Why ‘The Naked Gun’ is the best underrated comedy movie on Paramount+
Why ‘The Naked Gun’ is the best underrated comedy movie on Paramount+
This reboot brings back the classic ‘Naked Gun’ chaos with joke-after-joke energy that hits even harder at home.
I recently did a deep dive into the Paramount+ movie library, and one title I really feel like I need to call out again is the 2025 reboot of “The Naked Gun.” I saw it in theaters the weekend it dropped, and it’s the most laughs per minute I’ve had in years. A movie like this can only be judged by one thing: does it make you laugh? And for me, it did, nonstop. It also totally nails the tone of the original movies in a way I honestly didn’t expect. Liam Neeson plays Frank Drebin Jr., son of Leslie Nielsen’s iconic detective, and the whole thing opens with Frank Jr. and Capt. Ed Hocken Jr. (Paul Walter Hauser) attempting to solve a suspicious death tied to something literally called a P.L.O.T. Device. Yeah, you know exactly what kind of movie this is going to be, so let me tell you why it’s underrated.
Best under-the-radar comedy movie on Paramount+
Why ‘The Naked Gun’ is the most underrated comedy movie on Paramount+
“The Naked Gun” reboot made me laugh more than any other movie this year… and I’m not the only one who thinks it’s hilarious. Critics love it (87% on the Tomatometer), audiences love it (72% on the Popcornmeter), and yet it still flew under the radar when it hit theaters. Part of that is that it opened right in the middle of a packed August, surrounded by giant superhero movies and big family sequels that swallowed all the box office oxygen. Even though critics were calling it one of the funniest movies of the decade, it didn’t have a clean runway.
The tone probably played a role, too. Spoofs used to be a popular genre, but they’ve practically disappeared from theaters, so the audience wasn’t primed for this kind of movie. And because these films rely on relentless joke density instead of spectacle, they don’t get the giant ad campaigns that big blockbusters do. Even with Liam Neeson committing 100 percent and the supporting cast bringing their A-game, it was never positioned as an event movie the way it should have been.
Another reason it was easy to miss is the marketing. The trailers leaned heavily into nostalgia and played up the idea of Liam Neeson doing a comedy, which some people thought was a gag by itself. If you didn’t already love the original trilogy (or even know it exists), the ads didn’t fully communicate how wild and densely packed the jokes are. Spoof humor is tough to clip in a trailer, and a lot of the best moments are visual gags, quick-hit jokes, and physical stunts that only make sense in context.
But here’s the fun twist: this movie may be even more fun at home. The jokes fly so fast that watching at home is actually ideal. You can pause, rewind, or catch background gags you missed in theaters. Neeson playing everything deadly serious somehow becomes even funnier when you’re watching on the couch. And the reboot really does honor the energy of the old films. It brings back that Zucker style, where the point is to land as many jokes per minute as possible. That style just feels built for streaming, and now that it’s on Paramount+, it’s time this movie gets the love it deserves.
The Naked Gun
Only one man has the particular set of skills… to lead Police Squad and save the world: Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. Following in his father’s footsteps, he must solve a murder case to prevent Police Squad from closure.
What is ‘The Naked Gun’ about?
“The Naked Gun” follows Frank Drebin Jr., a well-intentioned but wildly clumsy L.A. cop who accidentally turns every situation into chaos. When a mysterious death connected to femme fatale Beth Davenport (Pamela Anderson) lands on his desk, Frank Jr. stumbles into a much bigger conspiracy involving an evil billionaire played by Danny Huston and a shadowy criminal plot that spirals out of control. His partner, Capt. Ed Hocken Jr. (Paul Walter Hauser), tries to keep things on track, but the two of them are basically magnets for disaster. Combine that with Kevin Durand playing a hulking henchman, and you get a steady stream of slapstick, physical gags, and totally ridiculous misunderstandings.
The plot is intentionally silly and serves mostly as a setup for nonstop jokes. This is a true spoof in the classic sense, packed with sight gags, misheard conversations, absurd stunt work, and dead-serious actors doing the dumbest things imaginable. My favorite sequence is still the bathroom one (which I was kind of disappointed they ruined by putting in the trailer), but the self-driving sequence, as well as the opening bank robbery, are close seconds.
And it all works because the movie treats every ridiculous idea with complete sincerity, which is exactly what made the original trilogy so beloved. You don’t need to have seen any previous “Naked Gun” movie to enjoy this one, but if you have, the tone will feel instantly familiar. It’s goofy, fast, and full of the kind of joke density that makes rewatching it on Paramount+ even better.
Other underappreciated comedy movies on Paramount+
If you watch “The Naked Gun” and want more comedies on Paramount+ that don’t get talked about enough, there are three great follow-ups. “Novocaine” stars Jack Quaid as a timid assistant bank manager with a rare condition that keeps him from feeling pain, and things blow up fast when a robbery goes wrong, and he’s suddenly fighting his way through a messy rescue mission. It’s big, goofy, and about as entertaining as you’d expect from the premise. “Scrooged” brings Bill Murray doing peak Bill Murray as a cranky TV executive who gets dragged through a chaotic, very funny version of “A Christmas Carol,” complete with unhinged ghosts and perfectly weird holiday mayhem.
And “Old School” still hits if you want pure early-2000s nonsense, with Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, and Vince Vaughn starting a fraternity to escape their adult lives and immediately losing control of everything. All three are easy, high-energy watches that fit right in after Frank Drebin Jr.’s ridiculous new adventure. Oh, and I almost forgot… all three movies in the original “Naked Gun” trilogy are streaming as well on Paramount+, so check those out too!
Paramount Plus
Paramount+ is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 40,000+ TV show episodes from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., and more. Get free access with a Walmart+ subscription.
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