NAKED GUN 33-1/3: THE FINAL INSULT
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1994 James Berardinelli
Rating (0 to 10): 4.3
Date Released: 3/18/93 Running Length: 1:23 Rated: PG-13 (Adult humor)
Starring: Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, O. J. Simpson, Fred Ward Director: Peter Segal Producers: Robert K. Weiss and David Zucker Screenplay: Pat Proft, David Zucker, and Robert LoCash Music: Ira Newborn Released by Paramount Pictures
Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker (all three members of the disbanded group have their names in the credits) must have expended most of their collective creative and comic talents on the wonderfully funny preview for THE NAKED GUN 33 1/3, because there's nothing in this film that comes close to the HOWARDS END/REMAINS OF THE DAY spoof. While the sequence has been cannibalized for inclusion in the picture, nowhere was it more entertaining than in darkened theaters several months ago, whetting the appetites of millions for this sadly disappointing feature.
As the latest installment of the POLICE SQUAD! saga opens, Lt. Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) has been retired form the force for six months. However, despite his earnest attempts to play the happy house husband, he misses his job, and his marriage to Jane (Priscilla Presley) is beginning to suffer. Then, one day while Frank is baking cup cakes, he gets a visit from his old friends Captain Ed Hocken (George Kennedy) and Nordberg (O. J. Simpson). It seems that a terrorist (Fred Ward) is planning a big bombing and only Drebin can stop him. So, getting back in the green car without brakes, Frank heads downtown to retrieve his gun and badge--and bring the boys some fudge.
It's sad to see what started out as such a lively and creative series descend to this--a feeble attempt to stretch a few pedestrian jokes into a full feature film. The first NAKED GUN, like its television series predecessor, was a hilarious (if not overly original) motion picture. (Who can forget the antics on the baseball field at the end?) The second installment, while suffering from an overabundance of recycled puns and unfunny punch lines, still had its moments. Unfortunately, the third time around, there's not much to get excited about or to laugh at.
There are a few funny moments, such as the '70s spoof in the disco and some of the Academy Awards slapstick, but too much never clicks. Unlike its predecessors, this NAKED GUN doesn't seem to be trying very hard to be funny. Gone are most of the rapid-fire one-liners and sight gags. Sure, some have survived, but the frequency is way down, so when one joke fails, the wait for the next one is sometimes uncomfortably long. There's the obligatory Tonya Harding comment but, like too much of THE NAKED GUN 33 1/3's humor, it's not worth even a small chuckle.
Leslie Nielsen is still enjoying himself (in fact, he's on record as wanting to do another in the series), and his performance is as crisp as ever. The rest of THE NAKED GUN crew is back, filling their usual roles, and guest Fred Ward has fun hamming it up as the mad terrorist Rocco.
One thing that can be said about this movie is that it keeps the audience in their seats until the end of the closing credits--and with good reason. One could argue that the credits (opening and closing combined) are the most amusing part of the movie. It's what comes in between that's the letdown. Even the motion picture parodies (which are numerous, and include THE UNTOUCHABLES and JURASSIC PARK) are bland. Much of what this movie pokes fun at--especially the Academy Awards--is ripe for the satirical plucking. THE NAKED GUN 33 1/3 lines everything up in its sights, but never pulls the trigger. Much of the POLICE SQUAD! series' irreverence is absent without leave.
The original NAKED GUN movie was something of a modern comedy classic and, while its successor was distinctly inferior, it still had the capacity to entertain. The latest offering, however, gives us another example of a sequel that should never have been made. We really can't complain, though, since we have been warned. After all, the film is most aptly called THE FINAL INSULT, so the last joke is on the audience. Unfortunately, we aren't laughing--at least not enough--and that's the whole problem.
James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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