The Naked Gun (1988)

The Naked Gun (1988): From the Files of Police Squad!

🕵️‍♂️ The OG absurd cop parody that made slapstick a divine art form.

🎥 Let’s start by showing y’all the trailers, shall we?

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⚠️ Content Warning: Problematic Humor Ahead

While The Naked Gun (1988) is widely celebrated for its slapstick genius and nonstop absurdity, it was also made in an era where “anything for a laugh” often meant punching down. Viewers today should be aware that the film contains:

Outdated jokes about gender and sexuality

Casual racism in some blink-and-you’ll-miss-it gags

Inappropriate handling of police violence played for laughs

And of course, the awkward reality that O.J. Simpson plays a major role — which hits different now, for… obvious reasons.

This film doesn’t tiptoe around offensive topics — it drives a clown car straight through them. Watch with that in mind, and know that while the jokes are rapid-fire and legendary, some haven’t aged as gracefully as others.

📜 Non-Spoiler Rundown

Before Scary Movie, Airplane!, or Brooklyn Nine-Nine, there was The Naked Gun, a fever dream of slapstick absurdity starring the late, great Leslie Nielsen as the clueless but well-meaning Detective Frank Drebin. It’s based on the short-lived TV show Police Squad! but works perfectly as a standalone film — even if you’ve never seen the show.

This is the movie that made deadpan comedy its own martial art. Every frame is jam-packed with puns, pratfalls, background gags, and fourth-wall-breaking nonsense. You could watch it 15 times and still find something new every time.

Oh — and yes, we have to address the elephant in the room: O.J. Simpson plays Officer Nordberg. He’s part of the main cast. It’s jarring in hindsight, but back in 1988, he was just a retired football star dabbling in acting. Now… yeah. It hits different.

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🎭 Iconic Moments (There Are So Many, But Here’s 3)

1. “Nothing to see here!”
An entire building is exploding behind Frank Drebin, and he’s flailing his arms yelling “Move along! Nothing to see here!” as chaos rains down.
It’s physical comedy perfection.

2. The Queen Scene
During a baseball game attended by Queen Elizabeth II, Frank ends up disguised as an opera singer and eventually as an umpire, yelling “Strike!” with wild interpretive dances. It’s so chaotic, it makes Looney Tunes look like Law & Order.

3. The Condom Scene
Drebin and Jane (Priscilla Presley) share a romantic moment. Then we cut to them both in full-body condoms — like giant latex balloons. No warning. Just cartoonish, safe-sex nonsense.

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✅ Pros

Slapstick done right

Every line is quotable

Leslie Nielsen’s timing is chef’s kiss

The film never pauses to explain its jokes — they just keep coming

Short runtime, big laughs

❌ Cons

If you’re not into rapid-fire physical comedy or sight gags, this might exhaust you

Background details move so fast you might feel like you missed half the movie

O.J. Simpson being there does age poorly, no getting around that

🏁 Final Thoughts

This film is a time capsule of when comedy didn’t pull punches — or wheelchairs. It’s chaotic, relentless, and genuinely hilarious. Sure, it has aged in weird ways (hi O.J.), but the jokes still land 90% of the time with sniper precision.

If you’ve never seen it, go fix that. Immediately.

🧼 Rating: 10/10 – A pristine banana peel of comedy gold.

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⚠️ Spoilers Ahead – Ragdoll Escalation Alert

Let’s talk about that ending.

After all the chaos — a royal assassination plot, a fake opera performance, a baseball game turned hostage scenario — it wraps up at a stadium where Frank reunites with the gang. O.J. Simpson’s character Nordberg is in a full-body cast and wheelchair due to being repeatedly maimed throughout the film.

A character tells Frank something heartwarming, like,
“You’re lucky to have a friend like him.”

Frank, with the emotional intelligence of a squirrel, nods — then gives Nordberg a casual pat on the shoulder.

That pat sends Nordberg’s wheelchair rolling backwards… down a flight of stairs… flipping, bouncing, and ragdolling through the air. No music. No warning. Just pure visual chaos.

Then — the final cherry on top — his limp body launches off the final railing into the middle of the baseball field like a ragdoll shot from a cannon.