The Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear (1991)

The Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear

• This is something very hard to beat about Leslie Nielsen, dry humor, and very witty writing. In the world of film sequels, I was very pleasantly surprised by this one. With this kind of humor, it can be very easy to mess up a sequel, or at least not make it anywhere near as good. However, this one is extremely solid, and though it’s not the first Naked Gun, it still feels uniquely hilarious and new. What’s even more impressive is that David Zucker nearly took care of this film himself, with a lack of writing credits from Jerry Zucker and Jim Abraham. I was nervous when I saw their names missing from the writing credits, but David Zucker and Pat Proft stayed strong as ever. The humor is just so…….oh, I don’t even know how to explain it. Dry humor is my favorite humor. The line deliveries are so spot on, with fantastic use of physical props, stunts, and gags. Leslie Nielsen is an absolute genius at what he does, and there’s no way that anyone could’ve brought the monotone yet charming character that is Lt. Frank Drebin. Liam Neeson’s got some big shoes to fill. Of course, this film is about as silly as can be, and very goofy. That’s the point, obviously, but it’s still very stupid. And that’s a compliment in this specific situation. The score by Ira Newborn is also very fun and silly, with a classic 80s cop show sound, that helps set the perfect atmosphere. Overall, this is one of the better sequels out there, and I enjoyed it almost as much as the first. It’s not the first, but it’s close. I would recommend it to all comedy fans. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go watch it now!