Top 10 Reasons Why The Naked Gun Is The Best Comedy Movie Of 2025

WatchMojo

From absurd visual gags to actors playing it completely straight, this comedy gem has it all! Join us as we break down what makes this reboot so hilariously effective without relying on nostalgia. Liam Neeson steps into Leslie Nielsen's shoes with the perfect deadpan delivery that honors the original while creating something fresh and relentlessly silly.

Transcript

00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at why The Naked Gun, the new version, is the best

00:13comedy of 2025. A few spoilers may follow. 10. Not Banking on Nostalgia

00:28Legacy sequels exist to bring back longtime fans, while introducing the franchise to another

00:34generation, although some deliver on the fan service part. Appealing to newcomers is easier

00:43said than done. Take Happy Gilmore 2, for example. We liked that Legacy sequel, but much of our

00:50enjoyment hinged on our knowledge of its predecessor. If you hadn't seen the first film, the sequel

00:56could play like a series of punchlines without the setups. The Naked Gun avoids this, relying

01:03on fresh jokes cut from the same cloth as the original trilogy. Even when we do get a callback,

01:12like Frank passing by a stuffed beaver, the film doesn't dwell on it by winking at the

01:17camera. It's already progressed to the next joke. 9. Pushing the PG-13 rating to its limit.

01:36There's a misconception that comedies need to be loaded with four-letter words and raunchy imagery

01:41to bring the laughs. While we are all for hard R-rated comedies, the constraints that come with

01:48the PG-13 rating sometimes lead to sharper humor. Since the characters can't swear every few minutes,

01:55the filmmakers need to get creative when it comes to the edgier jokes. The Zucker Abraham's Zucker team

02:01mastered this, revealing just how far you can go with the PG-13 rating, or even a PG rating before that.

02:08By the way, I faked every organ. The new Naked Gun similarly tests the MPA with innuendos that are

02:17about as graphic as you can get without actually being explicit. Younger audiences can still buy a

02:24ticket, but they'll still feel like they're getting away with something naughty. 8. Not afraid to be

02:34relentlessly silly. We appreciate comedies that strike a balance between laughs and depth.

02:45With a lot of comedies, though, we admittedly find ourselves tuning out during the dramatic

02:50moments. We're mainly here for the funny stuff. The Naked Gun understands our needs, going for broke

02:57in the silly department. Every time it seems like the film might take itself even remotely seriously,

03:07it blindsides us with the goofiest of bits, be it Pamela Anderson scat singing or Liam Neeson

03:13dropping a chili dog bomb. At one point, the film even becomes Jack Frost with a menage

03:20a trois twist. As was the case with the OG trilogy, the jokes always take priority over the plot.

03:27Hell, the plot device is a literal PLOT device. 7. The Visual Gags

03:39You need to watch The Naked Gun multiple times to catch every joke. There's so much going on in the

03:46foreground that it's easy to miss the hidden gems in the background. Crypto.com Arena being replaced

03:55with Ponzi Scheme.com Arena is an especially inspired touch for every visual gag you miss.

04:03There's another so on the nose that it practically performs rhinoplasty.

04:08Car. Open doors. Pretty fun, I guess. We're not complaining, as many modern comedies forget that

04:14film is a visual medium. The Naked Gun takes full advantage of this. Highlights include a coffee cup

04:21running gag that just keeps getting funnier, and an extravagantly hilarious crane game set piece.

04:27It might seem like a dumb comedy, which it is, but it's not for those, with a short attention span.

04:34Picked up your knife for you. Okay.

04:376. Cleverly Written Jokes

04:40For all the visual humor, The Naked Gun is also loaded with witty wordplay.

04:45Says you served 20 years for man's laughter. You mean manslaughter? Must have been quite the joke.

04:51Some jokes are smart, others are knowingly stupid, and most of them find a middle ground.

04:57Either way, you'll be quoting several lines walking out of the theater.

05:01Cover me. Enough playing around.

05:03Weirdly enough, most contemporary comedies seem devoid of traditional jokes, instead relying on

05:09actors to improvise dialogue that'll hopefully sound funnier than what's on the printed page.

05:16The Naked Gun is a genuine throwback to old-school comedy, complete with a sharp script from director

05:22Akiva Schaefer, Dan Greger, and Doug Mann. It's not the first time this trio has captured the spirit of a

05:28classic 1988 comedy. They previously worked on Chippendale Rescue Rangers, a modern Roger Rabbit.

05:365. Timeless Comedy

05:40Standing the test of time can be especially difficult for comedy. What was funny to audiences 30 years ago

05:47might not land with today's crowd for various reasons, yet the Naked Gun trilogy still holds

05:53up decades later, even with O.J. Simpson's presence.

06:05Many of the jokes from this legacy sequel just as easily could have been used in the 1988 classic.

06:11Some moments are more tailored toward 21st century viewers, such as a reference to Janet Jackson's

06:16wardrobe malfunction and a major plot point involving electric cars.

06:20When people look back years later, though, most of the jokes will have the same impact.

06:34Puns and slapstick will always have a place in comedy, showing that the most timeless comedies

06:41are often the broadest.

06:424. See Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer

06:49This is how you do satire. Parody films have never completely gone away, although

06:55Disaster Movie and Meet the Spartans are just a few that have given spoofs a bad name lately.

07:00We hesitate to even describe those as parodies, as they don't satirize… anything. They merely

07:15acknowledge that other movies exist, whether or not they connect. The Naked Gun actually lampoons

07:22a genre, sending up police procedurals in spy movies like Mission Impossible. Akiva Schaefer already

07:28gave us one of the past decade's best parodies with pop star, Never Stop, Never Stopping…

07:44With Naked Gun, he understands that the closer a parody matches the genuine artifact, the funnier

07:51it'll be. The opening is shot like a legitimate crime drama, making it all the more jarring when

07:58Liam Neeson shows up in Pigtails.

08:013. Honoring the Original

08:08At one point, Liam Neeson kneels before a photo of Leslie Nielsen, saying that he wants to be just

08:15like him… but also stand on his own. This is basically the same goal of every legacy sequel…

08:22Although most of them fall short. Some stick too close to the original, repeating what we've seen

08:30before. Others strive to be different, but wind up straying too far from what made the original special.

08:37The Naked Gun manages to dodge these pitfalls. The occasional callback aside, the jokes are

08:49primarily original, yet none of them are above or below what the Zucker Abraham's Zucker Crew would

08:56have given us years ago. For those who haven't seen the original films, seeking them out will be a

09:02priority after this sequel.

09:052. The Actors Play It 100% Straight

09:15Like Leslie Nielsen, Neeson started as a dramatic actor. It wasn't until later in his career that

09:21people noticed the untapped comedic potential. What made Nielsen's performance work… is that

09:27Frank Drebin doesn't realize he's in a comedy.

09:303. They were able to… so they were able to get him to the hospital in time.

09:343. Yes, he's in the intensive care ward at Our Lady of the Worthless Miracle.

09:38The same can be said about Frank Drebin Jr., with Neeson reading his dialogue as if he were doing

09:44Taken 4. Pamela Anderson, who seems to be in the midst of a career renaissance, also fully commits

09:56to playing a femme fatale, no matter how ridiculous the movie's surrounding her is. Whether it's a

10:01supporting player like Paul Walter Houser in Danny Houston or just a cameo like Dave Bautista, everyone

10:07approaches the material with more gravitas than it deserves, which is part of the joke.

10:341. One Joke After Another

10:38In addition to the original trilogy, this sequel reminded us of Family Guy during its prime.

10:49Unsurprisingly, producer Seth MacFarlane provides a common link.

10:53MacFarlane's brand of comedy aligns with Zucker Abraham Zuckers,

10:58committing to making the audience laugh every second or so.

11:012. Playtime's over.

11:04On the rare occasion that a joke doesn't land, the film follows it up with several more that hit

11:10bullseyes. In some cases, you'll miss one joke because you're still laughing about one from the

11:15previous scene. The film only clocks in at 85 minutes, making the most of every moment. This includes both the opening

11:24title and end credits. In an era where most comedies are truly dramas with sporadic funny moments,

11:31The Naked Gun finds the genre in its purest form.

11:37What moment from The Naked Gun made you laugh

11:40the hardest? Let us know in the comments.

11:45Buy your tickets now and get a free Tilly Dog. Tilly Dog not included.

11:57Now, bring out the

12:22family,

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended