This film, though sometimes funny, is somewhat of a cheat.
This is not because it was taken from a TV series ("Police Squad"), or that the name of the series was changed for the big screen. Rather, it is because Leslie Nielsen's character is turned around with respect to what he was on television. The world of "Police Squad" (all six episodes of it) is like that of "Airplane," one in which, for example, a female witness can ask detectives to wait while she "changes" and come back a completely different person, or where the scientist down at Police Squad headquarters can demonstrate ballistics by showing how far a bullet can penetrate through a row of Barbara Walters interview tapes. Nothing quite make sense to us, but it does to them, which is one reason why the series was so hilarious.
On "Police Squad," the occasional exception to this state of affairs was Lt. Frank Drebin (Nielsen), who seemed to be the only one who could perceive that a statement was too ludicrous even for his universe (which he would indicate by pausing, grinning slightly and saying "Well . . ." and then moving on).
In the movie, however, Frank becomes something of an Inspector Clouseau: clumsy, accident-prone, annoying to his superiors. This is not at all what he was in "Police Squad." There he was the ultimate good cop: loyal, smooth-talking, respected by his colleagues and bosses downtown. The viewer must judge for himself which version he likes better. I, of course, preferred the old version, mostly because I am just old enough to remember why Nielsen was chosen to be in "Airplane," namely, because the straightness of most of his roles up to that point only served to emphasize the zaniness of the script.
Yes, this is probably too much analysis for a simple comedy. I just miss the television series.
In brief: "Naked Gun" is entertaining fare, though it is certainly no "Airplane" or even "Police Squad." Too much slapstick, not quite enough wit.
But excellent opening credits.
This is not because it was taken from a TV series ("Police Squad"), or that the name of the series was changed for the big screen. Rather, it is because Leslie Nielsen's character is turned around with respect to what he was on television. The world of "Police Squad" (all six episodes of it) is like that of "Airplane," one in which, for example, a female witness can ask detectives to wait while she "changes" and come back a completely different person, or where the scientist down at Police Squad headquarters can demonstrate ballistics by showing how far a bullet can penetrate through a row of Barbara Walters interview tapes. Nothing quite make sense to us, but it does to them, which is one reason why the series was so hilarious.
On "Police Squad," the occasional exception to this state of affairs was Lt. Frank Drebin (Nielsen), who seemed to be the only one who could perceive that a statement was too ludicrous even for his universe (which he would indicate by pausing, grinning slightly and saying "Well . . ." and then moving on).
In the movie, however, Frank becomes something of an Inspector Clouseau: clumsy, accident-prone, annoying to his superiors. This is not at all what he was in "Police Squad." There he was the ultimate good cop: loyal, smooth-talking, respected by his colleagues and bosses downtown. The viewer must judge for himself which version he likes better. I, of course, preferred the old version, mostly because I am just old enough to remember why Nielsen was chosen to be in "Airplane," namely, because the straightness of most of his roles up to that point only served to emphasize the zaniness of the script.
Yes, this is probably too much analysis for a simple comedy. I just miss the television series.
In brief: "Naked Gun" is entertaining fare, though it is certainly no "Airplane" or even "Police Squad." Too much slapstick, not quite enough wit.
But excellent opening credits.