Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Raunchy, dated send-up of cop movies has lots of sex.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear
What's the Story?
THE NAKED GUN 2 1/2: THE SMELL OF FEAR features a hero/idiot, the clueless police lieutenant Frank Drebin, played with gaga abandon by Leslie Nielsen. Oblivious to his surroundings, he routinely throws open doors with sufficient force to knock down gun-wielding maniacs and the First Lady of the United States. His fire still burns for his ex, a solar-energy promoter who discovers a plot to kidnap her boss, a scientist and clean-energy policymaker who poses a threat to oil, coal, and nuclear interests. Embodied by the evil oil CEO played with malevolent glee by Robert Goulet, these forces bomb environmentalist's headquarters and abduct an ideological foe.
Is It Any Good?
This sequel to The Naked Gun is edgy; families who are not into bawdy humor will find it distasteful. It has a few hilarious moments; this makes statistical sense, as a joke or sight gag appears around every three seconds in this 85-minute movie -- you do the math. Most of the insanity is probably as effective as it ever was, but the movie's age shows starkly here as, for example, when Zsa Zsa Gabor and Mel Torme appear in cameos. The movie's pro-environmental theme is as current as ever with Big Money coal, oil, and nuclear executives trying to edge renewable energy out of the market and public policy. Best for fans of the series.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the filmmakers immediately let the audience know that this is meant to be silly. What are some of the first clues?
How does a comedy built on making fun of a movie genre differ from other kinds of comedy? Do you think it would be more difficult to write a script mocking an existing script or to write a new story from scratch?
Do movies that make fun of other movies risk seeming repetitive or predictable? Why, or why not?
Movie Details
- In theaters : April 13, 1991
- On DVD or streaming : August 15, 2000
- Cast : Leslie Nielsen , Priscilla Presley , George Kennedy , Robert Goulet , O.J. Simpson
- Director : David Zucker
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Warner Home Video
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 85 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : sexual humor, language, comic violence and nudity
- Last updated : September 20, 2019
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