The studio comedy: a lost art in the current age of cinema. Many comedies released in recent years have ended up being available exclusively on streaming services, with only a select few receiving a theatrical release. This is a trend that is becoming increasingly common. One recent example of a studio comedy that received a theatrical release is 2025’s “The Naked Gun,” a legacy sequel to the original trilogy of films. I attended a screening of “The Naked Gun” with my brother over the summer, and it is the funniest film of the year so far.
“The Naked Gun” follows Frank Drebin Jr., portrayed by Liam Neeson, the son of Frank Drebin (who was portrayed by the late Leslie Nielsen in the original “Naked Gun” trilogy), and a lieutenant in the LAPD Police Squad who utilizes unconventional and unorthodox methods in stopping crime.
What appears to be an average day in this chaotic world soon changes when Beth Davenport, a prominent crime novelist played by Pamela Anderson, walks into Police Squad headquarters asking about the mysterious death of her brother, Simon Davenport. Drebin, who had just returned from investigating Simon’s crime scene, is soon on the case. The prime suspect in this case is wealthy tech mogul Richard Cane (Danny Huston), whom Simon worked for.
While the case is progressing, Chief Davis, played by CCH Pounder, of the LAPD, attempts to control the chaos that encompasses the Police Squad, especially when it comes to the antics of Drebin.
In the role of Frank Drebin Jr., Liam Neeson offers up a rare comedic performance as this bumbling detective. Neeson occasionally takes on a variety of genres with his performances, such as his leading role in Sam Raimi’s take on the superhero genre, the 1990 film “Darkman,” but in recent years, Neeson has primarily been cast in action films. “The Naked Gun” shows a different side of Neeson with his hilarious portrayal of this character. One of the film’s strongest examples of Neeson’s stellar performance is a sequence where Drebin is interrogating a bank robber (Busta Rhymes) and begins showing footage captured of the day of the bank robbery, with the events of said day containing an unfortunate incident involving a chili dog.
As Beth Davenport, Pamela Anderson delivers a hilarious comedic performance in her portrayal of this smooth-talking writer. A prime example of her fantastic performance is when Davenport begins to do over-the-top scat singing on stage at a nightclub, as a distraction so that Drebin will be able to retrieve security footage of the club. The chemistry between Neeson and Anderson is felt throughout the film.
At the helm of the film is director Akiva Schaffer, who is also a member of The Lonely Island sketch comedy troupe (whose members include Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone). Schaffer co-wrote the film with Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, which results in an abundance of hilarious gags crammed into an eighty-five-minute runtime, resulting in various jokes being constantly thrown at the viewer. Even the simplest of gags work, with a prime example of this being a scene where Drebin is questioning a bartender (played by professional wrestler Cody Rhodes). In an attempt to retrieve information from him, Drebin begins slamming the bartender’s face on the table, with said face changing with each impact. Schaffer’s framing of these gags results in the execution of what was easily the funniest gag in the entire film: A scene involving an associate of Richard Cane spying on Frank and Beth with infrared goggles, which had me howling with laughter in the theater. It is the hardest that I have laughed in a theater in a long time.
“The Naked Gun” marks a return to form for the studio comedy, with the comedic chemistry between Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, along with endless gags, resulting in a film that is so much fun to watch.
Don’t eat too many chili dogs.
“The Naked Gun” is available to purchase or rent on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video, and will also be available for streaming on Paramount+ and MGM+ on September 30.
