NAKED GUN 33 1/3: THE FINAL INSULT . Directed by Peter Segal; written by Pat Proft, David Zucker and Robert LoCash; produced by Robert K. Weiss and David Zucker for Paramount. Starring Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley and Fred Ward. Rated PG-13 (a lot of silly, off-color humor).
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I suppose that by this time, fans of this series know they want to see the next installment, and folks who think it's a stupid waste of time know they don't. So this can be a very short review!
All I really need to say is that Drebin (Nielsen) and gang are up to the same old monkey business. That is, saving (?) a venerable American institution (this time it's the Academy Awards) from a dastardly plot (this time, a terrorist bombing attempt). And they're in fine form doing it.
The best scenes to get worked in here are a hilarious take-off on the Potemkin/Untouchables baby carriage on the staircase sequence, and a whole slew of good laughs at the award ceremony's expense. Now, admittedly, that's an easy target, but Naked Gun still deserves high marks for most of its jokes. And though physical comedy is, as expected, the mainstay of the movie, there is plenty of more subtle, verbal humor as well.
Fitting right in with the deadpan silliness surrounding him, Ward makes a good addition to the mayhem as the villainous terrorist. His girlfriend Tanya (supermodel Anna Nicole Smith) is obviously just there for her measurements, however, and doesn't contribute much else.
It's true that not all of Naked Gun's shots hit the mark, but they keep coming so fast that it hardly matters. In other words, if you liked the two previous movies in the series, don't miss this one. If you didn't, .... well, I'm sorry!
April 20, 1994