«The Naked Gun» is a relentlessly silly film that is possibly one of the most impressive of the year. This soft movie restarts a franchise that many generations have never heard of, while also paying homage to Leslie Nielsen’s classics. It allows Pamela Anderson to showcase her comedic talent and even features Liam Neeson in a schoolgirl uniform.
Despite its silliness, everything somehow works in «The Naked Gun,» as evidenced by its Rotten Tomatoes score. The film exudes frantic energy as it delivers gag after gag, jumping in and out of jokes with clever camera work and humor that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
According to a review by «Screalrant,» «The Naked Gun» embodies the old-school style of comedy cinema seen in parody films like «Austin Powers» and «Airplane!» This is thanks to the collaborative efforts of writers Doug Mand, Dan Gregor, and director Akiva Schaffer, who also worked together on «Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers.»
In an interview with «Screalrant,» writers Doug Mand and Dan Gregor discuss their approach to bringing a parody film to audiences in 2025. They explain how they were able to captivate the public with Liam Neeson’s box office appeal and how they honored and approached the legacy of the original trilogy.
«The Naked Gun» opens with a robbery scene that sets the tone for the film, as described by Dan Gregor as a mix of «The Dark Knight» and «Looney Tunes Rules.» He is very inspired by the opening of Dark Knight Bank Heist. The seriousness of the film’s opening, which ends with the trailer featuring Liam Neeson in a schoolgirl uniform, was intentional.
Gregor mentioned, «One of the fun aspects for us was thinking about the plane and how long it takes for the movie to reveal itself as completely ridiculous.» In the world of parody, Gregor explained, «The jokes revolve around existing genres, so it’s important to establish the genre first.»
The writers pondered, «How long can we maintain this before revealing something incredibly silly, illogical, and absurd, like Frank Drebin hiding inside the body of a little girl?» Gregor emphasized that this moment serves as the first real joke of the film, setting the tone for the audience that the movie follows Looney Tunes rules rather than reality.
The sequence aims to establish these rules for viewers unfamiliar with parody genres like Fear movie, Austin Powers, or Mel Brooks classics such as Spaceballs. «It’s all just big and ridiculous,» added co-writer Doug Mand, indicating that viewers will either enjoy the absurdity or not.
Gregor stated, «We will never explain post-facto how the technology fits into a girl; it’s not meant to answer those questions.» The logic serves as a new experience for audiences unfamiliar with the absurdity of parody genres.
In the current social climate, it may be challenging to find humor in police-related jokes, as seen in The Naked Gun. However, Mand pointed out that this type of humor has always been part of the franchise’s DNA, even in the original film.
Gregor emphasized that The Naked Gun also addressed police violence and excessive force through humor. The writers hope that the satire on police culture in their film is accessible and enjoyable for all viewers, regardless of their perspective on law enforcement.
Drawing a comparison to Talladega Nights, Gregor suggested that viewers can find the police culture either silly or admirable, allowing for a range of interpretations. Mand concluded that their goal was not to make a statement but to observe and build upon the parody genre’s evolution over the past three decades.
