On paper, a Bare Gun reboot appeared a nasty thought. For one, the three-film franchise spawned from the foolish TV collection Police Squad relied closely on the straight-faced buffoonery of Leslie Nielsen, who died 15 years in the past. For one more, this movie collection reveled in spoof and parody, a model of humor that has fallen largely out of trend for the reason that 2000s-era growth of movies like Scary Film, Not One other Teen Film, Epic Film, and so forth.
Past that, The Bare Gun‘s premise is probably problematic: a shoot-first-ask-questions-never cop who does not play by the principles and is idiotic, violent, and catastrophic in his pursuit of a legal. In 1988, when the primary movie premiered, Nielsen’s Frank Drebin performed as a much-needed parody to all of the motion movies that regarded such cowboy cops as white-hat heroes. At present, when the discourse on police brutality has grown by leaps and bounds, may such a premise nonetheless play?
‘The Bare Gun’ teaser: Liam Neeson takes over for Leslie Nielsen (and rocks a schoolgirl disguise)
Seems, sure. Extremely, 2025’s The Bare Gun rivals its predecessors in hilarity, outrageousness, and sharp-shooter precision towards its comedic targets. That is thanks in no small half to Liam Neeson. No stranger to enjoying cops, Neeson takes on the mantle of detective Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Nielsen’s character. Simply as this Frank yearns to make his predecessor proud, Neeson walks confidently within the footsteps of Nielsen, who laid down pitch-perfect parody with Police Squad!, The Bare Gun, and Airplane! Nevertheless, Neeson is not tasked with shouldering such lunacy alone. His costar, the Priscilla Presley to his Leslie Nielsen, is Pamela Anderson, who brilliantly channels her legendary intercourse enchantment right into a sensual and foolish femme fatale.
Collectively, they’re a dream workforce, positive to make summer time audiences scream with laughter.
The Bare Gun takes purpose at tech bros.
Credit score: Paramount Photos
Who higher to make use of because the comically evil villain of a Bare Gun film than a billionaire who sells electrical vehicles with a world-conquering agenda? And who higher than Danny Huston, grasp of the menacing smile, to play tech magnate Richard Cane?
When an engineer turns up lifeless on the backside of a cliff in a flashy electrical automotive, Frank and Police Squad, a particular division of the LAPD, are on the case. Alongside the way in which, Frank meets Beth Davenport, the form of curvy dame who conjures up lusty voiceover narration and gloriously goofy romantic tangents involving a sentient, sex-positive snowman. Beth is the surviving sister of the suspiciously lifeless man, but additionally she’s a real crime author. So she feels uniquely suited to assist Frank examine Richard’s involvement in her brother’s demise. However can love and justice combine?
Mashable Prime Tales
Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson are ridiculously humorous in The Bare Gun.
Credit score: Paramount Photos
It’s unattainable to not examine Neeson’s tackle this very acquainted character to Nielsen’s. However extremely, the Northern Irish actor, who has lengthy been an motion hero and a dramatic actor, stands up nicely within the comparability. Simply as Nielsen performed the silliest jokes with a straight face, Neeson brings the gravitas of years of glowering into this function with a deliriously humorous stoicism.
He speaks in a grumble, which makes his idiotic observations all of the extra hilarious. And when he sometimes breaks from this paradoxical sternness, it’s someway even funnier. As an example, when Frank misunderstands a social cue, considering the one who’s addressed him is saying his personal title is Frank Drebin, the highest cop eagerly gasps, “Me too!” And the abrupt change in demeanor is inarguably giggle-inducing.
Props to Lonely Island member Akiva Schaffer, who expertly helms the humor of The Bare Gun. He acquired Neeson to decide to an enormous ask. Alongside ludicrous traces, Neeson additionally embraces bodily comedy, some onscreen nudity, and scatalogical humor that might threat eroding his untouchable robust man persona. As a substitute, the shaking up of that persona is the particular sauce that makes this hit even tougher than his comedic cop turns in The Lego Film and Derry Ladies.
As for Anderson, she spoofs splendidly, notably with a Bare Gun-style musical efficiency that includes a number of the most confounding scatting in human historical past. Including oomph to the relentless onslaught of jokes — that had New York critics (a notoriously hard-to-impress lot!) cackling all through the movie runtime — are stable supporting gamers Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, CCH Pounder, Liza Koshy, and a barrage of chaotic cameo appearances that I will not spoil right here.
The Bare Gun is again and simply what followers will need.
Credit score: Paramount Photos
Whereas this Bare Gun affords fewer straight-up parodies than the primary three movies, it’s nonetheless hysterical. Screenwriters Schaffer, Dan Gregor, and Doug Mand ship a mixture of jokes that ranges from the taboo (like a bit about Invoice Cosby’s private wine stash) to the zany to slyly cerebral wordplay about “manslaughter.” With such a wide range of punchlines, the hits maintain coming, even when not all of them land. Audiences will snicker in theaters like they haven’t in years. This, in the end, is amusing riot match to be seen in theaters with a crowd.
The Bare Gun shouldn’t be solely humorous, it’s exhilarating as a result of — to cite the parody king “Weird Al” Yankovic (who seems within the unique three motion pictures) — it “dare(s) to be stupid.” There’s an exhilarating bravery in embracing such willfully dumb humor, and doing so in a approach that doesn’t punch down. Schaffer and firm’s eager consciousness about who will get to be the butt of the jokes makes The Bare Gun really feel trendy, even because it retains in signature bits that might threat feeling dated — just like the finale freeze body — however as an alternative really feel timeless.
Merely put, The Bare Gun is again and as foolish and silly as ever. And I can’t consider increased reward than that.
The Bare Gun opens in theaters Aug. 1.
