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

Director:

Peter Segal

Writers (WGA):

Jim Abrahams (television series Police Squad)
Pat Proft (written by) ...

Release Date:

18 March 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

A Mad Bomber Is On The Loose, And If Anyone Can Stop Him....So Can Frank!

Plot:

Frank Drebin comes out of retirement to help Police Squad infiltrate a gang of terrorists planning to detonate a bomb at the Academy Awards.

Plot Keywords:

Academy Awards Ceremony | Bomb | Prison | Oscars | Police

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Leslie Nielsen	...	Lt. Frank Drebin
Priscilla Presley	...	Jane Spencer
George Kennedy	...	Ed Hocken
O.J. Simpson	...	Nordberg
Fred Ward	...	Rocco
Kathleen Freeman	...	Muriel
Anna Nicole Smith	...	Tanya
Ellen Greene	...	Louise
Ed Williams	...	Ted Olsen
Raye Birk	...	Papshmir
Matt Roe	...	Clayton
Wylie Small	...	Defense Attorney
Sharon Cornell	...	Stenographer
Earl Boen	...	Dr. Eisendrath
Jeff Wright	...	Store Manager

Also Known As:

Naked Gun 33 1/3: Just for the Record (USA) (working title)
The Naked Gun III (USA) (trailer title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for off-color humor.

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Brazil:Livre (DVD rating) | Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-10/7 | Germany:12 | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:10 | Peru:PT | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles County Municipal Courts Building - 110 N. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

On the day of shooting for the 1970s flashback shootout, George Kennedy had come down with pneumonia. He was so ill that he couldn't even walk. To make sure the scene was shot, the director had Kennedy sit on a bar stool for his entire part in the scene. Notice when Frank meets Ed, Ed never gets up from his stool. When Ed is supposed to leave, leaving Frank alone with Tanya, Kennedy simply just leaned back out of the shot to create the illusion of his character getting up and leaving.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Frank arrives home for his "special evening," there's an old portrait hanging next to the front door. A few minutes later when Jane leaves, it's a similar, but different, portrait.

Quotes:

Ed Hocken: We heard about you and Jane.
Frank Drebin: Jane, Jane. That name will always remind me of her.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Jurassic Park (1993)

Soundtrack:

99 Bottles Of Beer Boogie

A lesser showing for the second sequel

So, here we are then, with the third part of the very silly 'Naked Gun' series. For some reason, David Zucker isn't in the director's chair this time; and his replacement is the man who would go on to direct the 2004 disappointment '50 First Dates' a decade later; Peter Segal. This doesn't matter, though, because Zucker still shares a writing credit, and the series always belonged to Leslie Nielson anyway. Still, this third part isn't as good as the first two, by quite a margin. The story is less expansive this round, and the film is also a lot shorter (probably a comment on the fact that the writers were running out of ideas...), but it still has it's moments that are really funny. As usual, quite a few of the jokes don't work, but there's usually one that does just around the corner after a failed one. One sequence in particular involving Frank Drebin in a dance number is one such moment.

The thin plot is mostly a parody on the crime classic 'White Heat', and it involves Frank Drebin going undercover in jail and eventually having to try and thwart an act of terrorism. Naturally, this is just a springboard for lots and lots of gags, but that's no bad thing. Leslie Nielson approaches the role with the usual gusto, and does well with it again. Leslie Nielson's comedy works because he looks so ridiculous, and he can just stand around doing nothing and make you laugh. The Naked Gun series is a good waste of time if all you want is a laugh and this second sequel delivers on that front too, although not in quite as good a way as the first two did. Still, there's a lot worse comedies around.