The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991)

Director:

David Zucker

Writers (WGA):

Jim Abrahams (television series Police Squad) &
David Zucker (television series "Police Squad") ...

Release Date:

28 June 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Frank Drebin is back. Just accept it.

Plot:

Lieutenant Drebin discovers that his ex-girlfriend's new beau is involved in a plot to kidnap a scientist who advocates solar energy.

Plot Keywords:

Symbolic Sex | Refrigerator | Timebomb | Balcony | Gun

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Leslie Nielsen	...	Lt. Frank Drebin
Priscilla Presley	...	Jane Spencer
George Kennedy	...	Captain Ed Hocken
O.J. Simpson	...	Nordberg
Robert Goulet	...	Quentin Hapsburg
Richard Griffiths	...	Dr. Albert S. Meinheimer / Earl Hacker
Jacqueline Brookes	...	Commissioner Anabell Brumford
Anthony James	...	Hector Savage
Lloyd Bochner	...	Terence Baggett
Tim O'Connor	...	Donald Fenswick
Peter Mark Richman	...	Arthur Dunwell
Ed Williams	...	Ted Olsen
John Roarke	...	President George Bush
Margery Ross	...	First Lady Barbara Bush
Peter Van Norden	...	Chief of Staff John Sununu

Also Known As:

The Naked Gun 2 1/2 (Canada: English title)
The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles Harbor, San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

'Weird Al' Yankovic has a brief role as a thug who holds the police at the precinct at gunpoint. In the scene, he says, "Ok, Pigs, say your prayers!" followed by Frank slamming the door open and knocking Yankovic's character to the floor. Yankovic said it took more than 20 takes to get the scene done, and that after about 16 takes his leg had turned "a nice shade of purple". The stunt coordinator asked Yankovic at that point if he wanted to wear some padding. Yankovic also recalled that O.J. Simpson felt sorry for him.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Crew member visible in the lower left corner operating "Hector Savage" when he is swelling up with the water.

Quotes:

Quentin Hapsburg: Any final requests, Lieutenant?
Lt. Frank Drebin: Er, yes... Can I have the gun?
Quentin Hapsburg: Ohh no! I'm not going to fall for that one!

Movie Connections:

Featured in 1992 MTV Movie Awards (1992) (TV)

Soundtrack:

I GUESS I'M JUST SCREWED

More of the same, but it's welcome

I'm not a big fan of spoof comedy. It's hard to spoof something effectively as there's lots of room for error, and I find that most of them don't do the job effectively. However, the original Naked Gun is one huge exception, and I found myself laughing throughout. Through it's big gags, coupled with smaller, subtler humour; The Naked Gun is a success that's fun for everyone. The sequel is pretty much more of the same, and although there isn't as many gags that work as there were in the first one; I don't doubt that this will delight most viewers. The plot? What plot? Well, there is one (sort of) and it deals with a maniacal madman that owns nuclear power and kidnaps an environmentalist so he cant tell the president of a new way to help the environment by utilising solar power. Or something.

As you probably guessed, the plot is completely irrelevant and only serves as a springboard for a tour-de-force of gag-based comedy. Naturally, the movie is completely forgettable and even though I only saw it a couple of hours ago; I've forgotten most of it already. I haven't forgotten everything though, and the big gag highlights included the accident prone 'Nordberg' finding himself on the way to Detroit while stuck under a bus and a hilarious sequence that sees Leslie Nielson unwittingly unleash a load of animals from the zoo. However, as was the case with the last film; it's the smaller gags that are funnier, some of which are rib-tickling hilarious. Leslie Nielson, as you might expect, approaches his role with gusto and obviously had a good time making the movie. He's on top form as the rather silly police officer at the centre of the tale, and this is definitely the part he was born to play.

Like I say, this movie isn't brilliant and it's largely forgettable. However, it's also a lot of fun and will be liked by anyone that doesn't go into it expecting a life-affirming piece of poetry.