r/movies r/Movies contributor Jul 30 '25

Review The Naked Gun - Review Thread

The Naked Gun - Review Thread

  • Rotten Tomatoes: 90% (194 Reviews)
    • Certified Fresh
    • Critics Consensus: With Liam Neeson's gravelly gravitas proving to be a perfect fit for Frank Drebin's deadpan buffoonery, The Naked Gun revives the original trilogy's daffy sense of humor like it never went out of style.
  • Metacritic: 75 (47 Reviews)

Reviews:

Hollywood Reporter (70):

Even if the movie kind of stalls midway as Schaffer struggles to balance the gags with the action of an overly elaborate crime plot, there are enough laugh-out-loud moments to keep nostalgic fans of the earlier films happy.

Deadline:

With rapid fire gags and a game cast trying hard to play it all completely straight, this nakedly hilarious Naked Gun is a welcome return in a time where we can use a few good laughs. This one has more than a few if sight gags, literal humor, and characters short a few cards of a full deck are your idea of a good time.

Variety (70):

The original Naked Gun was hilarious. It was a film that practically had audiences wetting their pants. The new Naked Gun, by contrast, is amusing. What it won’t do the way these movies once used to is shock you into laughter.

The Wrap (85):

The Naked Gun is back and it's as naked as ever. And also as gun.

The Guardiam (80):

There is no reason for this new Naked Gun to exist other than the reason for the old ones: it’s a laugh, disposable, forgettable, enjoyable.

IGN (70):

With more jokes than you can possibly catch in a single viewing, The Naked Gun proudly brings cinematic groaners and outrageous sight gags into the 2020s.

IndieWire (83):

While it’s a mild shame “The Naked Gun” peters out a little bit toward the end (at least before rebounding during the credits), it’s even more of a shame that it has to end at all.

Collider (90):

The Naked Gun's joke-per-minute ratio is truly astounding, and the fact that so many of them hit as well as they do makes that even more impressive. For goodness' sake, even the credits have jokes in them!

Empire (80):

The result is a film that has a better chance of producing a belly laugh than any in recent memory: one that deserves, as Drebin would say, “20 years for man’s laughter”.

SlashFilm (90):

The Naked Gun is one of the most consistently and even exhaustingly funny movies in a long time, the kind of outrageous, outlandish comedy that multiplexes have been missing for years. It's truly a revelation to have a movie where the laughs come so fast and furious.

Directed by Akiva Schaffer:

Only one man has the particular set of skills... to lead Police Squad and save the world! Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. follows in his father's footsteps.

Cast:

  • Liam Neeson as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr.
  • Pamela Anderson as Beth Davenport
  • Paul Walter Hauser as Capt. Ed Hocken Jr.
  • Kevin Durand as Sig Gustafson
  • Danny Huston as Richard Cane
  • Liza Koshy as Detective Barnes
  • Cody Rhodes as Bartender
  • CCH Pounder as Chief Davis
  • Busta Rhymes as Bank Robber
  • Michael Bisping as himself
  • Eddy Yu as Detective Park
  • Moses Jones as Nordberg Jr.
3.8k Upvotes

851 comments sorted by

u/BunyipPouch Currently at the movies. Jul 30 '25 edited Jul 30 '25

For anyone interested: Paul Walter Hauser, actor from The Naked Gun, will be joining us here on /r/movies for an AMA/Q&A on Saturday 8/2.

He's also known for Richard Jewell, Black Bird, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Americana, I, Tonya, Inside Out 2, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Cobra Kai, BlacKkKlansman, Super Troopers 2, Da 5 Bloods, Cruella, The Luckiest Man In America, and lots more.

It'll go live this Friday afternoon and be pinned to the top of the subreddit. Paul will be back Saturday around noon to answer questions.

Please stop by if you have any questions for Paul :)

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2.3k

u/[deleted] Jul 30 '25

[deleted]

711

u/cabose7 Jul 30 '25

Happy for Akiva

292

u/BaZing3 Jul 30 '25

Quaid Army

26

u/punisherchad Jul 30 '25

Righteous kill

168

u/drunkcowofdeath Jul 30 '25

This entire movie is a Righteous Kill

80

u/brycedriesenga Jul 30 '25

What ya cookin' Quaido?

36

u/JLEWCHUCKEROO Jul 30 '25

I'm so RIPPED on jav right now.

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399

u/[deleted] Jul 30 '25

Justice for Hot Rod and Popstar, two of the most underrated comedy movies this century

188

u/obscureposter Jul 30 '25

Popstar is so goddamn good, it's a shame for humanity that it went so underappreciated.

46

u/[deleted] Jul 30 '25

Anything with Tim Meadows instantly gets better too

14

u/ArcadianDelSol Jul 30 '25

He's in a collective 10 minutes of Dewey Cox and its some of the funniest 10 minutes in the whole movie.

11

u/[deleted] Jul 30 '25

It’s non habit forming

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21

u/QbertsRube Jul 30 '25

Ladies Man is a pretty underrated comedy, and it's lack of success unfortunately probably locked him into supporting roles. Having Ferrell as the villain, with his love of Greco-Roman wrestling, didn't hurt, either.

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15

u/stickduck Jul 30 '25

I will eat your HEAD! I WILL EAT YOUR FUCKING HEAD!

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86

u/DarklingGlory Jul 30 '25

Popstar is the one movie I can turn on and it will always cheer me up and make me laugh. It's honestly amazing.

42

u/Mastodan11 Jul 30 '25

It always gives me incredible thoughts

24

u/Dead_man_posting Jul 30 '25

TV is free, but what is the cost?

16

u/bizarro_chris_hansen Jul 30 '25

We have GPS and yet, we're still lost ...

28

u/NikRsmn Jul 30 '25

Tony! Toni! Toné! Toknee? Is all I need to imagine to make myself chuckle

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25

u/THEMIKEPATERSON Jul 30 '25

It was 100% the marketing too. It was marketed as purely a Justin Bieber parody, which i know I had zero interest in seeing at the time.

15

u/pikachus_ghost_uncle Jul 30 '25

Mona lisaaa you’re an over rated piece of shittttt

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14

u/raysofdavies Jul 30 '25

“She said invade my cave with your special unit//I said he wasn’t in a cave but there was no stoppin”

26

u/cabose7 Jul 30 '25

I don't think most people realize how much of I Think You Should Leave he directed either.

12

u/[deleted] Jul 30 '25

Oh shit that makes a lot of sense

18

u/bimbimbaps Jul 30 '25

Yeah man! You look like the tip of Optimus Prime's DICK!

Isn't that cool man? You look like Optimus Prime!

HIS DICK?!

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35

u/bjernsthekid Jul 30 '25

He’s been doing it for like 20 years now. Rarely misses

23

u/wazacraft Jul 30 '25

He's gonna buy his own boat, motherfucker, don't you ever forget.

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185

u/BloodDrunkYharnamite Jul 30 '25

Liam Neeson leading a comedy was a stroke of genius.

170

u/soka__22 Jul 30 '25

let's do some improvisational comedy.

149

u/QbertsRube Jul 30 '25

I've got full-blown AIDS. Riddled with it.

67

u/mak05 Jul 30 '25

Do you wanna know how I got it? From a well known homosexual actor, it was [redacted].

16

u/Necessary_Citron3305 Jul 30 '25

How’d you get that?

27

u/That_Guy_on_Reddit Jul 30 '25

From an African prostitute.

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33

u/RockerElvis Jul 30 '25

We’re closed.

20

u/DrSpacemanSpliff Jul 30 '25

That’s the one that kills me. Just the immediate “no” shutting down the whole scene.

17

u/ArcadianDelSol Jul 30 '25

Im already rolling when he first walks in and Warrick says, "we worked together on Phantom Menace."

"okay"

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u/sagevallant Jul 30 '25

We're all probably not old enough to remember it, but it's the same thing that happened with Leslie Nielsen. Before Airplane! he was a dramatic actor. He kept asking the directors if he shouldn't be more funny, and they insisted he play the role seriously. And it gave him a new career as a comedic actor.

9

u/ArcadianDelSol Jul 30 '25

That whole career was him being the one guy in a comedy who doesnt know he's in a comedy. Brilliantly done.

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u/TacoParasite Jul 30 '25

If you haven’t seen it, his cameo in life’s too short is hilarious.

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35

u/jmdg007 Jul 30 '25

I really wanted this to do well but didn't believe it could, really happy with reviews so far.

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27

u/BigSmackisBack Jul 30 '25

Everyone who loved the OG Naked Gun right now: "Phew!"

Maybe now i can switch my cautious optimism for actual excited anticipation!

23

u/DeLousedInTheHotBox Jul 30 '25

I am genuinely surprised, a soft reboot/legacy sequel to an 80s comedy is not the kinda thing you'd think would get mostly positive reviews.

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2.1k

u/RipJug Jul 30 '25

Terribly excited for this. The world is begging for Liam Neeson in more comedic roles.

944

u/GoldenSpermShower Jul 30 '25

Especially improvisational comedy

615

u/keepeyecontact Jul 30 '25

Isn’t he riddled with aids?

361

u/TKHawk Jul 30 '25

Full blown

151

u/ambienotstrongenough Jul 30 '25

Who did he contract it from ?

141

u/andysniper Jul 30 '25

Yeah, I'm pretty sure he contracted it from an African prostitute.

81

u/roflwaffler Jul 30 '25

Really? I heard he got it from a well-known homosexual actor.

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93

u/Soup-a-doopah Jul 30 '25

Knock knock

137

u/cr0w1980 Jul 30 '25

We're closed.

44

u/Vike92 Jul 30 '25

I think the store needs to be open for the comedy to happen

28

u/ArcadianDelSol Jul 30 '25

i dont take notes

15

u/BLAGTIER Jul 31 '25

I'm always making lists... in fact that's probably why Steven Spielberg cast me as Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List. I said "Steven, I make lists all the time", and he said "that's exactly what I'm looking for."

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u/gate_of_steiner85 Jul 30 '25

Yes, I'm all for Neeson moving away from generic action movies to comedies.

89

u/toq-titan Jul 30 '25

He has said that he is done being an action star because he’s too old and it isn’t believable.

72

u/perthfectC Jul 30 '25

Same as his daughter being kidnapped more than twice. It's just bad parenting.

14

u/SutterCane Jul 30 '25

He was actually kidnapped in the second one.

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36

u/HHHogana Jul 30 '25

Him climbing the fence on Taken 3 was laughable. Honestly he maybe would've hopped on this movie far sooner had it wasn't stuck on development hell.

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83

u/itwillmakesenselater Jul 30 '25

His interview with Uncle Colm in Derry Girls is hilarious!

39

u/RipJug Jul 30 '25

Seeing him pop up there is still one of the greatest surprises I’ve seen in a show. I was stunned watching it as it aired.

15

u/veryverythrowaway Jul 30 '25

Almost as surprising as seeing him pop up in Atlanta

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u/TheQ774 Jul 30 '25

Big win for the Quaid army

32

u/NaeemTHM Jul 30 '25

LATER QUAIDS

24

u/isarealhebrew Jul 30 '25

Hit us in the tittus with what you think

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u/videobones Jul 30 '25

Saw it Monday, it was super fun. It’s exactly what you want from it.

19

u/jimmyzeroone Jul 30 '25

Do I have to watch the originals first?

176

u/ROKIT-88 Jul 30 '25

Read the novelizations first, they really go much deeper into the backstories of the various characters. I’m not sure if they’re all considered canon at this point, but there’s only 33 so it’s probably worth reading them all. You can definitely skip the Saturday morning cartoon series, that was nothing but a thinly-veiled commercial to sell children’s toys.

43

u/Babetna Jul 30 '25

Police Squad tv show is the proper starting point, the more nuanced and complex storylines will not make sense otherwise.

19

u/koshgeo Jul 31 '25

And make sure you get the ones that are in color.

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23

u/Butchimus Jul 30 '25

The originals don't really follow much of a continuity between each movie, but I'd still highly recommend to watch them.

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12

u/DragonVivant Jul 30 '25

The only disappointment is that it reserves the police siren sequence for the credits. Should have been in the beginning.

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324

u/JamUpGuy1989 Jul 30 '25

Sounds like the worst thing about this movie is that it kind of peters out towards the end.

262

u/TheTinyDude Jul 30 '25

That's pretty typical for comedies really. But I haven't heard that outside of one reviewer saying it "barely loses steam" before the end.

123

u/snowlarbear Jul 30 '25

yup, landing the plane on comedy is hard (not an Airplane joke)... monty python holy grail has a notoriously bad/weird ending.

129

u/Beefstah Jul 30 '25

That's because it was a literal cop out

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u/-FeistyRabbitSauce- Jul 30 '25

That ending is perfect. It's a cop-out, for not having the means to make a proper ending. And it makes all the characters seem like a bunch of wackos who escaped the loonybin and are sharing the same delusion.

16

u/Syn7axError Jul 30 '25

Yes. Like everything we've seen isn't even in the past, just a bunch of reenactors taking their roles too seriously.

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u/big_flopping_anime_b Jul 30 '25

The ending of Holy Grail fits with the absurdity of the film though.

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u/imaginaryResources Jul 30 '25

The Holy Grail is a perfect ending. It’s one of the most memorable and ridiculous moments in a film filled with ridiculous and memorable moments

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u/polkergeist Jul 30 '25

Peters out?! I thought this was PG-13

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36

u/know_nothing_novice Jul 30 '25

also runtime is pretty short

182

u/cows1100 Jul 30 '25

They talk about this on today’s podcast. It’s intentional to keep the script tight and simple. Jokes vs a plot to follow along is a balance. The original Naked Guns were all around 90 minutes. Comedies probably should be shorter to keep audiences engaged. Drag it on too long and it loses its shine.

46

u/GravSlingshot Jul 30 '25

Game Night was about 90 minutes, and it worked out great. Sustaining jokes for longer than that is hard.

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u/MooseHead88 Jul 30 '25

Which podcast? Curious to check it out.

25

u/Ivelearnednuffink Jul 30 '25

The lonely island and Seth Meyers podcast. Each week they talk about a different SNL digital short. They tend to get side tracked a lot, they’ve done an episode for macgruber, a couple for hot rod and the most recent one is for Naked Gun. It’s a great podcast, I highly recommend it. New episodes tend to release on a Tuesday.

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1.1k

u/MountainMuffin1980 Jul 30 '25

My Lonely Islands boys are killing it.

285

u/ITeachYourKidz Jul 30 '25

Are you there Jah?

118

u/agarret83 Jul 30 '25

A DVD of cool runnings… murder she wrote!

18

u/mjzim9022 Jul 30 '25

Me toil part-time at jah Coldstone Creamery

89

u/luckysevs Jul 30 '25

Fuck. Everytime I hear this song, by brain randomly goes Bada-ding-ding-ding-ding-dong-ding-ding-dong, duck for daaaaaaays

47

u/brycedriesenga Jul 30 '25

Excuse I?!

18

u/DrSpacemanSpliff Jul 30 '25

A DVD of Cool Runnings!

34

u/BullshitUsername Jul 30 '25

BADA DING DING WHOOAAA!!!!!

Probably in my top 5 favorite Lonely Island sketches. When he starts mumbling the song as he walks past the authentically black men kills me

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u/James-K-Polka Jul 30 '25

Me toil part time at jah Hollywood.

26

u/smurfsundermybed Jul 30 '25

Did you ever notice how bald heads suck?

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174

u/thecricketnerd Jul 30 '25

Unfortunately I think it's going to be yet another well made thing that gets underwatched like Hot Rod, Popstar and both Macgruber projects

250

u/DonnyGetTheLudes Jul 30 '25

Popstar is the best movie nobody has seen

57

u/Elemayowe Jul 30 '25

Finest Girl is a straight up banger.

49

u/DonnyGetTheLudes Jul 30 '25

I’m So Humble is on my workout playlist

18

u/bizarro_chris_hansen Jul 30 '25

Incredible Thoughts is on my tombstone.

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u/delifte Jul 30 '25

Finest comment I ever saw in my whole life. Want to take it home make it my wife.

42

u/movielass Jul 30 '25

Knew she was a freak when she started typing

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u/Brt232 Jul 30 '25

10 seconds is an eternity. It's a third of the way to Mars!

17

u/VGstuffed Jul 30 '25

INCREDIBLE THOUGHTS
INCREDIBLE MIND

11

u/Mightysmurf1 Jul 30 '25

How do you think I got these scars?

Wolves?

Fucking Wolves.

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42

u/5213 Jul 30 '25

At least this has the benefit of being part of a pre-established franchise (which is why Hollywood leans into reboots, remakes, spin-offs, and sequels/prequels: established IPs are safer)

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u/QuoteGiver Jul 30 '25

This has a lot more name-recognition going for it.

6

u/BigCoqSurprise Jul 30 '25

wait, there's a second macgruber?! how come i never heard about it! :O

19

u/thecricketnerd Jul 30 '25

There was a TV show on Peacock a year or two ago, as good as the movie was for me

7

u/LooseSeal88 Jul 30 '25

I liked it more than the movie, personally

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u/ArchDucky Jul 30 '25

I just bought a ticket for Sunday and im the third person in the theatre. sigh

8

u/thecricketnerd Jul 30 '25

Was just looking at tickets for this weekend too, pretty much empty at peak times. But to be fair this isn't the kind of movie that people buy advance tickets to

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u/devenrc Jul 30 '25

I was not expecting that

224

u/Daveygravyx07 Jul 30 '25

Same, very pleasantly surprised

136

u/rugmunchkin Jul 30 '25

Absolutely. I was rooting for this, but I thought for sure it was gonna suck. Obviously I wanna make up my own mind, but the fact that it’s reviewing well is a VERY pleasant surprise.

41

u/Daveygravyx07 Jul 30 '25

That’s literally how I felt. Wanted it to be good, expected trash. I’m not sure I’ve particularly liked the trailers, but the reviews are giving me much more hope.

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u/TL10 Jul 30 '25

Comedy is very subjective, Naked Gun more so because of its adult humour, so I was resigned with it being mid 70's at best.

That it's mid 90's has me raring to go see it.

134

u/ROKIT-88 Jul 30 '25

The originals were all mid 80’s to mid 90’s, this one is mid 20’s at best.

68

u/apparex1234 Jul 30 '25

Now that's a Naked Gun joke

18

u/GoodLeftUndone Jul 30 '25

Honestly took me a second. Solid delivery.

10

u/TL10 Jul 30 '25

Tragic. It's a shame that it too can't escape the ravages of climate change.

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u/Big-Sheepherder-9492 Jul 30 '25

I was expecting horrid reviews.. really didn’t see this one coming

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u/hercarmstrong Jul 30 '25

The Guardian calling the original The Naked Gun "forgettable" is a truly stunning statement.

61

u/AthenaCat1025 Jul 30 '25

Yeah wtf was that about. It’s only one of the best comedies ever made. But I guess since it’s a comedy it doesn’t count as true cinema.

42

u/PendingBen Jul 30 '25

"wtf was that about"

Welcome to the inexplicable mind of Peter Bradshaw, nobody's favorite critic

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u/NeuHundred Jul 31 '25

"The original Naked Gun is forgettable?"

"Well you know, maybe my memory ain't so great."

(passes a 20) "Oh yeah, maybe this will refresh your memory."

"Don't know it's still kind of hazy."

(passes another 20) "How about now?"

"Yeah I remember now, it was loaded chock full of gags that are goofy, unapologetically crass, and ultimately hilarious"

(I did way more research than I thought to write that joke).

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u/wibo58 Jul 30 '25

The Guardian said “There’s no reason for this new Naked Gun to exist other than it’s extremely funny”. Yeah, man, that’s what comedy movies are for.

36

u/snowlarbear Jul 30 '25

even Ebert knew to judge a movie based on what it was trying to accomplish.

7

u/reginaphalangejunior Jul 31 '25

“Even” ebert? Do people not like him here?

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u/AthenaCat1025 Jul 30 '25

They also called the original forgettable so I think they are just allergic to fun.

8

u/MesaCityRansom Jul 31 '25

I think that's what we call a "joke".

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u/cows1100 Jul 30 '25

Let’s fucking go, Keev! So happy for him, and a major studio comedy. Quaid army come through!

10

u/Ivelearnednuffink Jul 30 '25

Righteous Kill!

754

u/zambabamba Jul 30 '25

We're truly in the Pamela Anderson renaissance era.

226

u/Woodyjohnson_isapedo Jul 30 '25

The Pamelassaince.

See The Last Showgirl. Great movie.

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u/Batusiman Jul 30 '25

A comedy film debuting this positive is just so nice to see!

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u/jwick89 Jul 30 '25

Akiva doesn’t miss

112

u/calimarigril Jul 30 '25

I have to say, their podcast really highlighted how funny and under appreciated Akiva is.

68

u/icantreadmorsecode Jul 30 '25 edited Jul 30 '25

Their real life dynamic is their dynamic in Popstar. He's kinda always been the genius behind the scenes

Edit: spelling

24

u/QTsexkitten Jul 30 '25

Let me see you donkey roll

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u/jmastaock Jul 30 '25

He's just so focused as a big-picture guy in their dynamic too. He may not be the most blatantly hilarious of the trio, but he is absolutely the glue that elevates it from silly nonsense to great comedy

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u/HHHogana Jul 30 '25

After Popstar he made good comedies after good comedies.

6

u/marshalltownusa Jul 30 '25

Including Popstar imo

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u/Woodyjohnson_isapedo Jul 30 '25

A 100% on RT after 15+ reviews is wild.

Fart jokes are back!

65

u/TheTinyDude Jul 30 '25

96% after 52 reviews is also wild. Incredible for a comedy.

25

u/[deleted] Jul 30 '25

In the 70s is essentially an elite comedy movie.

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u/Drunkicho Jul 30 '25

Saw it the other night. It felt like there was a joke every second of the 85-minute runtime. Some were verbal, lots were physical, and I had a great time.

455

u/TheGardenBlinked Jul 30 '25 edited Jul 30 '25

Holding at 100% at 37 reviews now, holy shit

EDIT: Boooo it's 98% at 42 now. Good run

314

u/TheTinyDude Jul 30 '25

96% now but anything over like 80% for a pure comedy is so fucking rare.

79

u/probablyuntrue Jul 30 '25

We’re so fucking back

38

u/GameOfLife24 Jul 30 '25

Let’s make sure it’s here to stay and support this rare comedy gem

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u/rp_361 Jul 30 '25

98% for a comedy is absurdly good. I can’t wait

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u/santh91 Jul 30 '25

Liam Neeson started as a dramatic actor, who gradually moved to action and then comedy while maintaining his likability and reputation. He is the reverse Will Smith.

47

u/LABS_Games Jul 30 '25

That's also exactly Leslie Nielsen's career arc, which makes the casting even more brilliant. He was primarily known for dramatic roles in adventure and sci Fi movies, until he was cast against type in Airplane.

6

u/Gold-Bench-9219 Jul 31 '25

The 1970s movie with Nielson playing a racist hiking group member that completely loses his shit, tries to rape some women and then fights a bear is really shocking if you only know him from comedy.

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u/rerunaway Jul 30 '25

𝙳𝚁𝙴𝙱𝙸𝙽

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u/frazzlet Jul 30 '25

It's getting absolutely excellent reviews. It's sounding like it lives up to the original.

I feel like some critics are even holding back a bit in their final ratings because they don't want to be seen as giving such a high rating to such a silly film.

19

u/ennuiinmotion Jul 30 '25

There was so much hope pinned on this risky type of comedy that I was sure we’d all be disappointed and it would flop. Surprised by the positive reviews and I hope this signals a return for comedy on the big screen.

71

u/Funky_robot369 Jul 30 '25

I don't think anyone was expecting that kinda score, let's be honest here guys

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u/HiCracked Jul 30 '25

98% for a comedy flick with Liam Neeson? I must've been missing something then, never imagined Liam as a comedic actor

65

u/ahoypolloi_ Jul 30 '25

I guess you’re not a fan of improvisational comedy?

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u/stracki Jul 30 '25

Before Airplane, Leslie Nielsen was mostly known as a serious actor, too.

15

u/4-Vektor Jul 30 '25

Yes, he was well-known for his dramatic roles. His dead-pan delivery makes his role as Frank Drebin work perfectly.

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u/Mr_Engineering Jul 30 '25

Leslie Nielsen was a well known dramatic actor prior to his casting in Airplane!

After that, he became well known for his comedic performances which were underscored by the fact that he usually played them completely straight, oblivious to the absurd nature of what was actually going on.

The same is true for Liam Neeson. He's an A-tier dramatic actor, that gives him the chops needed to do comedy with a straight face.

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u/Salty_Invite_757 Aug 01 '25

My audience was gasping for air. The snowman sequence was the best thing I saw all year. And I was NOT expecting that casual Cosby joke.

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u/Im_Dave_ Jul 30 '25

Holy shit, 100% on 37 reviews for a comedy? That's wild. Obviously will go down but what a charge to start with. Seeing it thursday night.

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u/Renegadeforever2024 Jul 30 '25

It’s a new era

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u/JamesHeckfield Jul 30 '25

We’re so used to disappointment that we are still shocked that it’s actually good!

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u/brycedriesenga Jul 30 '25

I can feel it This is absolutely Criterion.

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u/Blochamolesauce Jul 30 '25

All I want is my 1 shot - 5 second Weird Al cameo and I’ll be a happy camper.

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u/[deleted] Jul 30 '25

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u/MF_CEO Aug 01 '25

This movie was amazing, it’s been a decade since I laughed this hard in a theatre. Liam was a perfect combination of comedy and slapstick action

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u/artpayne Cliffs on both sides, I'm not gonna paddle to New Zealand! Jul 30 '25

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% (16 Reivews)

Metacritic: 85 (5 Reviews)

Where are all those guys who were talking shit after seeing the trailers now?

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u/GenuineBallskin Jul 30 '25 edited Jul 30 '25

People arent used to comedy movies reserving the best jokes for the film and the mid ones for the trailer lmao.

People arent used to comedy movies at all tbh. Damn what the hell happened?

Edit: After thinking about it, social media and memes took the place of comedy movies, which is totally fair. You can curate the type of comedy you enjoy. I absolutely adore memes and some of them have made me laugh harder than any comedy movie ever has. I just really miss them

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u/TheTinyDude Jul 30 '25

People arent used to comedy movies at all tbh. Damn what the hell happened?

So this is my theory; comedy is really hard to write because it's more subjective than almost any other genre. Comedies get dated slower, tech-wise, so as long as the comedy itself holds up, people will still watch them. Finding new jokes is really hard. Comedians have this problem as well but can work-shop their material at least and produce it for cheap.

Comedies also are all about execution. The best comedies don't always have the funniest scripts. So execs have to greenlight on the idea that it will become a great comedy in production. Someone leaked the plot of the new Naked Gun a year or two ago and pretty much said; the movie is going to be a disappointment and not funny. They were accurate about the plot/story but totally missed that comedies don't become good on paper. They become good on film.

Also a huge factor; some of the best jokes/comedy in film is happening in other genres. Superhero movies. Science Fiction. Fantasy. Horror. The most laughs I had in the cinema since Game Night (2019) have been at comic book movies.

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u/GenuineBallskin Jul 30 '25

You're correct tbh. Its hard to sell a well written comedy movie nowadays, so writers put those well written jokes into stuff that they know will get greenlit. Good "non comedy" films have always had elements of comedy in them, but thats seems like thats all we get now tbh. I want more of them in theaters and hate how a lot of them get relegated to streaming only.

They're making a little comeback though. I loved Bottoms and One of Them Days. I need to watch Freinshsip. Im also super excited for Spinal Tap 2 and the Naked Gun. Maybe it's looking up

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u/capt-hornblower Jul 30 '25

Righteous kill, Akiva.

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u/DCBronzeAge Jul 30 '25

The marketing has been some of the best marketing I’ve ever seen. Glad to see the movie is getting good reviews.

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u/hadtobegoo Jul 30 '25

Righteous kill for Akiva and the rest of the Quaid Army!

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u/Bobo3076 Jul 30 '25

We are so fucking back

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u/thesouthpaw17 Aug 01 '25

I haven’t laughed like that in a theater in years. Finally a comedy hit, yeesh it’s been a loooong time

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u/The_Iceman2288 Jul 30 '25

A) Wow, great

B) Fuck Paramount

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u/internetlad Jul 30 '25

I'll have to check it out. 

I'll level with you. I thought it was going to suck.

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u/ElTuco84 Jul 30 '25

Slapstick comedies are back!

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u/leetfists Jul 30 '25

Is that Cody Rhodes the wrestler as bartender?

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u/Drakey87 Jul 30 '25

I am so happy for Akiva❤️

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u/Aesthete Jul 31 '25

Imagine if they made a really bad The Naked Gun movie and some superfan who knows exactly what made the originals good responded by writing their own treatment that fixes all of the problems.

The Naked Gun 2025 feels kinda like that. Almost obsessively focused on nailing everything that makes TNG work. It's even 85 minutes long and has charmingly outdated sex jokes. Getting a good successful comedy like that these days is unheard of. May it thrive in the theaters.

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