Anthony's Film Review - The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994)

Even after two movies, The Naked Gun still manages to be a hilarious goofball of a comedy...

In case the joke isn't obvious to the few of you, The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult is not the 32nd sequel to 1988's The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!. As funny as the Naked Gun movies are, I wouldn't want 32 sequels. Either I would die from laughter by the 20th movie or I would get so bored because the jokes run out of steam (yes, even the funniest ones aren't immune). In fact, you'll notice that the subtitle "The Final Insult" implies that this movie is the one to wrap up the Naked Gun movies. Thank goodness. I probably don't need three Naked Gun sequels, let alone 32.

That's not to say this movie isn't funny. It's still quite good. If the filmmakers want to tie a bow around this film series, they can do so on a high note. It's all thanks to Leslie Nielsen as Lieutenant Frank Drebin of Police Squad, who continues to hilariously maintain a straight face no matter how corny the film's jokes are. Also returning is Priscilla Presley as Jane Spencer, who is now married to Frank. Yay for them.

But there's a problem: infertility. They're trying to have a baby, but Frank might have a low sperm count. There's a scene where Frank has to produce a sperm sample. As you might predict, there's an exaggerated joke with this. Frank spends a very long time filling not one cup but nine cups. It makes you wonder what kind of sex life he and Jane have. Must be a very good one. So something else must be wrong if they're not making a baby.

That's not the main plot, though. I mention it just to give you an idea of how funny the movie is. Anyway, the main plot is that Frank is retiring but is called back to duty for another assignment. He has to stop an impending bombing at (of all places) the Academy Awards in Hollywood. Don't be alarmed. There are jokes to lighten the tension of the situation, like a funny scene where Frank and Jane try to get into the ceremony. Frank tells a guard who he is. The guard says, "Yeah, and I'm Robert De Niro." And Frank says, "Mr. De Niro, we've got to get inside!"

Speaking of movie jokes, the opening credits have some, too. The police car with the red siren is once again driving through many unusual places, including a water slide, the sky over Los Angeles, the trench of the Death Star in Star Wars, and a land of dinosaurs. There's also a spoof of Jurassic Park that is being nominated for the Oscars in this movie. There are many more equally silly jokes, including those involving other characters like O.J. Simpson as Nordberg and a seductive woman played by Anna Nicole Smith.

The Naked Gun 33 1/3 is a pretty funny movie. It's not better than the first Naked Gun, but it's better than The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear. The Naked Gun 33 1/3 ends on a single joke right when the credits roll. It's a great way to conclude this hilarious film series. Thank you, Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and David Zucker, for launching this series to begin with.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, visit the Internet Movie Database.

In addition, check out my reviews of The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! and The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear and the original TV series Police Squad!.