“The Naked Gun” (2025) is the smartest dumb comedy. It is the fourth film in the franchise and the first without Leslie Nielsen, who played Frank Drebin in the television series and preceding movies that were a crime action parody filled with taking language literally, sight gags, popular culture references and physical humor. Frank Drebin Jr. (Liam Neeson) is a cop who bends the rules to get results, but his next two cases get him in hot water and in love with Beth Davenport (Pamela Anderson), the sister of a deceased victim. Is it funny? Yes, from the moment it starts. More importantly, it is short and sweet with a runtime of under ninety minutes.
Neeson is perfectly suited to take over the role. In an ambitious, faithful leveling up of the franchise, he presents as innately serious as a heart attack, understands his iconic place in the world of action blockbusters then leverages his reputation into the punchline of nonstop, absurd stupid jokes without a whiff of self-consciousness or embarrassment. Even if you have seen the trailers and think that you know the punchlines, you do not. He may be the front man, but there are a multitude of jokes in every nook and cranny, even the credits, the set and the music. While movie goers are laughing at one joke, a handful more are whizzing by and likely more than you can notice. Neeson knows just how much to fill the screen and how much to pull back so others can share in the fun for the packed comedy. Comedy is hard and rarely rewarded in conventional settings, but Neeson should be proud of what he accomplished here. It is only awkward if you know about Neeson’s personal history because he actually is a widower who lost the love of his life, Natasha Richardson, which is a common trope in these kinds of movies. If it struck a nerve, he did not show it.
“The Naked Gun” is a jewel because it features a plethora of actors known for their iconic roles in drama, horror and action then like Neeson, skewer their resume for the bit. Danny Huston who is renowned for playing terrifying characters, especially Marlow, the head vampire in “30 Days of Night” (2007), plays a person of interest, billionaire Richard Cane, who mirrors the oligarchs of our era in his desire to shape the world using his demented methods. He also happens to sell electric cars and seems to be obsessed with his penis. Sound familiar? This flick is not just a comedy. It is a sci-fi satire without being heavy handed or depressing—looking at you, the brilliant but bleak “Eddington” (2025). The motivation for crime mirrors rumors of the alleged real-life conspiracy known as the Dark Enlightenment, and it is surreal to see it played for laughs on the big screen. Will the audience realize that this ridiculous plot is actually the subject of a lot of current discourse about why our world is being deliberately broken? Either this movie is subversive for putting it in plain sight or undermining any serious discourse because now it will get dismissed as a movie plot.
It may all be worth it to see a platinum blonde Kevin Durand, another character actor known for playing iconic villains even if you do not recall his name, getting captured in surveillance photos being silly as Sig Gustafson, Cane’s head of security. CCH Pounder, who is known for appearing in police procedural television series, does not have a heavy lift as Derbin’s tough boss, but she gets a hilarious moment to shine when she does the equivalent of calling Derbin into her office for an immediate upbraiding in the most unlikely setting, which becomes a running, wholesome gag in “The Naked Gun.”
Anderson proved that her comeback is not one and done with her critically acclaimed performance in “The Last Showgirl” (2024). When an actor is as gorgeous as Anderson, you either get high on your supply or must be in on the joke of her bombshell status, and Anderson is game to play the most ridiculous games with Neeson. One extended, genre bending sequence of a weekend getaway is like a mini movie within “The Naked Gun.” It has the effect of slowing down the momentum of the film but is so gonzo that it somehow becomes brilliant. She has a lot of solo set pieces where she carries the joke, and she does not drop it once.
Paul Walter Hauser deserves a shout out because he always delivers perfect performances in small, but meaningful supporting roles. Occasionally he gets the lead, and he nails it when he does. He was a standout, credible and grounded supporting character in “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” (2025) as an enemy and ally of the titular heroes. In “The Naked Gun,” he plays Drebin’s partner and is Neeson’s straight man, which is a challenge, but he makes it look easy. Nothing is so hard to pull off as a seemingly effortless task.
The action is actually pretty good without being too graphic despite featuring decapitations, impaling and numerous car crashes. It often plays like a scaled down spoof of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise. The found footage sequence may be the most surprising bit that simultaneously advances the plot in a material way, but also hues to the tone of this franchise. There is a real sense that the filmmakers really love movies and television, just dove into a grab bag and decided to use devices to suit their own purpose while still making a cohesive and hilarious story. It takes a lot of discipline to remain faithful to the franchise, make a story that would work without the jokes, ensure that the laughs keep coming and put your own individual mark on the film. Cowriters Dan Gregor, Doug Maud and Akiva Schaffer, who also directs “The Naked Gun,” make a great team and could keep this franchise going if they can sustain this momentum. Some jokes may get them in hot water, but the movie will probably weather the storm.
“The Naked Gun” should be seen in theaters. The movie theater turned the lights on too soon, and there are post credit scenes worth waiting for, but the audience started filing out and talking loudly, which made it impossible to focus on the screen. It was still nonstop fun. Imagine trying to focus on a tinier screen with more distractions at home. There is something special about having collective permission to relax and have one’s enjoyment bolstered by a crowd of strangers laughing. Home viewing should be limited to repeat viewing so you can pause and catch the jokes that you missed in the theater, but it will be harder to see the details on a smaller screen.
“The Naked Gun” may be the funniest movie of 2025. Some people felt that it dragged as it approached the end probably because it started to adhere more to the beats of a traditional action narrative, but the fact that it was a solid comedy and action-crime movie made it so much more rewarding than expected. Honestly it is always nice to discover a sly apocalypse in your comedy. Support it so the solid comedies are not strictly relegated to just streaming.
