Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult

Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994)

Runtime: 83 minutes

Directed by:  Peter Segal

People Who Acted in the Movie: The usual crew, plus the likes of Fred Ward, Kathleen Freeman and Anna Nicole Smith

From: Paramount

I did NOT remember that this had a silly sight gag which was also a trans joke. While not egregious like what we got in another ’94 comedy (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective) it still hasn’t aged too well. Even with that noted, I was glad to have seen this before it left Prime after Tuesday. Like with the first two in the series, this movie was watched as a kid although it wasn’t until the past few months that they finally received a revisit after probably 25 years plus.

The plot-while not as strong-at least was different from two, which seemed like a Xerox of the first. This time, as Frank Drebin and Jane are married-although she isn’t happy that they don’t have any children yet-Frank has to return to Police Squad as a terrorist is planning on blowing up a high-profile target. Thus, he has to go undercover in prison. That’s really as complicated as it gets.

There are still laughs to be had in this parody; the gags are exactly what you expect if you know the first two films… including some ribald and risqué moments. Me being old means that all the references that were topical in ’94 were still remembered by me. There are plenty of familiar faces that have small roles (everyone from R. Lee Ermey and Randall “Tex” Cobb to Julie Strain and Earl Boen; then, there are many more in all the time spent at the Academy Awards. For certain, I really only remembered Raquel Welch’s fun turn as herself. One big realization: Anna Nicole Smith having her personal demons is a real shame; she was memorable as the femme fatale here.

What happened with OJ a few months after this was released (March of ’94) made it obvious that there wouldn’t be a 4th one of these. In any case, stopping while they were ahead and avoiding the curse of the third movie in a series being rotten or otherwise a big downgrade from what preceded it… that is a win, along with this never devolving into one of those atrocious “parody” movies that are the only ones we get in the 21st century.