 The 'Naked Gun' series continues with its wacky antics, even going so far as to make the title a bit of a gag. Evidently, the world wanted more of that good old "Dad Joke" humour, as was so very well displayed in the preceding film, and 'Naked Gun 2 1/2' manages to deliver with a good, comparable dose of everything that makes 'Naked Gun' so much fun. This one gets a touch more complicated as far as the plot goes, but with these titles, we must always keep in mind that the plot takes a back seat.
This one is probably the title in the series I remember most fondly, and when we had it recorded from TV, I briefly used it as one of those "sick day" movies when I was home from school. While everyone else's white-haired companion for that time was Bob Barker, I would have sooner tuned in to Lieutenant Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) of Police Squad, among a whole bunch of others I had set aside to cheer me up while I was feeling down. So while it may not manage to be considered "best of the series," it holds a special place in my heart. One Dr. Albert Meinheimer (Richard Griffiths) convinces President George H. W Bush (John Roarke) to base America's energy policy on renewable energy, thus upsetting various heads of coal, oil and nuclear energy. After a bombing associated with the situation, Drebin enters the scene to investigate and reunites with his old flame, Jane Spencer (Priscilla Presley). However, she is now dating a Hexagon Oil exec by the name of Quentin Hapsburg (Robert Goulet), whom Drebin also meets and becomes quite jealous of. Hapsberg plans to modify Dr. Meinheimer's upcoming speech on renewable energy to highlight the benefits of fossil fuels. To pull it off, the plan is to switch out the real Meinheimer for a dead-ringing look-alike named Earl Hacker, while Meinheimer is thrown into an abandoned warehouse by Hapsberg's thugs. In the meantime, while Frank works on the case of the Missing Meinheimer, he also rekindles that flame for Jane Spencer, who, while working for Meinheimer, might be able to help Frank with the case. In case you're looking for them, Ed Hocken (George Kennedy) and Nordberg (O.J. Simpson) also return for more shenanigans, but they do take a bit of a back seat to the love story involving Frank and Jane. Having said that, however, the love story is done with the same tremendous sense of humour the first film had, and it's never something that turns boring or very cliché. They know we're here for laughs, and the laughs are thankfully delivered, in my opinion, just as much as the first. Much like I mentioned with the first film, there may be a thing or two here that just haven't aged well, be it for how offensive it may be, or moreso in 'Naked Gun 2 1/2's case, being composed of jokes and gags the kids might not find so great anymore. One has to admit that the 'Naked Gun' movies are a product of their time; they're still funny to people my age, but their humour comes almost exclusively from the Vault of Cheese. While it's hilarious, it's also stupid and meant to be silly. If you ask me, they're all still miles more entertaining than anything Friedberg and Seltzer ever came up with. I am, however, from a different generation and middle-aged, so I can definitely appreciate how off-the-wall these movies are. And again, while this may not be a constant I go back to, particularly, this chapter of 'Naked Gun' holds a place within my fondest memories, and it was the one I used to want to show all my friends. I think it could be considered just as good as the first, and makes for another fantastic opportunity to throw that brain of yours out the window and enjoy a laugh or two and a half. 4/5
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