The Naked Gun (2025)
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Comedy is subjective, and this is a fickle fact that comedians have to accept. There are jokes that simply do not work because of their flimsy construction, predictability, lousy delivery, or their poor taste. However, when it comes to any form of comedy that isn’t flat-out awful, all walks of life will prefer different things. Unlike, say, a go-to meal that you always rely on for that exact same blend of tastes that once left an impression on you, comedy is forever meant to feel new, fresh, unexpected, and other high bars that are difficult to reach on a frequent basis. When it comes to films that are driven by “dumb” forms of comedy (intentionally stupid and silly humour that still has wit behind the insanity), it can be difficult to not come off as brainless. You want the characters to come off as idiotic, not the filmmakers. It’s a piece of the recipe that got heavily lost at the turn of the twenty-first century; look no further from the drop-off between Scary Movie and Scary Movie 4 (the former boasts the insipid cliches of the horror genre with enough flair, while the latter is unaware that it is as toothless and mindless as the films it is mocking). It became difficult to be farcical in the new millennium, and it didn’t help that the internet was replacing that itch for immature, imprudent humour (in the forms of viral content, memes, and other types of brain rot).
Enter The Naked Gun: a beloved parody film led by the straight-faced antics of the late Leslie Nielsen. Told with the seriousness of an atom bomb, The Naked Gun feels like a parade of gags, puns, and slapstick, as if all of these methods of comedy are little mice trying to escape past you, the hungry cat. You are sure to miss some of the jokes on the first watch, but not everything will get by you. Depending on your taste and preferences, some jokes will be more apparent to you. Some will land. Some won’t stick. Then, there are the jokes that you will completely miss. I am a sucker for comedies that are relentless with their delivery (for context, I think the prime years of Arrested Development is the funniest anything of all time, and there was no way that I caught every gag even the first four watches). There’s something special about trying to make it through a comedy without laughing, slipping once, and then being unable to stop the barrage of what is to come: more slam dunk gags, and your inevitable guffawing. The first The Naked Gun is such a film: a spoof of police procedurals that evokes the hypocrisies and flaws of these stories, the lack of self awareness present, and the underlying cartoonishness. The Naked Gun wasn’t just a parody of great cop films: it was just a great cop film, through and through. When you are this on-point for the entire runtime, you’re simply a strong film, even if you are outright goofy.
The other two Naked Gun films featuring Nielsen weren’t nearly as good, as if the bar was set too high or the sequels were caught in the miasma of idiocy as opposed to being ahead of the gags (the key with satire and parody is that you have to be smarter than you seem and hyper-aware of what you are mocking to the point of being able to break the rules). The news of a new Naked Gun entry initially seemed like a poor idea given the poor state of what came after that one golden example. I was never in the party of people that figured that Liam Neeson (who plays Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr., clearly the son of Nielsen’s Drebin) was a bad fit because it is Nielsen’s dramatic take that makes his performance so funny (if he was a jackass, The Naked Gun wouldn’t be nearly as funny as it is); Neeson is as compelling as actors come and felt like a great fit from the jump. I was more apprehensive about the need for such a comedy at all, given how many comedies of this nature just don’t seem to matter anymore (mainly because they fall completely flat and feel like a waste of time).
This latest iteration, a back-to-basics use of the original film’s title in the form of The Naked Gun once more, is not quite as strong as the first entry in the franchise, but it is leaps and bounds better than the weaker sequels that followed. Part of the reason why The Naked Gun works is because of director and co-writer Akiva Schaffer (of The Lonely Island fame, as well as the underrated Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers film that did far more than the bare minimum with its source material) being allowed to run amok. Fuzzy Door producer Seth MacFarlane (of Family Guy and American Dad fame, amongst many other properties) permits Schaffer to use this film as his sandbox without ever trying to join in on the fun (while I have greatly outgrown MacFarlane’s style of comedy for the most part, I appreciate his ceaselessness when it comes to what he’ll try to get away with, which was crucial for a film like The Naked Gun). What we get is a comedy that throws everything and the kitchen sink at you with very little downtime to recover. Not every joke lands (I wouldn’t say any of the comedy here is terrible, mind you), but The Naked Gun moves on to the next idea so quickly that it barely matters. You are bound to laugh at something at any given time; while your selection of highlights may not match those of another, this parade of giggles is authentically yours from the massive selection available.
The Naked Gun is heaps of fun, laughs, and stunning stupidity.
Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr. is wrapped up in two cases that are actually both from the same source: a bank robbery, and the suspicious car crash of software engineer Simon Davenport. Simon’s sister, Beth Davenport (Pamela Anderson, being utilized here far better than she was in projects before The Last Showgirl), is a crime author who is getting involved with her late brother’s death; this includes her getting wrapped up with Frank (does Beth actually like Frank, or is she using him?). Obviously, there isn’t too much to the plot of The Naked Gun, but the fact that there is a concrete plot at all is somewhat of a miracle when it comes to these kinds of parody-driven comedies. As a result, the film doesn’t feel like a ball pit of inanity. You follow along with the jokes because you want to see where this story goes. There won’t be any major twists and turns, but you still want to see what transpires amidst the madness. This kept many people sitting even during the credits awaiting what other jokes could have appeared (without giving anything away, yes, I promise, the comedy continues even during the credits). Now that is a film taking command of its audience. I understand a drama that leaves you much to mull over. For a comedy to completely transfix you like this is quite something.
It’s true that The Naked Gun felt like a riot when I watched it. I left the cinema energized by the handful of gags that had me laughing the most (early on, I was a big fan of the “city hall” pun, and the snowball only kept getting bigger and garnering speed from then on). However, the hours post The Naked Gun piled on, and it’s when I recognized that the film was quite fun, yes, but was it impressionable? Outside of thinking Neeson and Anderson are wonderful together, The Naked Gun was the barrel of laughs we could all use nowadays, and the key moments that spoke to me as an individual (and my sense of humour), I wasn’t really reeling over the film in the kind of way that would indicate that this was a new classic. The Naked Gun is a great comedy, but it is presently acting as an open door for more authentically funny films to return during a time when comedians are scared of being cancelled or not taken seriously. Would I be itching to rewatch this The Naked Gun in the future? Perhaps, but my favourite stupid comedies (like Anchorman, for instance) were films I felt like were best friends of mine instantly. These were jokes I could not get enough of. I loved the time in the theatre I spent with The Naked Gun (especially the infectious energy of an audience who couldn’t get enough of what was on screen), and this was the time away from the real world I craved.
I do question how frequently I will return to The Naked Gun on my own accord; if I catch it in passing on television, I’m sure I will be chuffed with being reunited with the film. As it stands, The Naked Gun is a comedy to watch in theatres right now. I guarantee you will have to make a conscious effort not to piss yourself laughing. However, that first watch is the most important one for this film because I doubt it’ll read as strongly on smaller screens and more condensed audiences. Make this preliminary watch count. You may not get the opportunity when The Naked Gun is ripe if you don’t catch it in theatres now. The importance of The Naked Gun and the silliest kinds of comedies is that of Moulin Rouge! with musicals and Gladiator and sword-and-sandal dramas: these are strong-enough reminders that these nearly extinct genres have staying power, but it may be the projects that come out of this wake (like Hedwig and the Angry Inch for musicals, or the television series Rome for sword-and-sandal epics) that carry the torch further. We needed The Naked Gun to bring us back to this place, but we also need that instant classic to put a mark on what comedy can truly be in the twenty-twenties. I don’t blame the quality of The Naked Gun on this; perhaps it’s because this film stems from an already existing property that I feel this way, and I know that there’s a completely original idea waiting to be discovered. Maybe time will tell with The Naked Gun, but I am at least grateful for the many laughs it provided me. The film is well handled, lovingly made, and — most importantly — highly entertaining.
I also appreciate the free Netflix password (you’ll have to see what I mean).
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.