Hot Shots!

Name: Hot Shots!
Genre: Action, Comedy
Released: July 31, 1991
Duration: 84 min
Rating: 61
Cast: Cary Elwes, Charlie Sheen, Kevin Dunn, Lloyd Bridges, Valeria Golino

1991

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 34 Ratings

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7.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 34 Ratings

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Hot Shots

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Movie Details & Credits

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: July 31, 1991 | PG-13

Starring: Cary Elwes, Charlie Sheen, Kevin Dunn, Lloyd Bridges, Valeria Golino

Summary: A parody of Top Gun in which a talented but unstable fighter pilot must overcome the ghosts of his father and save a mission sabotaged by greedy weapons manufacturers.

Director: Jim Abrahams

Genre(s): Action, Comedy

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 84 min

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Critic Reviews

Jay Carr

Jun 29, 2017

It starts with a flyboy roasting franks in the exhaust of a combat jet and never lets up, giddily puncturing all those wartime flying hero movies and throwing in a heap of movie parodies besides. Either way, the pacing is jetstreamed and the level of inventiveness is sky-high. [31 July 1991, p.25]

Janet Maslin

Jun 29, 2017

Charlie Sheen brings just the right exaggerated seriousness to his ace pilot's role, and Cary Elwes perfectly captures the ingenue arrogance of Topper's handsome rival. Jon Cryer, as a pilot with major eyesight problems, also displays expert deadpan timing, especially when he delivers the film's most uproarious line. Read full review

George Landau

Jun 29, 2017

Hot Shots! is packed with enough sight gags and slapstick to keep an audience grinning even when some of the jokes fall flat. This isn't as funny as "Airplane!" but it's not a bad try...Hot Shots! isn't the sort of movie that will set you thinking, but for mindless, summer entertainment it fills the bill nicely. [6 Aug 1991, p.4D]

Mike Clark

Jun 29, 2017

Shots is intermittently funny - but never, even on its own terms, important. [31 July 1991, p.6D]

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

Jun 29, 2017

While the slapstick comedy antics are frequently amusing and, on rare occasions, even hilarious, HOT SHOTS!, like so many other cinematic parodies before it, tends to lose sight--or control--of the plot, such as it is, in favor of more jokes, more visual gags and more dialogue puns--all hurled at the audience at a rapid-fire pace. Read full review

Desson Thomson

Jun 29, 2017

The movie's nowhere near the inspired funniness of its predecessors. But it often displays the same spirit. It's strung end to end with sight gags. Some fall flat on their faces. But, by sheer weight of numbers, many of them work. It depends on your ability to lower yourself into -- or steer stoically clear of -- the idiocy pit. Read full review

Jay Boyar

Jun 29, 2017

The main difference between Naked Gun 2 1/2 and Hot Shots! is that almost half the jokes in Naked Gun 2 1/2 were at least slightly funny while in Hot Shots! less than a fifth are any good at all. [2 Aug 1991, p.C5] Read full review

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User Reviews

gracjanski

Nov 27, 2021

Classic comedy movie full of gags on popular other movies. Lloyd Bridges as Admiral Benson is legendary

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Mortimer992

Jun 6, 2022

A movie Masterpiece. There are almost no comparable action movies. The tension and strategic approach of the director enables a complete immersion into a realistic and scary war scenario.

JK genius jokes and best dark comments ever.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Kai82

Jun 26, 2021

In my childhood this was a must see movie and universally loved in my age group. However I must say it does not hold up to my nostalgia influenced memories anymore. Clarification: It is of cause not garbage and has good humor. It is more that I do not lean to a 9-10/10 anymore. It is aIn my childhood this was a must see movie and universally loved in my age group. However I must say it does not hold up to my nostalgia influenced memories anymore. Clarification: It is of cause not garbage and has good humor. It is more that I do not lean to a 9-10/10 anymore. It is a (slapstic) comedy and largely a parody of Top Gun with spoofs of many other movies like Superman, Rocky or Gone with the Wind to name a few. I do not know it the term “Spoof movie” did exist back then (If it did I did not knew it). It is a well remembered role for Charlie Sheen and is liked for its humor, style and ideas for its jokes. Story: It is the story of former top pilot Topper Harley (Not a typo;-) who has retired to a native America reservation and is persuaded to return to active duty as US pilot for a top secret mission called Sleepy Weasel (Also no typo;-). However he carries a lot of baggage with him and there is more to the mission than it seems as different interests collide. Like I said it is a good parody of Top Gun and the story is well done to be a vehicle for the humor. Humor: You already can guess the style of the humor by the names in the story set up. The humor works well and it is entertaining. It reaches not the top levels of the better spoof movies like “Spaceballs” or “The Naked Gun” movies but it is definitely good. Actors: Charlie Sheen is an excellent Topper Harley. It is a well recognized role and he fully delivers. He has the Leslie Nielsen power of delivering a serious performance in hilariously funny situation. Most memorable is Lloyd Bridges as Admiral Benson. Smaller role but hilariously entertaining in a positive way. Both he and Charlie Sheen became a staple of the movie and sequel. Valeria Gollino delivers a good performance as Ramada Thomson and is a great asset in her role. Cary Elwes as Kent Gregory is a good rival for Topper. Jon Cryer and William O’Leary are good comic relive characters. Finally I want to praise Jerry Haleva for the shortest role I ever find remarkable in a movie ;-). I say we got a fitting cast with an overall good performance by genre standards. Visually the movie looks good and catches the feeling of the source movies it spoofs. Overall I see this as a nostalgic movie I enjoyed as child. It does not hold up anymore to my memories but I say it is still good, entertaining and still worth watching.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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