Debapriya Bhattacharya
Directed by Akiva Schaffer, ‘The Naked Gun’ is a reboot of the original eponymous crime spoof franchise that ran from 1982 to 1994 with Leslie Nielsen starring as Detective Sergeant Frank Drebin of the elite Police Squad! In the 2025 legacy sequel, Liam Neeson portrays Frank Drebin Jr., the son of the original protagonist, who follows in his father’s footsteps to become an officer of the law. When a sinister plot to close down the Police Squad! is afoot, Frank is the only person with the set of skills that can save the organization as well as the world. The film marks Liam’s first comedic starring role. If you’ve enjoyed the laughter marathon, here is a curated list of movies similar to ‘The Naked Gun’ that’ll help keep the fun going.
12. MacGruber (2010)
Based on ‘Saturday Night Live’ parody sketches of the television series ‘MacGyver,’ Jorma Taccone’s directorial ‘MacGruber’ follows the titular character (Will Forte), who is an Army Ranger, Green Beret, and Navy SEAL rolled into one. MacGruber leaves the life of crime-fighting following the death of his fiancée. However, when his sworn enemy Dieter Von Cunth (Val Kilmer) comes into possession of a nuclear warhead and threatens to level Washington, D.C., MacGruber is called back into action as the only person who can bring the villain to justice. Like Frank Drebin Jr., MacGruber embarks on a mission to save the world, while reconnecting with what makes him a hero.
11. Top Secret! (1984)
Helmed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker, ‘Top Secret!’ marks the film debut of Val Kilmer, who stars as suave and successful American singer Nick Rivers. While visiting East Germany to perform in a music festival, Nick falls in love with Hillary Flammond (Lucy Gutteridge), a member of the local resistance movement. The music festival where Nick performs is a distraction by the government as part of a ploy to destroy NATO submarines. Soon, the singer finds himself joining forces with Hillary to rescue her father, Dr. Paul Flammond (Michael Gough), a captured scientist who the Germans are coercing to build a naval mine. The film parodies action thrillers, much like ‘The Naked Gun,’ and keeps it fresh by introducing musicals into the equation.
10. The Other Guys (2010)
‘The Other Guys’ by Adam McKay is about Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg), a mismatched detective duo in the NYPD. Allen enjoys working on his computer and hero-worships the top cops in their precinct, but Terry is desperate to get back on the streets and make a name for himself. When they come across a minor case that blows up to be a big deal, the two set out to prove to everyone that they have what it takes to be heroes of the city, similar to how Frank Drebin Jr. proves his mettle in ‘The Naked Gun.’
9. Super Troopers (2002)
Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, ‘Super Troopers’ stars him and his Broken Lizard comedy troupe with Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske, as five over-enthusiastic yet unruly Vermont state troopers, who bully motorists on the highway to deal with boredom. They have a feud with the local police department and are not in the good books of the state government, which wants to shut them down. When the troopers accidentally stumble upon a drug ring, they decide to make a bust to prove their utility as agents of the law. As in ‘The Naked Gun,’ the bust becomes vital for the existence of their team.
8. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)
Helmed by Tom Shadyac, ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective’ stars Jim Carrey in the titular role of an eccentric private investigator who can seemingly communicate with pets and specializes in finding missing animals. When the live mascot of the NFL team Miami Dolphins gets abducted, Ace is called upon to work the case. His work becomes more challenging when the players in the team start to go missing. With Dolphins representative Melissa Robinson (Courteney Cox) in tow, Ace closes in on the perpetrators with lots of shenanigans. While his methods are hilariously unique like Frank Drebin Jr., they bear results.
7. Get Smart (2008)
Based on Mel Brooks and Buck Henry’s television series of the same name, ‘Get Smart’ by Peter Segal follows Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell), an intellectual but bumbling analyst for the top secret American spy agency CONTROL. Maxwell gets promoted to field agent when international crime syndicate KAOS acquires the list of previously active agents and begins to eliminate them, all the while selling nuclear warheads to dictators. Embarking on a dangerous mission that takes him across the globe with his new partner, Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway), Maxwell attempts to thwart KAOS chief Siegfried’s (Terence Stamp) plan of world dominion. Similar to Frank Drebin Jr. in ‘The Naked Gun,’ Maxwell hilariously improvises to overcome the challenges he faces.
6. Johnny English (2003)
‘Johnny English’ by Peter Howitt stars Rowan Atkinson in the titular role of a bumbling spy in the fictional MI7. When Pascal Sauvage (John Malkovich), a Frenchman intent on claiming the throne of England, kills the country’s top undercover agents, Johnny receives his much-coveted promotion and gets tasked with stopping further mayhem. Along with his sharp sidekick Bough (Ben Miller), Johnny fumbles through one roadblock after another as he attempts to bring Pascal to justice. His indomitable spirit and hilarious antics bring to mind what Frank Drebin Jr. does in ‘The Naked Gun.’
5. Scary Movie (2000)
Keenen Ivory Wayans’ directorial ‘Scary Movie’ revolves around a group of teenagers, including Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris) and Bobby Prinze (Jon Abrahams), who accidentally hit a man while driving at night and dispose of the body in a lake. A year later, they are stalked and hunted by someone wearing a Ghostface mask and robe. As the group members are brutally eliminated one by one, Cindy and her surviving friends band together to fight back. Much like ‘The Naked Gun,’ ‘Scary Movie’ is a parody film that pokes fun primarily at the slasher killer genre, as well as other survival horror films in general.
4. Hot Shots! (1991)
A parody of the 1986 film ‘Top Gun’ starring Tom Cruise, ‘Hot Shots!’ by Jim Abrahams centers around former US Navy Topper Harley (Charlie Sheen), who lost his father in an accident where the latter lost control of a fighter jet. While he is always haunted by the memory, Topper does not allow it to come in the way of his duty to the nation. When Lt. Cmdr. James Block (Kevin Dunn) asks him to come out of retirement to carry out a classified mission, Topper readily returns to active duty despite warnings from his psychiatrist (Valeria Golino). The veteran pilot soon finds himself to be a pawn in a sinister arms manufacturing conspiracy. With the fate of the world at stake, Topper fights back hard, much like Frank Drebin Jr. in ‘The Naked Gun.’
3. Spy Hard (1996)
Directed by Rick Friedberg, ‘Spy Hard’ follows Dick Steele (Leslie Nielsen), also known as Agent WD-40 of the US Secret Service, who is tasked by his Director to stop evil General Rancor’s (Andy Griffith) plan of world dominion. Rancor has surfaced after long being presumed dead and is searching for a computer chip that will allow him to fire a dangerous missile. He takes several people hostage as part of his effort, which includes the scientist who has designed the chip. The latter has a daughter, KGB agent Veronique Ukrinsky (Nicollette Sheridan), with whom Dick teams up to thwart Rancor’s plan. The film provides a perfect depiction of Leslie Nielsen’s brand of humor, which Liam Neeson emulates in ‘The Naked Gun.’
2. Wrongfully Accused (1998)
Marking the feature directorial debut of Pat Proft, ‘Wrongfully Accused’ stars Leslie Nielsen as renowned violinist Ryan Harrison, who is framed for the murder of art patron Hibbing Goodhue (Michael York). Ryan gets arrested as the main suspect and is subsequently convicted of a crime he did not commit. When the bus taking him to prison meets with an accident, Ryan manages to escape and attempts to clear his name by finding a mysterious one-eyed, one-armed, one-legged man. Meanwhile, he is hunted by the police, led by Lt. Fergus Falls (Richard Crenna). Similar to ‘The Naked Gun,’ chaos ensues as Ryan seems to have the worst of luck.
1. Airplane! (1980)
‘Airplane!’ marks the directorial debut of Jim Abrahams and David and Jerry Zucker, and tells the story of Ted Striker (Robert Hays), a World War II veteran who is traumatized over a failed mission and has developed a fear of flying. Unfortunately for him, while on a domestic flight from Los Angeles to Chicago, a severe case of food poisoning takes out both pilots, leaving it upon Ted to confront his inner demons and take control of the plane to save the lives of everyone onboard. Leslie Nielsen stars in the film as Dr. Rumack, who discovers the source of the food poisoning and convinces Ted to rise up to the challenge. The slapstick comedy, puns, and gags that punctuate the film make it reminiscent of ‘The Naked Gun.’ It also sees Leslie setting the stage for Robert Hays to take the lead, much like what he does spiritually for Liam Neeson in the latter film.
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