The Naked Gun is a slapstick comedy that has brilliantly integrated slapstick humor, dark satire and a sense of the absurd. Even in the very first scene, I was dragged into the world, where absurd events are happening at the most appropriate time, and a light-hearted mood of the celebration of all the chaos and humour is employed. Leslie Nielsen playing Lieutenant Frank Drebin is quite endearing and at the same time earnest in a humorous way that every over-the-top stunt and gag in this movie seem real and catchy. The tone of the film – self-conscious but earnest – invites the audience to laugh at its egregious parody of spy and detective conventions as it delights in its smart visual and verbal humor.
The best thing that emerged was the way in which the humor of the film brought out the childlike feeling of wonder. It is a glorification of nonsense, in which no joke is too ridiculous and nothing to punch on. This is a swiftly paced direction by David Zucker, and every gag is perfectly timed, which is complemented by the high-energy cinematography and the playful music that enhances the wacky world. Scenes such as Drebin losing his trousers as they counted down to New Year or the anarchic climax made me laugh aloud but more than the humor I also got a sense of warmth and nostalgia because I was reminded of the simple pleasure of pure, un-filtered fun.
In the end, I was in an uplifted mood after watching The Naked gun and was truly entertained. It is a classic comedy that is easy to like with its combination of ingenious artistry, comic scenes, and unashameds foolishness. It makes us accept the mayhem with humor and it teaches us to take some of the craziness of life in a smile. It is one movie that I would revisit with a great deal of pleasure because I am sure it will forever serve as a great dose of joy and laughter.
