What you get from Akiva Shaffer’s The Naked Gun is a non-stop stream of laughs from your fellow audience members at a set of some of the most mindless jokes. And the best part is that you will be laughing along to the cacophony. This reboot not only brings back comedy legend Leslie Nielsen’s style, but the whole genre of satirical comedy that has not been in theatres for a good decade.

The film knows no bounds to who or what they play a gag on. From the on-the-nose billionaire Musk/Bezos villain to the format of filmmaking itself by having Liam Neeson literally ‘poke’ fun at the fourth wall, The Naked Gun channels the identity of everything that made Leslie Nielsen’s works so digestible (even among its stomach-churning crudeness). It is a profoundly dumb comedy that can bring out at least a few laughs from anyone in the audience. And the film itself is highly aware of how dumb it is, of course! What’s better than one penis joke? How about ten guys getting punched in the groin in a row! Bam! Bam! Bam!

I could point to the many pop culture references that pervade the 84-minute runtime as inhibiting the film’s shelf life, but this revival of the satirical-spoof comedy showcases exactly why we need a revival of movies like the Austin Powers franchise or Spaceballs (already in the works). Riffing off in-the-know jokes from pop culture allows an audience to laugh together at everything that is topically ridiculous. These films command the audience to say “Yes, we are laughing at you, Bill Cosby”. You can experience right now what seeing the Scary Movie franchise (also set for a new installment in 2026) at the time of their respective releases, before its references lost ground.

Of course, these jokes would be nothing without Liam Neeson’s on-screen persona of detective Frank Drebin Jr. Over the many years of Taken and Taken 2, Neeson has carefully crafted this rough and troubled, mysterious figure that translates so easily into satire. As is characteristic of Leslie Nielsen’s films, Neeson can deliver the most ridiculous of lines and quips with an all too serious (don’t call me Shirley) mien. Physically, too, Neeson’s stunt scenes carry an effortless blend of his experience in action movies immersed into a comedic setting.

Accompanying Neeson is Pamela Anderson playing the glitzy Beth Davenport. Aside from being the receptacle and subject of Neeson’s raunchy remarks, Anderson brings an equally coarse performance and humour. She takes on a role as something resembling a femme fatale, which is immediately subverted by the silliest of scat jazz performances you will ever have the privilege of watching. 

From Nielsen to Neeson, The Naked Gun franchise is an exhibit for the necessity of satirical comedy. This installment is a short and easy watch for some unadulterated summer fun. Out now in theatres, I wholeheartedly recommend it if you find yourself dawdling through your summer break like I have been.