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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, The
Paramount Pictures

Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, The reviews


9.0

based on 13 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 14 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

FILM:

TV:

Police Squad!

MPAA RATING: PG-13

Starring Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, Ricardo Montalban, and O.J. Simpson

Leslie Nielsen stars as Police Squad's own granite-jawed, rock-brained cop Frank Drebin, who bumbles across a mind-control scheme to assassinate Queen Elizabeth. Priscilla Presley, O.J. Simpson, a stuffed beaver, two baseball teams and an odd assortment of others join the wacko goings-on and blow the laugh-o-meter to smithereens. (Paramount)

GENRE(S):	Comedy
WRITTEN BY:	Jerry Zucker Jim Abrahams David Zucker Pat Proft
DIRECTED BY:	David Zucker
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: August 15, 2000 Video: July 8, 1997 Theatrical: December 2, 1988
RUNNING TIME:	85 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Washington Post Desson Thomson

More juvenile than a Mel Brooks movie, wittier than "Get Smart," almost as low as "Animal House" and close to the laugh count of "Airplane!", "Gun" is a loving parody of every cop show that ever syndicated its way to your living room. [2 Dec 1988]

Variety Staff (Not Credited)

Crass, broad, irreverent, wacky fun - and absolutely hilarious from beginning to end.

Chicago Tribune Dave Kehr

Hugely funny, but it's also liberating-precisely because it centers its aim on that cold, closed system and blows it apart. The straight lines are shattered; the empty spaces in the images are packed full until they burst. [2 Dec 1988]

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Reviewing The Naked Gun... is like reporting on a monologue by Rodney Dangerfield - you can get the words but not the music.

Los Angeles Times Michael Wilmington

In the years since he first played Drebin, Nielsen has deepened the role, made it more subtle, more universal, more paramount. He's brought out an almost preternatural mellowness in a character who began as a relatively uncomplicated dimwit. [2 Dec 1988]

Washington Post Rita Kempley

You have the right to remain silent. But if you do, call 911 -- your funny bone is busted. [2 Dec 1988]

USA Today Mike Clark

Bottom-line funny, often convulsively so. [2 Dec 1988]

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

You don't walk out thinking or feeling anything in particular, except satisfied that you got your money's worth and maybe even got a little tired from laughing so hard. [2 Dec 1988]

The New York Times Elvis Mitchell

It will help if, while watching The Naked Gun, viewers can assume a mental age of about 14. The jokes will seem fresher that way, and they will also, much to the writers' credit, seem screamingly funny at times. [2 Dec 1988, p.C16]

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

Not quite up to "Airplane!" or "Top Secret!," but there are still laughs aplenty.

TV Guide Staff (Non Credited)

A continuous stream of verbal and visual gags that come so fast, you don't have time to realize how bad/old/corny they are.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

The action isn't as consistently funny or surprising this time, but there's a lot of laughter to be found between the merely crude moments. [2 Dec 1988]

Time Richard Corliss

Like the ZAZ lads' other films, this is a movie made for a VCR Saturday night. They supply the jokes; you bring the microwave popcorn and modest expectations. [12 Dec 1988]

The average user rating for this movie is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 14 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Chris L. gave it a10:
Best comedy film of all time! Leslie Nielson at his greatest.

Katherine gave it a10:
If you watch this, and you have the same sense of humor, you'll laugh your pants off!

Diego M. gave it a10:
It's one of the funniest movies i have ever seen.

John D. gave it a10:
This is the funniest movie of all time- right above the Airplane! movies.

Andrew M. gave it a 7:
This is a classic example of how to make a silly film funny, without reverting to gross-out jokes. In the vein of Airplane & Mel Brooks' movies, this is stupid stupid comedy that works and makes you laugh simply because it is so stupid!!! The actors play it deadpan making it all the funnier and the jokes flow with relentless fluidity...never giving you a chance to forget that this is nothing more than a silly fun movie. A great way to spend an hour and a half and you're guaranteed to be in a better mood afterwards!

Gabor A. gave it a 10:
I'm still trying to watch this movie through without hurting myself laughing.

Pat C. gave it a 4:
All Naked Gun shows are excellent cable fare - utilitarian and already paid for. You can watch the start, then later catch the remainder during a hangover without the annoyance of having to refresh the continuity. Chewing gum for the eyes and chloroform for the troubled mind.

Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, The Paramount Pictures

Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, The
Paramount Pictures