1991 - Hot Shots

1991 - Hot Shots Review By JANET MASLIN

It's heartening to know that while we sat through one of the emptiest synthetic hit movies of the 1980's, the seeds of parody were being sown. It's also nice to see that the three-headed Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker directorial entity, the one responsible for "Airplane!," has split into three fully formed talents without any apparent loss of verve.

Mr. Abrahams has directed his brazen, funny "Hot Shots!" with much the same glee that shows up in David Zucker's "Naked Gun 2 1/2," and with a little something extra: a satirical view of other movies, one that might have been shaped by Mad magazine. When the fighter planes of "Hot Shots!" are being readied for flight, in the kind of souped-up inspirational montage that was a "Top Gun" specialty, there are suitcases to load and marshmallows to roast in the flaming engines. And when the planes, now airborne, engage in dizzying swoops and turns, watch out for Garfield dolls stuck to windshields and candy wrappers flying loose around the cockpit.

"Hot Shots!" follows the basic outline of "Top Gun," with the story of daring young Topper Harley (Charlie Sheen) and his fellow pilots, but it is more than happy to indulge in the occasional detour. Topper himself is first found living in seclusion in a tepee and using an Indian name that translates, he says sternly, as "Fluffy Bunny Feet." When he converses solemnly with an Indian elder, those viewers who ignore the subtitled dialogue will find the actors reciting the names of some of Michael Jackson's siblings, with appropriate Indian pronunciation.

Once Topper finds his way to the Air Force, the film has ample opportunity to cram sight gags into the corners of the frame, like the jogging recruits chanting the song "Dreidl," or the Amish extras who turn up (no doubt in honor of Kelly McGillis's performance in "Witness") in a nightclub scene. The air base also features Lloyd Bridges as the kind of officer who answers the question "How are you?" with: "Hawaii? I'm supposed to be in California."

There is more -- much more -- where this came from, most of it in a slightly more movie-minded and less schoolboyish spirit than Mr. Zucker's current hit. In choosing to sustain a feature-length parody of a familiar film, Mr. Abrahams and his co-writer, Pat Proft, forfeit the chance to be as unmitigatedly manic as "The Naked Gun 2 1/2" and risk the occasional slow spot. But they also lay the groundwork for more sustained comic caricatures.

One of the best of these involves nice, clean-cut Pete Thompson (William O'Leary), the obviously ill-fated pilot who explains sweetly that his friends call him "Dead Meat." One ominous day, he arrives at the airfield with his loving wife ("Things just couldn't be better for us," one of them says about the marriage). He also claims to have a solution to global warming and new data about President Kennedy's assassination, but explains that he'll save all that for after the flight. While it's not necessary to have seen "Top Gun" to appreciate such a scene, the memory of that film's false piety and mechanical plotting does a lot to enhance the even more false and mechanical aspects of this one.

Charlie Sheen brings just the right exaggerated seriousness to his ace pilot's role, and Cary Elwes perfectly captures the ingenue arrogance of Topper's handsome rival. Jon Cryer, as a pilot with major eyesight problems, also displays expert deadpan timing, especially when he delivers the film's most uproarious line. Valeria Golino, as the beautiful psychologist who becomes Topper's love interest and also winds up singing a torch song atop a piano a la "The Fabulous Baker Boys," is also slyly comic and a very good sport. It should be pointed out that in this film, unlike the one with Michelle Pfeiffer, the top of the grand piano on which the actress sings happens to be propped open.

Among the other satirical flourishes to be found here, interspersed at wonderfully unlikely moments, are a send-up of the ice cube-enhanced sex scene in "9 1/2 Weeks," which in this case involves a full breakfast; a glimmer of "Marathon Man," and a montage revealing just what "Rocky," "Superman" and "Gone With the Wind" have in common. Also worth noting: a moment when saluting pilots are given the "at ease!" order and instantly assume the poses of a casual fashion layout, complete with football and flying muffler.

The credits for "Hot Shots!" include a partial brownie recipe and a few suggestions for what to do after the film is over. This is evidence that Mr. Abrahams has no idea when to stop. It is to be hoped that he never will.

"Hot Shots!" is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). It includes sexual suggestiveness and mild profanity. Hot Shots! Directed by Jim Abrahams; written by Pat Proft and Mr. Abrahams; cinematographer, Bill Butler; edited by Jane Kursons and Eric Sears; music by Sylvester Levay; production designer, William A. Elliott; produced by Bill Badalato; released by 20th Century Fox. Running time: 85 minutes. This film is rated PG-13. Sean "Topper" Harley . . . Charlie Sheen Lieut. Cmdr. Block . . . Kevin Dunn Kent Gregory . . . Cary Elwes Pete Thompson . . . William O'Leary Jim Pfaffenbach . . . Jon Cryer Ramada . . . Valeria Golino Admiral Benson . . . Lloyd Bridges

Sumber : http://movies.nytimes.com/

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