HOT SHOTS!

What do you get when you mix the talent of...

comedic film writer Jim Abrahams(Writer of Airplane! and Naked Gun),and the classic 80's action flick...

 together?  You get...
 

 "Hot Shots!" is a parody on the film "Top Gun", and the story is about a talented yet unstable pilot Topper Harley (Charlie Sheen) who is sent back to join the Air Force for the U.S. Navy but is haunted by the memory of the mistake of his father accidentally having someone killed during a mission. Topper returns to the base and gets into a rivalry with a fighter pilot named Kent Gregory(Cary Elwes) who hates Topper cause his father was killed due to Toppers Dad stupidity. He also gets into a romantic relationship with his therapist Ramada (Valeria Golino) and befriends a pilot named  Jim "Wash-Out" Pfaffenbach(Jon Cryer) and yes the two will appear together again in the show "Two And A Half Men". Meanwhile Lt. Commander Block(Kevin Dunn) is having Jets sabotaged to get better Jets.
 
 Now I'm going to admit I really wasn't to into the story. Don't get me wrong, it's written well and is good at being a "Top Gun" parody but I feel like it was to fast paced and some scenes seemed to drag or move slow a few times. The characters they're OK, not great but OK. Charlie Sheen as the nervous pilot Topper plays the role well and instead of acting goofy he's really just serious which believe me is NOT a bad thing which I'll explain why later. I did like his performance but I found the character a little bland and to be honest, I really didn't feel pity for him. I mean the tragicness to his character is there but it feels very rushed and is portrayed more like a little footnote. His love interest played by Valeria Golino felt like a forced relationship and she sadly can't act. The bad guy played Kevin Dunn is not that interesting nor am I interested in his plan of sabotage. The supporting characters are alright, not great but they're funny. Jon Cryer is decently funny as Jim with his bad eyesight. Lloyd Bridges as  Adm. Thomas 'Tug' Benson is really funny and gives a really funny performance but sometimes I feel like he's trying to be like Leslie Nielsen or heck, I feel like the role was written for Leslie Nielsen. Cary Elwes plays the asshole character very well but at the same time I feel something bland about his character. Finally there's William O'Leary as Pete 'Dead Meat' Thompson and just by reading his name and watching his character, it's clear to know what his main purpose in the film is, which I'll let you figure it out for yourself.

 

 As much as I criticize the characters and OK storyline, what really makes this film work are the jokes! This film is chunk full of all kinds of jokes. Most of them are really incredibly funny visuals that could be going on during the background, during a scene that looks epic, happening during a supposedly serious situation or just during a wacky moment. Just like "Airplane!", you have to watch this film more then once to find all the visual jokes, kind of like rereading a "Can You Find What's Different?"book or a "What Doesn't Belong" book.  Not only does this film cleverly parody "Top Gun" by having a similar story, similar cinematography, similar music and characters that are like to the "Top Gun" characters but it also parody's other films as well, but I won't give it away. I also love the films slapstick, dialogue, cartoonish effects and film cliches. Oh and remember when I said Charlie Sheen being serious in this film is a good thing, it's because he treats all the nonsense around him like an average everyday thing and to me that's what makes him funny in this film.  

Aside from some of the faults I found in this movie, it's still really really funny. The comedy is really really funny and clever and it never gets dull or boring. It's for sure a really entertaining movie, as well as film to make you laugh out loud. If you're a "Top Gun" fan, I'm sure you'll enjoy it and for those who haven't seen "Top Gun", believe me you don't have to see "Top Gun" to enjoy this movie.

RATING 4/5