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New York Post
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
How ‘The Naked Gun' reboot mocks former star O.J. Simpson
The gloves are off. The new 'Naked Gun' reboot, which opens in theaters Friday, doesn't shy away from the franchise's most controversial cast member: O.J. Simpson. For three movies of the 1980s and '90s police spoof series, Simpson, who died in 2024 at age 76, played Officer Nordberg. The fourth flick, starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, acknowledges — and mocks — Simpson's 'Naked Gun' history. 3 O.J. Simpson starred in three 'Naked Gun' films with Leslie Nielsen (center) during the 1980s and '90s. ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Coll In an early scene, Neeson, who plays Lt. Frank Drebin, Jr., the son of Leslie Nielsen's 'Police Squad' character, emotionally speaks to a photo of Nielsen hanging on the station's wall. 'Hi, Dad,' the 'Taken' star begins. Then the camera pans out to reveal a long line of other officers opening up to pictures of their own fathers — including Simpson's Nordberg. 'Hi, pops,' says actor Moses Jones as Nordberg, Jr. to Simpson's mug. After a beat, Jones comically looks directly into the camera, shakes his head back and forth and makes a 'nuh-uh' noise. 3 Liam Neeson plays Lieutenant Frank Drebin, Jr. AP Better known as a football player who played nine seasons with the Buffalo Bills, Simpson also had a modest acting career. He appeared in 'The Towering Inferno' with Paul Newman and Steve McQueen and on an episode of the miniseries 'Roots,' among other titles. But his biggest part was as Nordberg in the 'Naked Gun' trilogy. In fact, his last outing on the big screen, 'Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult,' hit theaters just three months before he was accused of killing ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in Los Angeles, California. Simpson was acquitted in criminal court in 1995, but was found liable for their deaths during a civil trial in 1997. 3 Simpson attended the premiere of 'Naked Gun 33 1/2: The Final Insult' with ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson. Getty Images He would notch one more acting credit — filmed before the murders and ensuing trial — in Disney's TV series 'Adventures in Wonderland.' However, Simpson's episode, called 'White Rabbits Can't Jump,' was pulled from the air. And it is the sole 'Wonderland' chapter that's not available on Disney+. Simpson died of prostate cancer in 2004 while he was living in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Journal
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Journal
‘Roll on the floor hilarious': Liam Neeson a ‘delight' as critics rave over new Naked Gun film
CRITICS HAVE BEEN full of praise for the new Naked Gun movie starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, with one calling it 'fall-out-of-your-seat-and-roll-on-the-floor hilarious'. The Naked Gun reboot will be released in Irish cinemas this Friday and it's garnered near universal-acclaim among reviewers. It's the fourth film in the Naked Gun franchise and sees Neeson cast as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., who must succeed in his father's footsteps to prevent the closure of Police Squad. The movie is produced by Seth MacFarlane, the producer of Family Guy. Paramount Pictures / YouTube New York Magazine describes the film as 'fall-out-of-your-seat-and-roll-on-the-floor hilarious' and adds: 'See it with the biggest audience you can find. It might just heal you. It might just heal the world.' It's a sentiment shared by the Daily Telegraph, which likewise urges people to see it with an audience in its four star review: 'Experience the rare and wonderful pleasure of a crowd scrambling to keep up with one of the stupidest films it's ever seen.' Variety magazine meanwhile said the film 'practically had audiences wetting their pants' and the San Francisco Chronicle remarked that 'Neeson is a delight and seems to be having as much fun as the audience'. Elsewhere, entertainment news site TheWrap said that one thing is for sure and it's that the new Naked Gun is funny: 'It's very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very funny. Very.' In a four star review, The Guardian said that Neeson 'deadpans impeccably in outrageously amusing' film. Advertisement Liam Neeson as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. in The Naked Gun Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Consequence praises the film as 'an almost non-stop onslaught of silly and random moments' and The Daily Beast describes it as 'a big, brash, laugh-out-loud crime spoof led by a great Liam Neeson performance'. And while The Hollywood Reporter felt that the movie 'kind of stalls midway', it adds that there are 'enough laugh-out-loud moments to keep nostalgic fans of the earlier films happy'. Meanwhile, there have been rumours that Neeson and Anderson are in a relationship after co-starring in the film. Pamela Anderson, left, and Liam Neeson attend the premiere of The Naked Gun in New York. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The pair were asked about this during an appearance on NBC's Today show yesterday . 'What's the deal here?' asked host Craig Melvin. 'You're both single right now. There's clearly chemistry on display throughout this film. Are you two an item?' Neeson replied that he and Anderson met on set and 'discovered we had a lovely, budding chemistry — as two actors'. He added: 'It's like, 'Oh, this is nice. Let's not mould this. Let's just let it breathe.' And that's what we did.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Film reviews: Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson head up the newest Naked Gun romp
From the (updated) files of Police Squad comes The Naked Gun (15A), arguably the most unnecessary but definitely the funniest of this summer's long litany of remakes and reboots. Liam Neeson stars as Detective Frank Drebin, the son of the original one-man-disaster Frank Drebin (who was played by Leslie Nielsen), and the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree: when Frank Jnr breaks up a bank robbery with rather too much enthusiasm, he finds himself busted down to traffic cop and held responsible for the likely dissolution of Police Squad. But when Beth Davenport (Pamela Anderson) beseeches Frank to investigate what she believes to be the murder of her brother Simon, Frank quickly discovers a link between Beth's tragedy, the bank robbery, and tech genius Richard Cane (Danny Huston), the CEO of Eden Tech who is plotting a diabolical scheme to reduce the human race to rage-fuelled animals with a Primordial Law of Toughness (i.e., P.L.O.T.) device. Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson arriving for the UK premiere of The Naked Gun at Cineworld Leicester Square, central London. Picture date: Tuesday July 22, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Ian West/PA Wire If it ain't broke, don't fix it, and writer-director Akiva Schaffer doesn't try to meddle with the formula: The Naked Gun isn't so much a movie as it is a series of brief comedy sketches featuring slapstick, visual gags, overly literal wordplay and pratfalls, with the occasional nod to the original movies to keep the trainspotters happy. The craggy-featured Liam Neeson is perfectly cast as the deadpan Frank, Danny Huston oozes villainy through every pore, and the Pamela Anderson renaissance continues apace with her delicately winsome take on the damsel in distress. The story delights in spoofing the conventions of hardboiled noir, and particularly when it comes to Neeson's gravelly voiceover, but if there's a complaint (there's always a complaint), it's that the script doesn't quite match the quality of the comic performances, delivering giggles and chuckles rather than laugh-out-loud moments. That said, it's a rare blast of uncomplicated fun, with Neeson having a whale of a time parodying his tough guy persona. Floria (Leonie Benesch) a dedicated nurse, tirelessly serves in an understaffed hospital ward in Late Shift. Late Shift ★★★★☆ Cinematic release Set in a Swiss hospital, Late Shift (12A) opens with nurse Floria Lind (Leonie Benesch) arriving at work to discover that her ward is short-staffed and that she, Bea (Sonja Riesen) and student nurse Amelie (Selma Jamal Aldin) are expected to manage an almost full ward. So begins a stress-inducing paean to the virtually impossible task of modern nursing: we follow Floria on her rounds as she caters to patients in varying states of health – some simply waiting for test results, others waiting to die – in a masterclass in multi-tasking. Effortlessly competent, always upbeat and smiling (no matter the personal cost), Floria juggles a host of roles, which include dispensing a dizzying variety of drugs, with a robotic-like efficiency that masks a bedrock of kindness. It's an utterly absorbing emotional rollercoaster, with potential disaster lurking around every corner, awaiting a single mistake from Floria – given a beautifully understated reading by Leonie Benesch – and her overworked colleagues. Heidi: Rescue of the Lynx Heidi: Rescue of the Lynx ★★★☆☆ Cinematic release Heidi: The Rescue of the Lynx (G) opens in an idyllic world of snowy peaks, flower-dotted meadows, St. Bernards and alpenhorns, where the mischievous, fun-loving Heidi (voiced by Lilly Graffam) lives with her gruff but kindly Grandfather (Tom Zahner). The arrival of Mr Schnaittinger (Michael McCown), a captain of industry who has plans to drag their village into the modern age with a new sawmill, coincides with Heidi rescuing a lynx kitten that has become separated from its mother. Can the two events be connected? An animation aimed at the very young, this is a colourful, sprightly affair set against a gorgeous backdrop. The message is an admirable plea for conservation – the despoliation caused by Schnaittinger's other sawmill on the far side of the mountain has driven the mother lynx to prey on the village's livestock – and younger viewers will likely thrill to Heidi's irreverent sense of fun and her heartfelt love of the natural world.
New York Post
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘The Naked Gun' review: Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson comedy is the biggest surprise of the year
movie review THE NAKED GUN Running time: 85 minutes. Rated PG-13 (crude/sexual material, violence/bloody images and brief partial nudity). In theaters. Nobody in their right mind would reboot 'The Naked Gun.' Crime procedural spoofs were played out long ago. Leslie Nielsen, the original's iconic and seemingly irreplaceable star, died in 2010. And lest we forget that his right-hand man for the 'Police Squad' trilogy was a pre-murder-trial O.J. Simpson. That's why the new 'Naked Gun,' starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, is the biggest surprise of the year. Someway, somehow, it's the funniest movie to hit theaters in a long time. We're talking gasping-for-air, 'get my inhaler!' hilarious. In the spirit of the 1988 classic, director Akiva Schaffer's movie carpet bombs us with non-stop jokes — from stupid to clever to utterly deranged. They never, ever let up. 4 Liam Neeson stars in 'The Naked Gun.' AP And its unlikely success begins with the inspired casting of Neeson — a 73-year-old leading man known for revenge thrillers and barely cracking a grin on red carpets — as Lt. Frank Drebin, Jr. There's a precedent for giving the 'Schindler's List' Oscar nominee the career-pivot gig. When his predecessor Nielsen first appeared in the 'Naked Gun' filmmakers' 'Airplane' in 1980, launching him as the Spoofmaster General, he was considered a serious actor too. But he was Santa Claus next to bloodthirsty Neeson. In the past five years, the Irish actor has made seven movies whose posters show him holding a gun. 4 Pamela Anderson and Neeson have terrific chemistry. AP From the very first scene in the new 'The Naked Gun,' the 'Taken' star takes that cold and intimidating image and blows it to smithereens. Lampooning 'Mission: Impossible,' he enters a bank that's being robbed dressed as a skipping schoolgirl, rips off his mask, miraculously becomes three feet taller and subdues the thugs in an undersized skirt. He bites off the barrel of a gun and chews it. And that's one of the film's more restrained bits. Get ready for the outrageous, steamy magical snowman montage with Neeson and Anderson that's set to 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now' by Starship. The gags are the star — not the story — and the movie is better for it. By the end, I could barely recall most of what actually happened. But, through the tears of laughter, I gathered that Drebin, the hardened son of Nielsen's LA cop, needs to prevent an evil billionaire named Richard Cane (Danny Huston) from unleashing technology on the world that will turn humanity into primal killers. That machine hysterically is called the P.L.O.T. Device. 4 Anderson has had a career renaissance the last several years. AP With Police Squad at risk of closure, Drebin teams up with Anderson's sultry Beth Davenport, who has her own score to settle. The movie's only 85 minutes. Have you ever read a more beautiful sentence? With such a tight runtime, 'The Naked Gun' never relaxes, and pushes the actors to their energetic limits. Not only does Anderson, whose acting renaissance has been an unexpected joy, play up her old 'Baywatch' persona to embody a noir femme fatale. She goes fully bananas. When the pair is trying to steal the P.L.O.T Device from Cane, Beth distracts the baddie in a jazz club by taking the stage and scatting. It's ridiculous. An out-of-body experience. She and Neeson have great chemistry, too, which after recent news reports that they're an item comes as less of a shock. Most vital, both play their parts without winks or self-awareness. It's hard to imagine, but growling Neeson is even more committed to the bit than Nielsen was. 4 The fast-paced movie pushes the actors to their limits. AP Any lingering doubts should be assuaged by the resumes of the 'Naked Gun' team, which are perfectly suited to this style of humor — an assault of absurdity. Schaffer is a member of 'The Lonely Island' ('I'm On A Boat') and 'Family Guy' creator Seth MacFarlane is a producer. You can see their hands in every ridiculous, meticulous joke — even after their movie is over. I normally find post-credit sequences to be a tedious roadblock between me and the bathroom. But here they've crafted one of the best of all time. Nobody in their right mind would reboot 'The Naked Gun.' So, thank God these filmmakers clearly are not in their right mind.
Boston Globe
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
‘The Naked Gun' reboot is as funny as it is unnecessary
After three successful films, Nielsen was so inextricably tied to the role that no one in their right mind would consider rebooting the franchise. Until now, that is. Director Akiva Schaffer (of The Lonely Island, alongside Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone) and his team of co-writers, Doug Mand and Dan Gregor, bring us a new case from the files of 'Police Squad.' As Frank Drebin, Jr., son of Nielsen's hero, they cast Liam Neeson. You may remember him from the 1988 Justine Bateman star vehicle, 'Satisfaction.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up From left: Eddie Yu as Detective Park, Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr., and Paul Walter Hauser as Ed Hocken Jr. Photo Credit: Frank Masi/Frank Masi Advertisement With his gruff demeanor, and penchant for having a particular set of skills in numerous action movies and dramas, Neeson seems like an inappropriate choice for an absurdist comedy. But it helps to remember that, before the ZAZ team cast him in 'Airplane,' Nielsen was mostly known for dramatic and bad guy roles. The fun of watching 'Airplane' back in 1980 was seeing serious actors make complete fools of themselves while keeping a straight face. The allure of that situation made the ZAZ movies even more hilarious. So, casting Liam Neeson continues that fine tradition of hiring people audiences wouldn't expect to be funny. Advertisement At least that's what the filmmakers want you to believe. If you ask me, I say they cast him because Liam Neeson sounds a lot like Leslie Nielsen. Say it with me: 'Nielsen, Neeson, Neeson, Nielsen! Neeson, Nielsen, Nielsen, Neeson!' Confusing, isn't it? I digress. Either I continue to do that, or I make my word count by spoiling all the gags and jokes this reboot crams into its 85-minute runtime. And I'll do it, too, if you complain. Journalistic integrity requires me to be serious, so like Liam Neeson, let me be Frank: Despite being so paint-by-numbers faithful to the first 'Naked Gun' movie's plot beats that you can point them out, this is still pretty damn funny. Schaffer and his team generate enough laughs for you to forgive this film's trespasses. 'Surely, you can't be serious!' you gasp in surprise. I am serious! And you're quoting the wrong movie. 'The Naked Gun' begins with a nod to the Spike Lee-Denzel Washington heist movie, 'Inside Man.' A bank robbery is in progress, and while there are guns and drama in the lobby, the real theft is occurring in the safe deposit box room. An unnamed robber blasts a hole in one of the drawers and steals a contraption that's been conveniently labelled 'P.L.O.T. Device.' Meanwhile, a Girl Scout enters the bank and proceeds to take out all the other bank robbers. Turns out she's Frank Drebin Jr. in disguise! Drebin is so brutal in his violence that the criminals sue Police Squad. The current Chief of Police Squad (CCH Pounder) yells at Drebin, interrupting a ceremony honoring the capture of his 1,000th criminal. Left to right: Paul Walter Hauser, Liam Neeson, and CCH Pounder. Frank Masi Turns out that the robbery has something to do with tech billionaire Richard Cane (Danny Huston). Cane's company makes driverless cars covered with so many lights that they look like rejects from 'Tron.' He's also a stand-in for a certain person whose website's name begins (and ends) with X. Advertisement When Cane's top employee Sam Davenport is killed in one of Cane's driverless cars, Police Squad closes the case as an accident. But Drebin's mind is changed by a slinky blonde name Beth (Pamela Anderson) who may or may not be this film's femme fatale. She is most definitely Sam's sister, and quite possibly a love interest for Drebin. Beth thinks her brother was murdered by Cane, and she's going to do her own investigation—and her own singing. Pamela Anderson as Beth Davenport and Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr. Frank Masi Convinced of Cane's evildoing, Drebin teams up with his partner, Ed (Paul Walter Hauser) to solve the case, despite the fact that Drebin keeps getting thrown off of it due to his antics. Ed is the son of Drebin Sr's partner, Ed (played by George Kennedy in the original films), and Hauser and Neeson inherit a similar buddy cop chemistry from Neeson and Kennedy. Through my laughter, I kept noticing how neatly this film parallels its predecessor. The plot involves mind control, for starters. Both films have cold opens that highlight Drebin's heroics. And they both have inappropriately comic romantic montages set to perky songs: In the original, the scene is set to 'I'm Into Something Good' by Herman's Hermits and features a nod to 'Platoon.' This one uses 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now' and has an homage to the dreadful Michael Fassbender cop mystery, 'The Snowman,' that must be seen to be believed. Advertisement Danny Huston as Richard Cane. Paramount Pictures To his credit, Neeson remains suitably deadpan. The film makes the occasional mistake of spoofing the actor's persona rather than cop movies, but that's forgivable. Anderson has a goofy charm that reminds us that this isn't her first comedy rodeo (she was on 'Home Improvement,' remember?). And Huston leans into the evil that techbros do, never breaking despite the ridiculous things Cane is forced to endure. As the old WWII ads used to say, 'Was this trip really necessary?' It isn't. However, Neeson and his partners in crime makes the journey pleasant enough. The filmmakers even pay tribute to ZAZ by inserting crazy credits into the end credits scroll. (Be sure to read them!) Plus, there's a post-credits sequence that features a well-known celebrity. Nothing will replace the original in your hearts and minds. But you'll still have a good time here. To paraphrase good old Frank Drebin Sr., 'The Naked Gun' has real laughs — without utensils. ★★★ THE NAKED GUN Directed by Akiva Schaffer. Written by Schaffer, Doug Mand, Dan Gregor. Starring Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Danny Huston, CCH Pounder. At AMC Boston Common, Landmark Kendall Square, Alamo Drafthouse Seaport, AMC Causeway, suburbs. 85 min. PG-13 (guns aren't the only naked things on display) Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.
