Written by James M. Tate / 4/01/2011 / No comments / comedy , eighties , franchise , police academy , steve guttenberg
POLICE ACADEMY 2: THEIR FIRST ASSIGNMENT
year: 1985 cast: Steve Guttenberg, Bubba Smith, Howard Hessman Bobcat Golthwait rating: ***1/2 |
The cast is narrowed down to the essentials (although missing Leslie Easterbrook): those include the Steve Guttenberg, Bubba Smith, Marion Ramsey, David Graf, and Michael Winslow, whose parody of Kung Fu flicks might be the funniest scene. And for some reason, the spectacle-wearing accident-prone Bruce Maher returns. He's a nice guy but has little purpose herein.
The recruits hit the streets of a crime ridden city, ruled by gang leader Bobcat Goldthwait's Zed. The gargly voiced comic provides a comic relief even though this is already a comedy. He's crass and mean and tough and puts the city through hilarious hell. Yet it's Bob's real life best friend Tim Kazurinsky, as an extremely nerdy store owner, that becomes Zed's main target.
Other worthy new additions include Coleen Camp as Tacklebury's tough girlfriend, who's suburban family are far from normal. While some domestics are into kissing and hugging, her dad and brother punch each other out like extras in a cowboy saloon scene, and the late David Graf's expressions are priceless. Camp's tough chick fits him like a glove. The gung-ho giant finally meets his match.
Howard Hessman is in charge of the cops, and is the brother of spacey leader George Gaynes. And replacing G.W. Baily's villain is Art Metrano, playing like a serious heavy within the hijinks and - along with dimwit sidekick Lance Kinsey - making a perfect foil. Kinsley, a very underrated comic actor, is the perfect victim of practical jokes. But it's Metrano's menace that bares the real brunt. The stocky actor plays it straight while the humor abounds around him. Okay, so G.W. Baily had better comedic chops; but Steve Guttenburg's prankster wrath greets a much more deserving victim with the greaseball curmudgeon.
All in all good stuff most of the way through, but the end, when the cops and robbers clash, gets tedious. But the flaws matter not. This is a terrific sequel.
Labels:
comedy,
eighties,
franchise,
police academy,
steve guttenberg
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
All Time Popular
-
Robyn Hilton enters into an eclectic exploitation comedy career in Wonder Women circa 1973 As mentioned a few posts ago, ROBYN HILTON, b...
-
year: 1978 cast: Allen Garfield, Leif Garrett, Kathleen Lloyd, Tony Alva, Pam Kenneally rating: ***1/2 Although promoted as a Leif Garr...
-
Kari Michaelsen in Saturday the 14th year: 1982 In LOVE AT FIRST BITE, a popular comedy that took the vampire genre by satire, Richard ...
-
Cornelia Sharpe in BUSTING Year: 1974 Rating: **** Starring Elliott Gould and Robert Blake as determined vice cops BUSTING hookers, makin...
-
Mary-Louise Weller in NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE ANIMAL HOUSE, directed by John Landis and produced by Ivan Reitman, stars John Be...
-
Kerri Green and John Candy in SUMMER RENTAL Year: 1985 John Candy, in his first leading role, plays a burnt-out air traffic controller ...
-
Robyn Hilton on STARSKY AND HUTCH Model/Actress ROBYN HILTON played Mel Brook's secretary in BLAZING SADDLES and turns up in an epis...
-
Robyn Hilton in Video Vixens the same year as Blazing Saddles: 1974 The Anthology of Comedic Parodies, already done in several Woody All...
-
CADDDYSHACK is best known for the iconic leading actors: Rodney Dangerfield, Chevy Chase, Ted Knight, and Bill Murray, but originally the ...
-
Elizabeth James and Tom Laughlin on equal ground YEAR: 1967 THE BORN LOSERS wasn't supposed to happen but thank God it did since BIL...
Featured Post
HARVEY KEITEL & DAVID PROVAL ON 'KOJAK' PILOT 'SIEGE OF TERROR'
Title: KOJAK: SIEGE OF TERROR Year: 1973 Rating: ***1/2 The pilot of the classic series KOJAK is a little different than most of the episode...
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.