Hot Shots! (1991)

Directed by Jim Abrahams. Starring Charlie Sheen, Valeria Golino, Cary Elwes, Lloyd Bridges, Kevin Dunn, Jon Cryer, William O’Leary, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Heidi Swedberg, Rino Thunder, Kristy Swanson. [PG-13]

Goofy send-up of flyboy pictures (Top Gun in particular) from one-third of the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker team responsible for Airplane, Top Secret, and The Naked Gun (along with Pat Proft, a co-writer on the latter). Even by spoof movie standards, the plot is entirely inconsequential—just a bulletin board to pin gags targeting every clichéd scene and relationship in the book. The writers also throw in loving jabs at Dances with Wolves, The Fabulous Baker Boys, 9½ Weeks, even Superman, but it works best sticking close to home, the more specific, the better. Sheen is in solid dim-pretty-boy form as ace fighter pilot Topper Harley, but it’s scene-stealer Bridges as a daffy, utterly oblivious admiral that gets the most laughs by far (“I’ve personally flown over 194 missions and I was shot down in every one…come to think of it, I’ve never landed a plane in my life”). And, hey, these filmmakers prove to be more courageous than those behind Top Gun by actually naming America’s enemy—turns out that the mother of all targets was just waiting poolside. Followed by a sequel.

76/100