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10 Demi Moore movies ranked from worst to best(Photo Credit –Instagram)

Over the years, Demi Moore has emerged as one of the most successful actresses in Hollywood. After a two-year hiatus, Moore returned to the spotlight with immense acclaim for her performance in the award-winning film The Substance. Let us revisit 10 of Demi Moore’s movies, ranked from worst to best per their Rotten Tomatoes score.

10. Striptease Streaming On: Prime Video, Apple TV+ Rt Score: 13% Director: Andrew Bergman

Striptease marked a milestone movie for Demi Moore’s career as the actress received a hefty salary of $12.5 million for her role. While her salary became the talk of the town, the...

Paramount+ viewers have been busy this week, with a lineup that blends brand new exclusives, recent box office heavyweights, and evergreen comedy favorites. The mix spans adult animation events, action thrillers, and cult comedies, which means there is something for just about every taste across the service’s movie shelf.

Below is a quick tour of the ten titles that people pressed play on the most. You will find franchise entries that expand long running worlds, adaptations rooted in bestselling books, and star driven vehicles from some very familiar names in Hollywood.

10. ‘South Park: Joining the Panderverse’ (2023) MTV Entertainment Studios

This Paramount+ exclusive event from the ‘South Park’ team continues the standalone special format created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The special features the core voice cast and extends the world of ‘South Park’ beyond the standard season structure with an extended story built for streaming.

Produced by South Park Studios...

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The "Naked Gun" movies are some of the best comedies of all time, with Leslie Nielsen's escapades as the dim-witted detective Frank Drebin still celebrated to this day. His performances in the spoof flicks are masterclasses in deadpan comedy, proving that some of the best laughs come from people who act as if they aren't aware of the joke. Fast forward to 2025, and the franchise has been rebooted with Liam Neeson playing Frank's son. Not only that, but the new "Naked Gun" earned rave reviews upon release, with critics praising its delightful stupidity.

Given that the franchise is primarily known for the aforementioned flicks, it is easy to overlook the fact that they all spawned from a TV series called "Police Squad!" Created by Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and David Zucker, the series originally aired on ABC in 1982, only...

Before his untimely death in 1982, John Belushi was set to appear on the hilarious Leslie Nielsen TV series that spawned the Naked Gun movies. A comedy icon, Belushi made his name on the late-night show "Saturday Night Live," which marked his first televised appearance with comedy partner Dan Aykroyd. Out of their time together on "SNL," the two developed the Blues Brothers characters, as whom they released a chart-topping platinum album and the comedy movie, "The Blues Brothers." Belushi was also known for his roles in movies such as "Animal House," Amblin Entertainment's debut feature "Continental Divide," and "Neighbors."

A credit Belushi never ultimately received was for an appearance on "Police Squad!" This cult classic comedy series, created by the legendary trio of Jim Abrahams and brothers David and Jerry Zucker, only ran for six episodes before it was canceled by ABC. While network executives apparently didn't appreciate the series' non-stop quickfire humor,...

This article contains spoilers for every "Naked Gun" movie (Especially "Naked Gun 3" through "Naked Gun 32")

Prior to 1980, Leslie Nielsen would often be associated with more dramatic roles in movies such as "Forbidden Planet" and "The Poseidon Adventure," in addition to a slew of guest spots across every manner of television show. But that all changed when Wisconsin comedy trio David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker (otherwise known as Zaz) cast him as Dr. Rumack in "Airplane" -- otherwise celebrated as one of the greatest comedies of all time. Nielsen possessed a sneaky advantage over more traditional comic actors due to his stature as a serious performer who said his lines as if he wasn't trying to get a laugh. The deadpan delivery of, "I am serious, and don't call me Shirley," single-handedly altered the trajectory of Nielsen's career, thrusting him into almost exclusively comic roles across slapstick heavy spoof movies like "Wrongfully Accused,...

Akiva Schaffer's new film "The Naked Gun" is the fourth entry in the "Naked Gun" movie series. The franchise began in 1980 with the short-lived slapstick TV show "Police Squad!," starring Leslie Nielsen as police detective Frank Drebin. Nielsen played the part completely straight (he was a stone-faced Joe Friday type), which was a marvelous juxtaposition to the absurd sight gags around him. "Police Squad!" was co-created by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker, the masterminds behind comedy classics like "The Kentucky Fried Movie" and "Airplane!" Sadly, the series was too funny to live, and "Police Squad!" was canceled after only six episodes.

However, the series lived on among a cult comedy crowd, and there was enough interest in 1988 to expand the property into a feature film titled "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" By then, the world was ready, and the movie was a huge hit,...

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Who would have wondered that Liam Neeson would be the perfect son to Leslie Nielsen‘s hilariously chaotic cop, Frank Drebin, in an all-new The Naked Gun? The 2025 film follows Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr, who must solve a hilariously convoluted case to stop his police department from shutting down. The Naked Gun also stars Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Danny Huston, Cch Pounder, and Kevin Durand. So, if you loved the hilarious comedy, never-ending jokes, and entertaining characters in The Naked Gun, here are some similar movies you should check out next.

The Other Guys (Netflix & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Sony Pictures

The Other Guys is a buddy cop action comedy film directed by Adam McKay, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Chris Henchy. The 2010 film follows Terry and Allen, two overlooked cops who must work together...

Every episode of the 1982 Jerry Zucker/Jim Abrahams/David Zucker comedy series "Police Squad!" featured a special guest star. The first episode, "A Substantial Gift (The Broken Promise)," featured a special appearance by Lorne Greene. The second episode, "Ring of Fear (A Dangerous Assignment)," featured Georg Stanford Brown. The third episode, "The Butler Did It (A Bird in the Hand)," starred Robert Goulet. Most fun for Trekkies was episode four, "Revenge and Remorse (The Guilty Alibi)," which featured a post "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" William Shatner. The final two episodes featured Florence Henderson in "Rendezvous at Big Gulch (Terror in the Neighborhood)" and William Conrad in "Testimony of Evil (Dead Men Don't Laugh)." And that was it; the series only lasted six episodes.

The gag with all the celebrity cameos on "Police Squad!" was that the stars never lived past the opening credits. Lorne Green was merely pushed out...

Original The Naked Gundirector David Zucker responds to the reboot film's opening weekend results.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, original director David Zucker espoused his support for the film following its nearly $30 million opening weekend. "I'm excited about it because it just shows that there's a strong market for comedy in movie theaters, and spoof in particular," Zucker said. "People are liking it, which is great."

Zucker went on to sing high praises for current The Naked Gun director and The Lonely Island member Akiva Schaffer, saying, "I really like the director, and I just couldn't wish him more well. I texted him already, saying, 'I hear the reviews are great, and it's tracking well.' He was very happy to hear from me, and we'll probably get together later in the month when the smoke clears." Despite his open support of Schaffer's vision, Zucker did note that he has...

When the great Leslie Nielsen made the media rounds in 1996, promoting his James Bond spoof, Spy Hard, everyone wanted to know one thing. Was he shocked when O.J. Simpson was arrested for murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and Ron Goldman, and did he think he was guilty? Ever the Canadian gent, Nielsen retired the ever-present fart machine he enjoyed using in interviews, and tried to give a thoughtful answer. Basically, he said that the Oj he knew on set from the three Naked Gun movies they did together never gave him an inkling that he would be capable of murder, although, to read between the lines of his answer, it was clear Nielsen likely had serious doubts as to his innocence.

Indeed, when The Naked Gun 33 1/3rd came out on March 18th 1994, no one who went to see it – and I was one of them – would have ever thought that three months later,...

This article contains spoilers for "The Naked Gun."

In Nicole Kidman's version of the cinephile's pledge of allegiance, we come to movie theaters to laugh, to cry, and to care, yet we don't seem to be doing much of the first part. To be fair, there have been several great theatrical comedies released over the past five years like the screamingly funny slapstick epic "Hundreds of Beavers," but they've rarely come from major studios. There are, of course, exceptions like "Barbie" or the miniature success of "No Hard Feelings," but otherwise, recent studio comedies have gone underseen, been relegated to streaming, or simply not been made. A comedy like 2023's extremely funny "Joy Ride" simply isn't treated with the same fervor as a blockbuster action movie. But if there's one film this year that possesses the power to hopefully change that tide, it's "The Naked Gun."

Ethan Anderton's overwhelmingly...

Liam Neeson plays Frank Drebin Jr. in The Naked Gun from Paramount Pictures. © 2025 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved

Liam Neeson is stepping into some legendary shoes with the new Naked Gun reboot. Much like Leslie Nielsen in the original films, the Zaz team — director David Zucker and co‑writers Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker — once transformed a dramatic actor into a comedic icon, and now Neeson is taking on that same challenge.

Now, history is repeating itself with Liam Neeson taking on the role of Frank Drebin Jr. in the new Naked Gun reboot. Like Nielsen before him, Neeson has built a career on drama and high‑octane action, but very little comedy. And, just as it did with Nielsen, playing against type makes Neeson’s performance even funnier than audiences might expect.

So why did the acclaimed actor choose to take on such an unexpected role at this point in his career?...

This article contains spoilers for "The Naked Gun."

Theatrically released studio comedies (and especially spoof movies) have become somewhat of a dying art in the 2020s, with most of them either being relegated to die on a streaming service, being released by independent distributors, or flopping at the box office. It's a bummer because anyone who's seen a great comedy in a movie theater knows the power of laughing with an audience. It's the only kind of communal experience in which people making sounds is a good sign. You have to wonder if there's any movie that could get the genre out of its slump. As of this week, there is! I can't tell you how good it feels to have a new "Naked Gun" movie where everyone can laugh at the universal truths of a snowman threesome, a shotgun being pulled out of Pamela Anderon's hair, and the best...

The original Naked Gun films are back in the spotlight, thanks to Liam Neeson’s reboot, where he plays Frank Drebin Jr. But before you watch him fumble at crime scenes, it’s time to visit the original iconic trilogy, and all its films are now available to stream on Paramount+.

The Naked Gun movies turned Leslie Nielsen into a comedy legend because they had the perfect mix of slapstick chaos and deadpan humor. Moreover, they laid the groundwork for modern parodies. So, here’s how you can relive the madness, and also get a new taste of it when Neeson’s version releases on streaming platforms!

Where to Watch Leslie Nielsen’s Hilarious The Naked Gun Trilogy Leslie Nielsen in Naked Gun 33 ⅓: The Final Insult: The Final Result | Credits: Paramount Pictures

Leslie Nielsen’s portrayal of a well-meaning lieutenant named Frank Drebin in The Naked Gun series is unmatched.

Long before making the 2025 “The Naked Gun” reboot, writer/director Akiva Schaffer was a student of the original spoof films, “Airplane!” (1980), “Top Secret”(1984), and “The Naked Gun” (1988). There were rules to those Zaz films, one of which was casting classically trained dramatic actors — but acting wasn’t the only thing they played straight.

“This whole thing that they invented with ‘Airplane’ — I might be wrong, maybe someone did it before them — but what Zaz was doing that was so special was all dramatic actors and the dramatic story, and then treating everything – wardrobe, lighting, sets — as the dramatic version,” said Schaffer. “That’s tpart I was definitely taking with me into this one.”

When Schaffer was on this week’s episode of the Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, he explained how leaning into the gravitas (and persona) of Liam Neeson, seemingly unaware of the absurdity of what he was saying or doing,...

This post contains spoilers for "The Naked Gun" (2025).

Other than starring in the beloved sitcom "Cheers" as fact-spouting mailman Cliff Clavin, actor John Ratzenberger is probably best known for making repeated voice cameos in the many films of Pixar Animation. Ratzenberger has appeared in almost all of Pixar's movies in some kind of minor voice role, though his presence in them has waned recently, with "Luca," "Turning Red," "Lightyear," "Elemental," and "Elio" missing his presence as a sort of good luck charm. Thankfully, we have another cameo tradition that has just picked up steam again, thanks to the release of the "Naked Gun" reboot.

For those who may not recall, in addition to delivering endless slapstick bits, meta laughs, and silly puns, there's one prominent constant that has popped up in every previous installment of the "Naked Gun" film franchise, and he goes by the name "Weird Al" Yankovic.

If you had grown up with the original “Naked Gun” trilogy (1988-1994) like writer/director Akiva Schaffer, chances are you, too, would’ve thought a 2025 franchise reboot was a horrible idea.

Schaffer, 47, watched the original “Naked Gun” countless times in middle and high school, but his “trepidation and pessimism” when he got a call about the remake went beyond the typical kneejerk nostalgia to protect a cherished childhood memory. The “SNL” and Lonely Island alum is as serious a student of spoofs as anyone in comedy, and it was his considerable professional opinion that a reboot was a fool’s errand.

“I definitely thought it was a bad idea,” said Schaffer when he was a guest on this week’s episode of IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast to discuss his new “The Naked Gun.” “The first movie, specifically, is a perfect movie. It’s almost a magic trick. Every time...

Comedy is back in theaters in a big way this weekend with the arrival of the "Naked Gun" reboot. This time, Liam Neeson stars in the spoof comedy as Frank Drebin Jr., son of Leslie Nielsen's detective character form the original parody franchise, and director Akiva Shaffer is at the helm, keeping the spirit of the beloved comedy film series alive while also injecting it with just enough modern flare to keep it fresh.

Tackling such a revered property is no easy feat, and even Shaffer himself was skeptical that a reboot of "The Naked Gun" was even possible. But the casting of Neeson is what helped bring everything together for him, and it was off to the races. However, even with Neeson in the lead role, there was still quite the challenge of satisfying longtime spoof fans while updating things for a new audience, a hurdle that is...

If you like your coffee black, like your men. If you speak jive. If you know a hospital is a building with patients in it. Then it sounds, to us, like you know exactly what kind of movie you like, and you'reready for the absurd genius that is Airplane!, now streaming on Pluto TV. Released in 1980, Airplane! is more than just a spoof — it’s one of the sharpest, silliest, and most relentlessly quotable comedies ever made. Written and directed by the iconic trio of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker (collectively known as Zaz), the film is a near shot-for-shot remake of the 1957 drama Zero Hour!, only reimagined as pure comedy. And not just a comedy — it's the comedy, the one that redefined what cinematic parody could be.

The genius of Airplane! isn’t just in its jokes (though there are thousands) — it’s in how straight they’re delivered.

In the early 1980s, Jim Abrahams and brothers David and Jerry Zucker pioneered a niche of slapstick- and wordplay-heavy spoof-comedies with films like Airplane! and Top Secret!, which displayed straight-faced silliness as a creative modus operandi. Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker (or Zaz) also produced the short-lived ABC TV series Police Squad!, which parodied police procedurals and starred Leslie Nielsen as the inept, overconfident Detective Frank Drebin. After Police Squad!’s cancellation, Zaz took Nielsen’s Drebin character and molded him for the big screen with The Naked Gun film franchise, where the trio’s patented mile-a-minute visual gags could flourish on a wider […]

The post “The Whole Movie is Doing an Impression of the Genre”: Akiva Schaffer on The Naked Gun first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

In the early 1980s, Jim Abrahams and brothers David and Jerry Zucker pioneered a niche of slapstick- and wordplay-heavy spoof-comedies with films like Airplane! and Top Secret!, which displayed straight-faced silliness as a creative modus operandi. Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker (or Zaz) also produced the short-lived ABC TV series Police Squad!, which parodied police procedurals and starred Leslie Nielsen as the inept, overconfident Detective Frank Drebin. After Police Squad!’s cancellation, Zaz took Nielsen’s Drebin character and molded him for the big screen with The Naked Gun film franchise, where the trio’s patented mile-a-minute visual gags could flourish on a wider […]

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This article contains spoilers for "The Naked Gun."

I've watched the original "Naked Gun" trilogy more times than I can count. Leslie Nielsen as the bumbling police detective Frank Drebin is by far the actor's greatest comedic role, and one whose deadpan delivery rarely fails to make me laugh. Nielsen's absence, as well as zero input from David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker (otherwise known as Zaz), always gave me pause whenever hearing word of a reboot on the horizon. As of this week, however, it brings me so much joy to know I can add Akiva Schaffer's exuberantly silly legacy sequel to the roster. /Film's Ethan Anderton gave "The Naked Gun" a glowing review as the funniest movie of the year, and I couldn't agree more.

Lonely Island alum Schaffer, along with producer Seth MacFarlane and co-writers Dan Gregor & Doug Mand, honor the spirit of Zaz's zany sense of humor,...

The Naked Gun has broken a Rotten Tomatoes audience score record after more than three decades. The new comedy movie stars Liam Neeson as wacky cop Frank Drebin Jr. and acts as a legacy sequel to the original Naked Gun trilogy, which ran from 1988 through 1994, starring Airplane's Leslie Nielsen as Lt. Frank Drebin.

Drebin is a character who originated in the 1982 series Police Squad!, which was created by Airplane's David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker and only ran for one six-episode season. Previously, glowing The Naked Gun reviews earned the sequel a Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score of 90% from critics, which is the best for any movie in the franchise.

Rotten Tomatoes has aggregated an official Popcornmeter score for The Naked Gun now that it has more than 100 verified user reviews. Although its 87% Popcornmeter score is slightly lower than its Tomatometer score, it still marks the best audience score...

As his turn in cop-comedy reboot brings rave reviews, we look back on the actor’s varied career, from Schindler’s List to Star Wars and, of course, Taken

Liam Neeson may have gained pop-culture immortality for his gravelly growl of a certain line of dialogue in the 2008 hostage thriller Taken – “I don’t have money, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills” – but the release of his new film, a reboot of the classic spoof cop movie The Naked Gun represents another remarkable turn in Neeson’s distinguished career, which has taken in heavyweight prestige dramas, historical biopics, blockbusting science fiction, superhero epics and head-cracking action cinema.

In The Naked Gun, Neeson has for the first time taken the lead role in an out-and-out comedy. He plays Frank Drebin Jr, the police-detective son of Leslie Nielsen’s Frank Drebin in the original. Created by...

This article contains spoilers for "The Naked Gun."

As legacy sequels have been all the rage over the last couple of decades, it's become common for the stars of the original films to turn up in a years (or decades) later installment. In some cases, they return in an even more increased capacity, such as Michael Keaton's titular ghost with the most in "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice." In most, however, the legacy characters are around to help pass the torch to a newer group of heroes. See, for example, "The Force Awakens" and the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy, "Tron Legacy," "Creed," "Scream," and so on. Then there's the issue of a legacy sequel wanting to use characters who were played by actors who have since passed on. A few films have problematically delved into digital necromancy in order to achieve the desired effect of characters continuing on despite their actors' deaths,...

This article contains spoilers for "The Naked Gun."

It almost seemed like a grave mistake to revive a long dormant franchise whose comedic identity revolves around the impossible-to-recreate screen presence of Leslie Nielsen, but rest assured, it's a glorious new day for "The Naked Gun" series. In the Akiva Schaffer-directed reboot of the same name, Liam Neeson embraces his sillier side as Frank Drebin Jr., the equally destructive offspring of Nielsen's character. After spending the latter half of his film career playing older tough guys, Neeson gets to channel that energy into an incredibly funny performance that honors his cinematic daddy without outright copying him. His comedic turns in "The Lego Movie," "A Million Ways to Die in the West" and a scene-stealing cameo in "Ted 2" were all warm-ups for a film that could easily guide Neeson into the next phase of his career. But he's not...

This article contains major spoilers for "The Naked Gun."

In addition to spoofing classic movies and TV shows with silly slapstick gags and meta jokes in films like "Airplane!" and "The Naked Gun" franchise, the filmmaking trio of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker (also known as Zaz) also brought another trademark bit to their feature films.

In recent years, credits have drummed up more attention because of the increased likelihood of seeing credits scenes, mostly thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (though credits scenes were around long before Marvel Studios). However, fans of Zaz comedy productions know that the scrolling text giving credit to everyone who worked on the film was also another opportunity to squeeze in some last-minute jokes for people to chuckle at.

For example, the closing credits for "Airplane!" include the usual crew positions like First Assistant Director and Best Boy, but right under the...

If anyone had postulated that the star of serious fare such as Schidler’s List (1993) or Taken (2008) would show such a flare for comedy – other than the self-parody present in something like Ted 2 (2015) – they would be worthy of the title of Nostradamus. With The Naked Gun, Liam Neeson reinvents himself as a comedic force to be reckoned with and the film proves to be a more than enjoyable romp from start to finish.

The film follows Frank Drebin Jr. (Liam Neeson) and his cohorts on Police Squad as they try to solve a murder before the entire police department is shut down. Of course, this is a crime that goes much deeper than the simple murder that starts the investigation. It, naturally, involves a conspiracy of some other sort that a nefarious criminal is behind whom Drebin may, or may not be destined to bring to justice.

Spawned from...

While it's no longer unusual for decades to pass between entries in a studio-owned series, they still remain a relatively rare occurrence. Disinterest, indifference, and/or apathy on the part of rights-holders and potential audiences alike usually explain the lengthy gap between entries. Never underestimate, of course, the power of nostalgia and its ability to convince rights-holders to bring a long disused, ignored, or forgotten property back to movie theaters, both to restart a franchise with “new” entries and renew interest in decades-old properties like the long defunct Naked Gun series. Thanks to David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker (aka "Zaz"), the master parodists behind Top Secret!, Airplane!, and The Kentucky Fried Movie, The Naked Gun:...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

The Naked Gun returns this weekend hoping to relaunch a long-dormant subgenre with Scary Movie, Spinal Tap and Spaceballs sequels to follow

The Naked Gun, a sequel/reboot to the old movie series of the same name, represents the first of its kind in a long time. No, not a legacy sequel, nor a Liam Neeson movie; the in-demand Irish actor still does two or three of those a year. Like its predecessors, The Naked Gun is a spoof – part of a comedic subgenre with astonishing versatility, in that it can lay claim to some of the very best and very worst comedies of all time. Maybe that’s why these movies, despite relatively low budgets and decent success rates, will sometimes disappear for years at a time. Now, in a period when a pure comedy hasn’t crossed the $100m mark in the US in almost a decade, The Naked Gun...

Paramount’s new iteration of The Naked Gun, starring Liam Neeson as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., the son of the late Leslie Nielsen’s Frank Drebin, and Pamela Anderson, is getting mostly positive reviews from critics ahead of its Friday theatrical release.

The fourth film in the franchise, coming more than 30 years after the last movie, 1994’s Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, was directed by Akiva Schaffer, who wrote the screenplay with Dan Gregor and Doug Maud. Like the team behind the Nielsen-starring Naked Gun films, David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams, Schaffer is part of a comedy trio, in this case The Lonely Island. Previous films in the series include 1988’s The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! and 1991’s The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear.

The new Naked Gun‘s cast also includes Paul Walter Hauser, Cch Pounder, Kevin Durand,...

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Slapstick is back. With The Naked Gun hitting theaters on Friday, Paramount Pictures is betting on the kind of broad comedy that was once a big draw at the box office. If you’re looking to catch the original films, they’re conveniently streaming in one place, Paramount+.

get Paramount+

Paramount+ is available with a one-week free trial and comes with two tiers. Paramount+ Essential is ad-supported, while Paramount+ Premium is ad-free,...

Let's be honest -- when "The Naked Gun" was first announced, we all shook our heads and asked a simple question: why? After all, the original trilogy, starring Leslie Nielsen as the clueless detective Frank Drebin, features some of the best comedies of all time, and those should never be touched, right? Well, maybe it's time for us cynical, old naysayers to go into Akiva Schaffer, Dan Gregor, and Doug Mand's sequel/reboot (requel? seeboot?) with an open mind, as the early reviews indicate that the movie is a hoot.

"The Naked Gun" stars Liam Neeson as Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Nielsen's legendary Police Squad detective. Unfortunately for him (but good for us), the younger Drebin has also inherited his old man's more inept qualities, and his violent way of handling perpetrators gets him into a spot of bother with his superiors. However, it's still...

Over the past five years, seeing a straight-up comedy that puts big laughs first and foremost has become a rarity. Gone are the days when filmmakers like Judd Apatow and Adam McKay were given big summer blockbuster release dates for their star-studded comedies, and multiplex general audiences are far worse for it. There's nothing better than sharing a fit of laughter with a big group of people. While there are blockbusters that come with a fair share of jokes, whether it's something like "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" or the video game-infused action of "Free Guy," rarely do we get to sit down in the theater for a movie that has the explicit goal of making us laugh.

Thankfully, "The Naked Gun" has the power to change that, as long as audiences give it a chance to tickle their funny bone. 

Directed by Akiva Shaffer (one-third of the "Saturday Night Live...

It takes a bold man to step into the shoes of Leslie Nielsen, former Hollywood matinee idol (see how heroic and gallant he is in 1956’s Forbidden Planet!) and late-in-life comedic genius. Thank God — or rather, thank the holy trinity of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker — for Nielsen’s reinvention as keeper of the big-screen, charismatic-idiot flame. Even within Airplane‘s cast of fellow actors previously known for their gravitas, Nielsen proved himself as a first-rate boob. His deadpan was deadly. Naturally, it was a no-brainer to cast...

Early on in the new version of “The Naked Gun,” there’s a moment that gives you that old “Naked Gun” feeling. Sgt. Frank Drebin Jr. (Liam Neeson), a veteran L.A. cop of unorthodox methods, has just surveyed the scene of a fatal car crash that may have involved foul play. It’s time for the wrecked car to be hauled away, so to accomplish that task they use a vehicle attached to what looks like a giant version of one of those mechanical claws in an arcade game. The claw lifts the car halfway up and then, at the crucial moment, drops it. The joke is that Drebin and his colleagues all let out a disappointed “Ohhhhhh!,” the way a million parents have when the claw guided by their 7-year-old drops the plushie toy it’s trying to hoist (as happens just about every time). In its patented absurdity,...

The three-man comedy factory that ruled the 1980s with their fusillades of slapstick, sight gags, loopy non sequiturs and winking innuendo was David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker — Hollywood’s Zaz before David Zaslav. Their legacy rivals that of Mel Brooks in the ’60s and ’70s, most notably via Airplane! and the Naked Gun movies, though I also have a soft spot for their swerve into more conventional farce with the acerbic dark comedy Ruthless People. Even the misstep of Top Secret! yielded its share of laughs, despite attempting to hit an unwieldy jumble of parody targets.

Having honed their skills in a college sketch-comedy troupe, the trio’s strategy was to throw as many jokes per minute at the screen as possible, the sillier the better, ensuring that enough of them stuck to cushion the ones that missed the mark.

Their 1982 ABC series spoofing crime procedurals, Police Squad!,...

Roger Ebert wasn’t dismissing 1984’s Top Secret! for being a movie when he said it has no plot in his review; he was simply celebrating it (read his own words here). Directed by the comedic masterminds behind The Naked Gun movies, this Val Kilmer starrer is an action-comedy parody, which not only handed him his debut in Hollywood but also showed the world that he is more than just a stage actor.

Top Secret! is visually inventive and filled with hilarious gags that even some of the most seasoned and sophisticated film critics couldn’t resist. Despite not doing so well at the box office, Top Secret! was revived by respected critics, such as Ebert, who loved it for its smart and sophisticated jokes. Although it might have faded from the mainstream, the film remains a cult gem and a masterclass in parody.

Val Kilmer’s Debut Action Comedy...

The original Naked Gun is a sacred movie for many. It almost seems like an impossible task to tread the line between stupid and clever humor, which the Zaz group perfected many years ago with their Kentucky Fried Theater group. Add to that the dry delivery, which was perfected by former dramatic actor Leslie Nielsen. After his straight-faced, hilarious appearances in Life’s Too Short and Ted 2, Liam Neeson seemed to be a natural choice to take up the role of Frank Drebin, but it can also fall apart so easily.

The Naked Gun, which is directed by The Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer and produced by Family Guy’s Seth MacFarlane, has had its premiere and the reactions from social media are in, including our own Chris Bumbray, who has said, “#NakedGun is really damn funny. It’s hard to pull off dopey comedy like this, and this is...

It’s been a 31-year wait, but the latest addition to the Naked Gun franchise is finally here. Full critics’ reviews for the film drop on Wednesday, but fans of the classic spoof comedy franchise can breathe a huge sigh of relief, as the early social media reaction from Monday’s New York premiere and press screenings is extremely effusive.

The new iteration of The Naked Gun, stars Liam Neeson as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Police Squad legend Frank Drebin, played in the franchise’s previous projects by the late Leslie Nielsen. Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, Danny Huston, Liza Koshy, Cody Runnels and Cch Pounder round out the cast.

The Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer directs the reboot and Seth MacFarlane produces a project that Paramount has had in the works for decades. The film franchise is based on the 1982 ABC television series Police Squad!

Comedy’s on the Line. Here’s How to Buy a Ticket. There are three ways to buy a ticket for the new ‘Naked Gun’ movie coming out in the tail-end of this summer. You can make a quick trip to your local movie theater (or a very long trip to your not-so-local movie theater) and politely inquire of the employee working the front desk what motion pictures are playing that day. And then, after about a minute of them staring at you agog by virtue of the fact that nobody has ever made an in-person ticket purchase request for the entire period of their employment. Not because they’re new, but because nobody has done that in years. Finally, after googling how to sell you a ticket in person, they will recommend ‘The Naked Gun’ (2025). You can buy your ticket online, on an app. You can go to www.

If you’ve ever wanted to watch Mr. Bean, a Monty Python legend, Seth Green, Whoopi Goldberg, and Smash Mouth all crash headfirst into a live-action cartoon – Rat Race should be right up your alley. And starting August 1, Jerry Zucker’s 2001 chaos-fueled ensemble comedy is making its way to Paramount+, where a new generation of streamers can marvel at the fact that this movie even exists. Loosely inspired by 1963’s It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Rat Race opens with eccentric billionaire Donald Sinclair, played with unhinged glee by John Cleese, inviting a group of unsuspecting tourists at a Las Vegas casino to compete in a secret race. The rules are simple: There’s $2 million in a locker 700 miles away in Silver City, New Mexico. Whoever gets there first, keeps it. And as if that weren’t absurd enough, Sinclair’s fellow billionaires are gambling on the outcome.

Paramount+ is at it again with more movies added to their library, and we’re back again with the titles we think you should tune into first.

Truly, the platform is bringing in some heavy hitters, including the movie that features one of Denzel Washington’s most iconic performances and the film adaptation of Truman Capote’s popular novel “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” This month, Paramount+ is offering some of cinema’s most popular flicks, as well as some films that spawned from popular TV shows.

Here are the seven best new movies Paramount+ is rocking with in July 2025.

“Chicago” (Miramax Films) “Chicago”

In the first musical adaptation of the hit 1975 stage musical of the same name, Renée Zellweger stars as Roxie Hart, a woman whose dream is to one day be a famous vaudeville star, though she lives a lackluster life married to a lowly but loving mechanic husband. But...

In 2008, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) appeared in a post-credit sequence for "Iron Man" where he was startled to see a man dressed in black standing by a window in his home. "Who the hell are you?" Stark asks, prompting the man to step from the shadows and reveal himself: "Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D.," played by none other than Samuel L. Jackson.

This 30-second scene -- placed after the credits at the behest of director Edgar Wright -- shifted the pop culture landscape and all but ensured audiences would start sitting through lengthy end titles just to catch a few seconds teasing the next big adventure. The trend continues to this day, and it's almost disappointing when a movie, especially a big blockbuster, doesn't feature something at the very end.

So, well done, Marvel, for kick-starting the post-credit scene trend.

Except... they didn't. 

As...

Novelty popcorn buckets are in no way the "hail mary" savior of getting people to leave their homes and go see a movie in theaters, but I appreciate the effort anyway. The buckets act as this bizarro memento of the moviegoing experience that often takes all sorts of shapes, sizes, and utilities. While theater chains had participated in creating these elaborately designed snack receptacles prior to 2024, the infamous "Dune: Part Two" sandworm opened the floodgates for theater chains to just go buck wild. "Deadpool & Wolverine" didn't waste any time with its risque design of what you're able to do with, erm, the Marvel character's mouth.

I know some folks groan and scoff at the trendy concept behind these things, but I find them pretty amusing, especially if it's for a movie that has no business getting one. If you somehow never knew that "The Accountant 2" received a popcorn...

Liam Neeson’s upcoming comedy, The Naked Gun, is a reboot of the 1988 original starring Leslie Nielsen. The movie launched a franchise’s worth of sequels — The Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear and The Naked Gun 33 ⅓: The Final Insult. But that movie comedy was also a reboot, a big-screen adaptation of the criminally short-lived TV series, Police Squad!.

Police Squad! was the unlikely follow-up to Airplane!, a film that landed at #10 on AFI’s list of the funniest American comedy movies of all time. Based on that success, why would David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker turn to television?

They didn’t want to. Like Airplane!, the funny guys envisioned Police Squad! as a spoof of a deadly earnest 1950s drama. But unlike Zero Hour, the overwrought disaster movie that lent its plot to Airplane, the episodic police adventures of the TV show M Squad...

In just a few weeks, The Naked Gun will return to theaters, reviving the classic slapstick police comedy franchise that first debuted in 1982. Given that the film satirizes law enforcement, Andy Samberg's involvement in the project is notable, especially since he starred in the police sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine, is part ofThe Lonely Island alongside director Akiva Schaffer, and frequently collaborates with him on comedic projects.

In an interview with ScreenRant, Samberg shares that despite him not having any role in The Naked Guy, he has seen it early via private/test screenings. And just like producer Seth MacFarlane, he too misses the comedy style of the 80s and gives the upcoming movie his praise, especially for Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson's performances.

"We're not in Naked Gun, but Naked Gun is so good. It's just pure joy. I mean, I'm biased, obviously; Akiva is my guy. But everyone...

Four decades ago, Police Squad! didn’t log much time with viewers but still lined up an impressive legacy.

Following the success of 1980 spoof film Airplane!, which made $78 million at the box office ($214 million today) co-directors David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker hoped to make a similar comedy about police officers inspired by the 1950s Lee Marvin drama series M Squad. Then-Paramount exec Michael Eisner, who had championed Airplane!, offered them six episodes on ABC and promised that the process would be free of network meddling.

Police Squad! centered on bumbling officer Frank Drebin as played by Leslie Nielsen, known for dramatic roles before his crackup part in Airplane! “Leslie never let on that he was in a comedy,” David Zucker tells The Hollywood Reporter of the late star’s knack for deadpan humor.

Co-starring Alan North, each episode kicked off with the murder of a notable guest,...

At first glance, Jerry Zucker wouldn't seem like the kind of filmmaker to have a ghost of a chance at crafting a Best Picture-nominated film. But that unlikely event came to pass 35 years ago when the codirector of spoof comedies like Airplane! and The Naked Gun made the supernatural romance Ghost. Released on July 13, 1990, the film went on to become the year's biggest domestic box-office hit and a surprise Oscar powerhouse.

Zucker rose to Hollywood fame as a member of the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker trio that included brother David Zucker and their friend, the late Jim Abrahams. Together, they wrote The Kentucky Fried Movie before helming seminal comedies Airplane! and Top Secret!.

Hot on the heels of their 1986 non-spoof comedy hit Ruthless People, the team locked down a two-year deal with Paramount Pictures. That deal launched with a bang thanks to The Naked Gun, based on their short-lived TV series, Police Squad.

Filmmakers like Mel Brooks and the trio of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker (also known as Zaz) once made spoofs the cream of the comedy crop with hits like "Young Frankenstein," "Blazing Saddles," "Airplane!" and "The Naked Gun." Sadly, the popularity of "Scary Movie," a truly great horror parody from 2000 that followed in similar footsteps and kicked off a franchise of its own, resulted in a swath of far worse copycats from two of the film's co-writers, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. "Date Movie," "Epic Movie," "Disaster Movie," "Vampires Suck," and more all tried to cash-in on spoofing popular blockbusters of the time, but the comedy left plenty to be desired, and the poor reception essentially killed the greatness and the appeal of spoof comedy — at least for a little while.

Thankfully, there have still been bright spots in the years since, such as the music biopic-skewering "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,...