Lamar Reviews - "The Naked Gun" (Airdate 8/8/2025)

Lamar Reviews - "The Naked Gun" (Airdate 8/8/2025)

When I first heard they were making a remake of
Naked Gun I wasn’t sure. I loved the first one, the
second one was still good, and the third one
probably was not necessary. I was worried about
the remake until I found out that Liam Neesom
was going to be in it, he was the perfect pick for
Frank Drebin Jr.
A lot of listeners might not remember police
Squad, the TV show the movie was based on. The
show was created by the Zuker Brothers, and it
lampooned police dramas. The show was hilarious
from the opening scene all the way through. ABC
canceled it after airing four of the six episodes.
The final two episodes were shown during the
summer. The president of ABC, Tony
Thomopoulos canceled the show because “the
viewer had to watch it too close in order to
appreciate it.” TV guide magazine called the
explanation for the cancellation “the most stupid
reason a network ever gave for ending a series.” I
agree. That show was hilarious, and the Naked
Gun series is a direct reflection of it.

What made Leslie Nielsen the perfect Frank
Drebin is exactly what makes Liam Neeson the
perfect Frank Drebin Jr. They both play this role
completely straight, as serious as they can be, no
matter how crazy everything around them was
going. Neeson looks just as serious doing
slapstick in this as he did killing the men that
kidnapped his daughter in the Taken movies.
Yes, there is a storyline, but nobody really cares,
this is about constant corny puns, and banana
peel type physical comedy. It works because of
the relentless amount that is delivered, with
perfect timing, which forces you to pay close
attention. And I mean it about the attention, if you
are not watching you will find yourself realizing
why something is actually hilarious, while missing
the next joke. If you are not careful you will fall
behind.
The movie is a perfect 85 minutes, Rated PG-13
for crude/sexual material, cartoon violence/bloody
images and brief partial nudity.

We can all stop wondering if there is anything
really going on between Liam Neeson and Pamela
Anderson, it is. There is chemistry between actors,
and that is important. Then there is real chemistry
you can cut with a knife that is between “more”
than just actors. That is what is between Liam and
Pamela.
There are a lot of things that make this movie
work. The fact that the original was so long ago
helps this new one stand on its own. This is not a
rehash of old material. To compare this to the
original is not fair to either one.
I am fortunate enough to remember the Police
Squad TV show and the original 3 Naked Gun
movies, and they took police satire to a level of
silliness that was way funnier than it should have
been.
This movie took a big chance because it had a lot
to live up to, and it pulled it off. I hope they are
happy with it and leave it where it is at. A sequel
would be asking too much,
My Score: 5 Budweisers