[NoHo Arts District, CA] – This month’s movie and TV reviews by Mike Peros are on The Naked Gun, Happy Gilmore 2, My Mom Jayne, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, Pee Wee as Himself.
It’s astounding! Here we are in the middle of summer and this month’s releases include The Naked Gun and Happy Gilmore 2, two brand new, big-budget comedies with A-list players, both vying for our attention. And they’re also reboots of earlier comic vehicles that are fondly remembered…at least by me (and perhaps some others).
Happy Gilmore 2
Of the two, Happy Gilmore 2 (on Netflix) is perhaps the more disposable. The plot has Happy (Adam Sandler) off the golf circuit, after having achieved great success, marital bliss (with Julie Bowen), a number of children—and enduring a tragedy that has sent him reeling into alcoholism and in dire need of anger management (Jack Nicholson is not around, alas.).
Fear not, though, because Happy’s back on the links soon enough, mainly to earn enough money to send his daughter to ballet school (the most expensive one) and thwart the nefarious plot to establish a new, and infinitely corrupted golf league. But what am I talking about…if you’re going to see Happy Gilmore 2, you’re there mainly for Sandler, who is fairly restrained here (some might say it’s fairly close to a walkthrough).
However (and you can interpret this as a compliment for him as an actor or co-writer, along with Tim Herlihy), he’s a generous co-star when it comes to providing some juicy supporting roles: Christopher MacDonald and Ben Stiller return as Gilmore’s crazed rivals, and both are in excellent, even inspired form. There are a number of other cameos from both Sandler’s buddies and the golfing world, some additional (and mostly amusing) references to the original—but it does seem a little dragged out and doesn’t sustain its momentum—either on or off the links.
The Naked Gun
On the other hand, The Naked Gun is a trim, fast-moving 90 minutes of fun, featuring Liam Neeson giving it all he’s got as the grim, determined and decidedly not by-the-book Frank Drebin Jr.—and therefore gaining his fair share of laughs, as Leslie Nielsen did in the 1988 classic (and the two sequels).
Neeson’s Drebin Jr. is a little more grizzled and surlier than Nielsen’s Drebin, but Neeson glowers, takes pratfalls, and succeeds in making Drebin his own. He is helped by several inspired bits (courtesy of director Akiva Schaffer, from a script by Dan Gregor, Doug Mand, and Schaffer), including what happens when a body cam records a little too much, and a holiday retreat (with a well-cast Pamela Anderson, reviving her comic chops from the syndicated series VIP) that turns quite frosty.
The plot, with a plan to take over the world, based both on megalomania (a suitably malevolent Danny Huston) and disgust for our slavish devotion to devices, does have a tinge of relevance, as does the occasional criticism (by other characters) of Drebin’s unorthodox methods. Relevance aside, laughs are what you’re coming for. If you’re seeing The Naked Gun (hopefully in a theater…with a receptive audience), you’ll get nonstop clever (and not-so-clever) wordplay, sight gags, committed performers, laugh-out-loud moments…even Weird Al Yankovic. And please…stick around for the credits.
My Mom Jayne
HBOMax has a few new documentaries at their site, and all are worthy of your attention. Mariska Hargitay directs My Mom Jayne and it recounts her quest to discover and reconnect with her late mother, Jayne Mansfield, whom Hargitay hardly knew since Mansfield died in a horrific car crash when Hargitay was three. There are clips, interviews with her brothers and sisters, and a few other significant people in Mansfield’s life. It’s a well-crafted, deeply emotional look at stardom and family relationships, and reveals much about both the film’s subject and Hargitay.
Billy Joe: And So It Goes
Billy Joel and Paul Reubens both participated in their respective two-part documentaries, Billy Joel: And So It Goes and Pee Wee as Himself. Both films were made with the cooperation of their subjects, who provide extensive commentary throughout (or mostly throughout, as in the Pee Wee documentary—see below). There are generous clips of the performers, as well as plenty of footage of their early forays into entertainment; in addition, both docs have interviews with the major players in each figure’s life. In Billy Joel’s case, all his wives and many of his bandmates are present, while friends and supporters of Reubens/Pee Wee, such as Cassandra Peterson, Tim Burton and Debi Mazar provide telling commentary.
Pee Wee as Himself
Both documentaries are engaging and even revealing, but the second half of And So It Goes feels a bit protracted with its nearly 150-minute length. In the case of Pee Wee as Himself, the creative struggle between Reubens as director Mtt Wolf comes to a head in the second half, which results in certain traumatic events (Reubens’ arrests) being recounted by those other than Reubens himself. Still, all three films are worth your time, especially if you are fond of their subjects.
***
Mike Peros
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Published by University Press of Mississippi
Mike Peros | University Press of Mississippi (state.ms.us)