# New "Naked Gun" movie starting Liam Neeson **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [April 4, 2025, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612 "2025-04-04T13:16:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/141 "2025-06-22T01:07:03Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > That’s true. I haven’t seen them recently. I saw _Airplane!_ not too long ago and thought it held up. And it’s true that not every joke is going to hit its mark for everybody. Airplane definitely holds up better. Top Secret! does as well because the secret of Top Secret! is that it isn’t mocking spy movies. It’s really about making movies in general; many of the jokes are movie-making related jokes. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/142 "2025-06-22T01:07:04Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Have you seen the naked gun movies recently? I think nostalgia can be a factor, as a lot of the jokes are probably dumber than you remember. That’s ok. I’m dumber than I remember. ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/143 "2025-06-22T03:39:03Z")
I enjoyed the TV series Police Squad and while the Naked Gun movies were ok, I didn’t like that they changed Drebbin into a Clouseau type character. The new movie looks like it is getting away from that and returning to the deadpan acting from the series and Airplane. So, as of now, I’m looking forward to seeing it. Also, I’ll add the ‘take a chair’ scene would have fit perfectly with the series. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/144 "2025-06-22T15:10:21Z")
I think people are slightly over rating the old naked gun movies. They certainly weren’t on the level of Airplane type comedy, just funny in their own right. ---
**Author:** ![FluffyBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@FluffyBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FluffyBob)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/145 "2025-06-22T18:57:22Z")
Police Squad was far superior but didn’t last. The Naked Gun movies dropped a lot of the dryness and hammed it up with more clownery a less deadpan absurdity. I like the movies a lot, and they are fun. They have their moments that are more true to the series style but the series was way funnier to me. Peter Lupus was a great Nordberg. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/146 "2025-06-23T09:20:26Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Have you seen the naked gun movies recently? I think nostalgia can be a factor, as a lot of the jokes are probably dumber than you remember. “Nice beaver.” ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/147 "2025-06-23T10:23:40Z")
There are a couple of decent gags in the trailer (the OJ Simpson one for example), but it looks like this is not quite the same genre of movie as the originals and the delivery and timing of even the gags in the trailer seemed strained and stiff. The trailer is supposed to be the highlights, so this doesn’t bode well. Leslie Nielsen did it so naturally; impossible to follow that really. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/148 "2025-06-23T10:55:21Z")
> [@planetcory](#): > > It’s the reason Br’er Rabbit stories exist alongside African tales of Anansi. There’s actually several African trickster rabbit figures as well as the spider. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/149 "2025-06-23T16:16:49Z")
Leslie Nielson was born on February 11, 1926. Liam Neeson was born on June 7, 1952. So it’s not that strange that a character played by Neeson could be the son of a character played by Nielson. You’d have to assume that he had Neeson’s character as a son before the first movie. This was never mentioned in the first movie. Neilson was 62, 65, and 68 when his three movies in the franchise came out. Liam Neeson will be 73 when his movie in the franchise comes out. Actually, all those ages are rather old for a working policeman. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/150 "2025-06-23T17:07:48Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > “Nice beaver.” Thanks, I just had it stuffed. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/151 "2025-06-23T18:52:33Z")
> [@Hermione1](#): > > The original Police Squad series and Naked Gun movies were very much in the spirit of the cop shows/movies of the time (just look at the Police Squad opening credits) More like the cop shows of the late 50’s/ early 60’s , in particular [M-Squad](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M_Squad). [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LmYXFB2VPV0/hqdefault.jpg ""M Squad" TV Intro") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmYXFB2VPV0) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/152 "2025-06-23T21:10:34Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > There are a couple of decent gags in the trailer (the OJ Simpson one for example), but it looks like this is not quite the same genre of movie as the originals and the delivery and timing of even the gags in the trailer seemed strained and stiff. That’s what struck me, too. The OJ gag was funny, but once after we caught the joke, the actor continued to look out at the audience and shake his head. Like, we got it the first time. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/153 "2025-06-23T23:24:43Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > once after we caught the joke, the actor continued to look out at the audience and shake his head. Might be one of those “laugh line pauses” they add so the copious audience guffaws don’t drown out the next line. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/154 "2025-06-24T01:44:16Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Might be one of those “laugh line pauses” they add so the copious audience guffaws don’t drown out the next line Sounds likely. ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/155 "2025-06-24T06:34:27Z")
Who is this Lee person and why should we care if that sounds like them? ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/156 "2025-06-24T07:01:28Z")
Surely you’re joking! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/157 "2025-06-24T07:04:16Z")
I thought the 4th wall break was not bad in itself, but it wasn’t at all subtle and I think the subtlety and balance is the thing this movie is struggling to understand and replicate. The ‘take a seat’ gag, for example - I feel fairly sure in the original Police Squad this would have been played so that the person picks up the chair and quickly and quietly vanishes from shot - if you missed it, you missed the joke; you should be paying attention, or maybe you’ll notice next time you watch. In this movie, the line is ‘take a **chair** ’ (as though the audience won’t connect ‘take a seat’ to what follows) the character picks up the chair and we have a whole shot of the chair being dragged noisily out of the door and down the hall; it’s like they assumed the audience not only want a joke, but they also need the joke to be laboriously pointed out and explained to them; maybe some of the audience _does_ need that, but it spoils the impact of the joke for anyone who is paying proper attention and got it the first time. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/158 "2025-06-24T07:19:40Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > The ‘take a seat’ gag, for example Yep, that one was the biggest example of dumbing it down that I remember. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/159 "2025-06-24T07:33:29Z")
Wow. Check this out. In Stereo! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/lvotUunsEjQ/maxresdefault.jpg "M Squad (1957-1960) & Police Squad! (1982) Side-by-Side comparison") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvotUunsEjQ) ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/160 "2025-06-24T11:09:17Z")
Dang! I knew _Airplane!_ was based heavily on _Zero Hour_ but I didn’t know _Police Squad_ was tracking another, serious show. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612.md?page=9)