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THE REWATCHABLES · July 2, 2024

The Naked Gun

A 1988 comedy / action movie directed by David Zucker—and decision no. 14 in the Hanks–Cruise tape.

ComedyAction1980sDirected by David Zucker
The Naked Gun1988MOVIE

ON THIS EPISODE

Podcast episode#348No. 363 overall
Movie year19881980s release
Tomatometer88%No. 42 of 128 tracked
Metacritic76View score
Roger Ebert—No review recorded
State of the raceHanks led by 49–5 · 0 ties

FROM THE CONVERSATION

What they said about the movie

A highly favorable celebration of The Naked Gun as a near-perfect, tightly written spoof comedy. The discussion emphasizes its joke density, physical comedy, short runtime, surprisingly timeless feel, and the way it became a cable-era rewatch staple.
Based only on this episode’s transcriptTimes approximateSpeakers were clearly identifiedExplore the connections
In this conversation
Bill SimmonsKyle BrandtCraig Horlbeck

WHY IT WORKS

What made it rewatchable

  1. 01Extremely tight runtime and nonstop joke density make it easy to rewatch and hard to find a dull stretch. About 8 min
  2. 02Physical comedy and visual gags reward repeat viewing because many jokes happen so fast they can be missed on first watch. About 32 min
  3. 03It became a cable and rental staple, allowing viewers to jump into any scene and still enjoy it. About 8 min
  4. 04The movie plays like a rare timeless spoof that still lands without much cultural baggage. About 48 min

WHAT DID NOT WORK

Their main criticisms

  1. minorA few jokes feel weaker or dated, especially the safe-sex gag and some villain/world-leader references. About 56 min
  2. minorThe sequels and later spoof-era films are seen as noticeably worse than the original. About 16 min
  3. minorThe movie lightly strains credibility in places, such as the baseball-game security and some plot mechanics. About 1:20 · medium confidence

SCENES THEY KEPT COMING BACK TO

Standout moments

Favorite

Nordberg at the docks

Nordberg is shot, burned, hit with a cake, trapped, and otherwise battered in a rapid-fire comic beat.

About 32 min
Favorite

Frank and the live microphone

Frank pees and farts into a live mic while a press conference continues, creating a classic hot-mic scene.

About 32 min
Favorite

Gadget briefing with Ted Olson

Frank receives absurd gadgets including the anti-graffiti wall and Swiss army shoe.

About 32 min
Favorite

Falling in love montage

The romance montage includes beach running, tattoos, mustard, bull riding, a yacht ride, and walking out of Platoon laughing.

About 32 min
Favorite

Enrico Palazzo at the baseball game

Frank sings the anthem, the crowd reacts, and the baseball bloopers montage erupts into chaos.

About 32 min
Favorite

Reggie Jackson reveal

The athlete-killer twist lands as a final absurd punchline, capped by the queen-saving climax.

About 32 min

WHERE THEY DISAGREED

The biggest debates

They agreed About 32 min

Which scene is the most rewatchable

Bill Simmons

The baseball finale and anthem sequence are the top choice.

Kyle Brandt

The whole movie is so packed that nearly every scene feels like a candidate.

They agreed About 8 min

Whether Airplane or The Naked Gun aged better

Bill Simmons

The Naked Gun aged better and feels more timeless.

Kyle Brandt

Agrees Naked Gun is better and less dated than Airplane.

They partly agreed About 56 min

Whether the movie is the funniest 1980s comedy

Kyle Brandt

The Naked Gun is the funniest movie of the 1980s.

Bill Simmons

Mostly agrees, acknowledging Caddyshack and Vacation as contenders.

They agreed About 1:36

How younger viewers would react to the movie

Bill Simmons

Skeptical that modern viewers would see it as funny rather than stupid.

Craig Horlbeck

Says the film’s pacing and joke density make it work very well for younger viewers.

11 People discussedActors, directors, writers, and producers
very favorableLeslie NielsenBill Simmons: Praised as a surprising late-blooming comic star with excellent deadpan timing and a major reason the movie works. About 16 min
mixedO.J. SimpsonBill Simmons: Admired in the role of Nordberg for his physical comedy, but discussed through the lens of his later crimes. About 32 min
favorableRicardo MontalbanBill Simmons: Praised as a strong villain and a memorable TV-era presence with a sinister Fantasy Island edge. About 16 min
favorablePriscilla PresleyKyle Brandt: Seen as beautiful, funny, and well-cast, though the hosts wonder why her career did not go further. About 48 min
favorableGeorge KennedyBill Simmons: Liked as a fun tough-guy presence, especially in the ballpark food gag and as part of the ensemble. About 32 min
mixedReggie JacksonBill Simmons: Discussed as the surprise villain and as a famous athlete whose presence adds to the absurdity. About 32 min
favorableJohn HousemanBill Simmons: Mentioned as a prestigious casting get in the driving instructor role. About 32 min
neutralHervé VillechaizeBill Simmons: Referenced in a long Fantasy Island aside and as the subject of a notorious real-life descent. About 16 min
favorableRaj EbertBill Simmons: Cited approvingly for giving the movie a strong review. About 24 min
favorableCraig HorlbeckBill Simmons: Given a producer credit and praised for his enthusiastic reaction to the film. About 1:36 · medium confidence
favorableTed OlsonBill Simmons: The gadget guy is highlighted as a favorite comic support character. About 32 min
10 Conversation takesSpeakers shown only where the transcript identifies them
Kyle BrandtLoved it

The Naked Gun

Calls it 80 minutes of perfection and nearly a perfect movie.

About 8 min
Bill SimmonsLoved it

The Naked Gun

Says it is one of his most special comedies and defends it against claims that it is too stupid.

About 8 min
Bill SimmonsLiked it

Airplane

Acknowledges Airplane as foundational but thinks The Naked Gun aged better and is the stronger film.

About 8 min
Bill SimmonsLoved it

deadpan straight-playing in spoof comedy

Argues the movie’s secret sauce is casting serious actors who never wink at the audience.

About 24 min
Bill SimmonsLoved it

Frank peeing with a live mic

Calls it an important learning scene for anyone who has ever worked with a live microphone.

About 32 min
Kyle BrandtLoved it

the baseball finale

Says the final baseball-game sequence is one of the most enjoyable comedy scenes ever.

About 32 min
Bill SimmonsLoved it

Enrico Palazzo anthem performance

Treats the national anthem scene as an all-time comedy set piece and a huge theater laugh moment.

About 32 min
Kyle BrandtLoved it

Leslie Nielsen

Says Nielsen should have been a bigger movie star and had great comic charisma.

About 48 min
Bill SimmonsLiked it

O.J. Simpson

Admits liking O.J. in the role despite the obvious later horror attached to the casting.

About 56 min
Kyle BrandtLoved it

The Naked Gun

After Craig’s reaction, he affirms the movie’s appeal for younger viewers and its perfect pacing.

About 1:36
5 ThemesThe larger ideas in the discussion

Spoof comedy craftsmanship

The hosts argue the film works because it commits completely to deadpan, straight-faced performances inside absurd situations.

About 24 min

Nostalgia and theatrical laughter

Both hosts recall huge first-time theater reactions and the communal experience of laughing through the movie.

About 8 min

Cable-era rewatch culture

The film’s influence is tied to the era of cable reruns and easy jump-in viewing.

About 8 min

Baseball as comic set piece

The climax at the baseball game is treated as one of the great comedy finales, blending sports parody with visual chaos.

About 32 min

Pop culture durability

They argue the film aged better than many 1980s comedies because it avoids relying heavily on cheap offensive humor.

About 48 min
22 Facts and referencesProduction notes and other movies mentioned

Production note

The film was made for about $12 million and grossed about $154 million.

About 24 min

Production note

Roger Ebert gave the movie three and a half stars.

About 24 min

Mentioned with uncertainty

The title comes from a joke phrase and the movie was tied to Police Squad branding.

About 48 min · medium confidence

Production note

Vin Scully and Bob Costas were considered for the baseball-announcer scene but could not do it.

About 56 min

Production note

The baseball game sequence uses real teams and real announcers to make the joke feel authentic.

About 48 min

Production note

The movie’s opening features a stack of recognizable villains and world leaders that were much more familiar in the 1980s.

About 48 min

Production note

The scripted joke density was so high that Craig Horlbeck compared it to a TikTok-like movie for modern audiences.

About 1:36

Airplane

Used as the genre-defining predecessor and comparison point for datedness and joke style.

About 8 min

Police Squad

Cited as the short-lived TV source material that fed the movie’s jokes and title.

About 8 min

Fantasy Island

Referenced in relation to Ricardo Montalban and as a source of his sinister vibe.

About 16 min

Kojak

Mentioned while discussing Leslie Nielsen’s extensive TV guest-star run.

About 16 min

The Love Boat

Mentioned as part of Nielsen’s TV guest-star rotation.

About 16 min

Top Secret!

Named as another Zuckers spoof film in the same creative lineage.

About 16 min

33 1/3

Used as the inferior sequel that undercuts the original trilogy’s peak.

About 16 min

Austin Powers

Compared to the movie’s hot-mic and spy-comedy energy.

About 32 min

Platoon

Referenced in the romantic montage as a joke about leaving a grim war film in tears of laughter.

About 32 min

The Terminator

Mentioned in connection with James Cameron supposedly not believing O.J. could be a killer.

About 48 min · medium confidence

Get Smart

Mentioned as a source of jokes the Zuckers allegedly borrowed from.

About 56 min

The Pink Panther

Mentioned as another spoof/comedy source the film reportedly borrowed from.

About 56 min

Cool Hand Luke

Invoked in relation to George Kennedy’s ballpark food gag.

About 48 min

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Named as another 1988 comedy with a steamroller gag.

About 56 min

A Fish Called Wanda

Used as a comparison in Ebert’s review and as another 1988 comedy with a steamroller joke.

About 24 min
10 Running jokes and short linesRecurring bits captured from the conversation

World leaders as opening-scene villains

They joke about how many 1980s political figures were recognizable enough to use as comic villains.

About 48 min

Fantasy Island and Montalban’s hair

Bill riffs on Montalban’s villainy and his dramatic hairpiece as part of a Fantasy Island side conversation.

About 16 min

Hot mic warning

The live microphone scene becomes a recurring TV cautionary tale for both hosts.

About 32 min

Too many announcers on TV

The hosts use the baseball broadcast scene to complain about bloated modern TV panels.

About 1:20

Toupee detection

Bill and Kyle joke about spotting bad hairpieces and cosmetic fakery in public.

About 1:12

Kyle Brandt

“80 minutes of perfection”
About 8 min

Bill Simmons

“nothing to see here”
About 32 min

Bill Simmons

“Nice beaver. Thank you.”
About 1:12

Bill Simmons

“Our Lady of the Worthless Miracle”
About 1:12

Bill Simmons

“I must kill the queen.”
About 32 min

MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT

Where to watch

UNITED STATES

Checking where The Naked Gun is available…

WHAT TO WATCH NEXT

Movies to watch before and after.

Three movies to watch before The Naked Gun, and three to watch next.

Finding six movies…Three to watch first and three to watch next.
Includes a Rewatchables episodePosters from TMDB.

ON THE MIC

2 voices made the call

Bill Simmons headshotBill Simmons125 tracked appearances · 56 H / 64 C / 5 ties
Kyle Brandt headshotKyle Brandt20 tracked appearances · 7 H / 13 C

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