1/2 Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult
Slapstick comedies have always been fun to watch ever since Airplane! came out. Now, the comedy is more towards the sexual side. For some reason, I love slapstick comedies. The Naked Gun series is probably one of the best, if not THE best. Top Secret was good, but for some reason, it wasn't funny to me. My guess is that it is the star that makes the movie funny. Leslie Neilson makes the movie funny because he never really believes that he is a cop. He puts a seriousness into the role and that's the best kind of comedy.
As for this movie, Neilson is very serious but we can't take him seriously. That's why it is so funny. We watch Neilson, and the rest of the cast, make bumbling fools of themselves that it is impossible to not laugh. One of the best, and funniest, scenes in the movie is the opening scene. The entire scene unfolds quickly but wonderfully. From the baby carriages to the gun fight, the sequence is hilarious all the way through. One thing that makes a slapstick comedy funny is what goes on in the background during the main action. If you watch closely (like you could miss it!) you can see O.J. Simpson catching the babies in the air... and then almost spiking them. Things like this make the movie funny.
Unfortunately, there aren't enough of these kinds of things in the movie. Most of the comedy is the main action and what goes on there. And that's what makes this movie different from most of the other ones of this genre. The humor is very subtle most of the time and you have to understand things from history and other movies. One example is when Priscilla Presley and her friend drive off together in a convertible (Thelma and Louise). If you have a good knowledge about movies, you should be able to catch these funny moments.
There is a story to this movie. The film opens with a small scene in an airport (I guess), then the movie turns to the famous "siren" title sequence, this time landing in Jurassic Park. The rough outline is that a convict (Fred Ward), who hooks up with the retired Neilson, escapes from jail. He has an evil plan in mind: Blow up the 66th Academy Awards. And that's basically the plot. Ward is accompanied by his mother and a beautiful Playmate played by Anna Nicole Smith, who provides the one big, hilarious joke in the movie. Sure it's sick, but it's spoofing The Crying Game and it is funny.
Naked Gun 33 1/3 is rated PG-13. There is comical violence and some language, but it's mostly just the humor that makes it rated PG-13. This isn't appropriate for little kids, but they me be the ones who find this most funny. Adults probably will be grossed out by the humor, so I suggest this movie for ages 15-30.