended up having one of the funniest cinema experiences in recent memory. However, if this style of comedy isn’t for you, the flaws will be even more apparent. Just something to be aware of.
The Naked Gun won’t be for anyone, but I had a blast. The meh story is overshadowed by the fun characters and jokes that caught me off guard numerous times. I hope Liam Neeson does more films like this and leaves his action days behind him, because I need more of this version of Neeson. The comedy won’t be for everyone, but if you go in with an open mind, you just might have the funniest movie-watching experience this year.
Have you seen The Naked Gun? What did you think? Did the comedy do it for you? Let us know in the comments where we can talk about our favourite jokes from the film.
