Naked Eye

I would not necessarily have pegged The Naked Gun as a franchise that was ripe for rebooting. But Hollywood will reboot pretty much anything these days, and so it was that this year we got a new The Naked Gun film starring Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr., a lieutenant in L.A.'s "Police Squad" that fights crime with tongue planted firmly in cheek amid an avalanche of jokes.

I admit, the "reboot anything" framing I just used probably makes it sound like I was primed not to like this film. Quite the opposite, actually; I had high hopes for it, given the pedigree. It was directed and co-written by Akiva Schaffer, one-third of The Lonely Island. It was produced by Seth MacFarlane's production company, and he in turn probably influenced getting Liam Neeson to star (the two having worked together before). Every one of these people has comedy chops -- and has demonstrated an affinity for the joke-dense environment that was the original Naked Gun trilogy.

When you watch this new movie, it's clear that everyone involved has a particular affection for the comedy of Zucker-Abraham-Zucker ("ZAZ"), the trio who created Police Squad! (the short-lived TV show that inspired The Naked Gun), as well as Airplane! and Top Secret! (They had a thing for exclamation points.) This new movie embraces the particular anarchy of a ZAZ film that will try anything for a laugh -- running gags, dumb puns, sight gags, prat falls -- and will pile it on so fast that there's no worry when one joke doesn't work for you. One that does will be close behind.

There are particular jokes in this new movie that feel like they could have been written by that original ZAZ trio, wordplay along the lines of "Surely you can't be serious." But there are other styles in the mix too, like a long plot diversion about a snowman that almost feels like a Lonely Island sketch plopped down right in the middle of the movie. I didn't find the whole to be as deliriously funny as some of those ZAZ classics, but that could well be because those hit me at just the right age. In any case, this did make me laugh.

Liam Neeson is a wonderful heir to Leslie Nielsen's deadpan delivery, and the cast surrounding him meets that tone. Pamela Anderson is willing to shed every ounce of vanity in her femme fatale-like role. Paul Walter Hauser brings the "comic sidekick" chops he displayed on Cobra Kai to this more satirical stage. Danny Huston and CCH Pounder, both best known for dramatic work, bring the same intensity to this utter tomfoolery. That is the Leslie Nielsen model: don't behave any differently as you say the stupidest stuff.

In short, The Naked Gun is stupid fun. If you liked the original, you will like this reboot -- it's that simple. I give it a B.