Hot Shots!




If it helps, I didn't have seconds.

Come on, you know there would be something wrong with the world if there wasn't a parody for Top Gun.

Ace pilot Topper Harley (Charlie Sheen) is recalled to the Navy for a special assignment. Upon arriving at the training camp he finds friends, a rival (Cary Elwes) and the girl of his dreams (Valeria Golino), who happens to be his psychiatrist as well. It seems that Topper is unstable because of what happened to his infamous father and an absurd plot involving a weapons manufacturer is poised to take advantage of it.

It's always argued over which is better, this or the second installment in the Hot Shots! series (God help us if they make another one). Though in many ways it's the more polished of the two and maybe even from a few angles funnier, the jokes in this one don't have much staying power. Some of the lines are just as witty as in any other spoof, but it's hard to remember any particular ones. Stuff like the parody of Goose's death is well done, but sadly is one of the few parts that stand out.

Perhaps that is where this film is lacking, in the numerous spoofs on other movies. There is a short sequence where the most memorable scenes from a few "classic" movies are hit up for, but there's not much else. For the most part it's a straight up gag on Top Gun, which robs it of some versatility. But even overlooking the less than memorable jokes and the lack of real energy, there's still enough to be said about this flick that it definitely holds up its short running time.

The cast may be a little stiffer than what would've been preferable, but Charlie Sheen is great as the intrepid hero and Lloyd Bridges is even better as the thoroughly incompetent Admiral Benson. Topper's fellow sidekicks are also pretty good as well, though the core of the cast is even better in Hot Shots! Part Deux.

Okay, this is the last time, I promise. This movie is not quite as good as the follow up, though any fan of the genre will (or already do) love it.



-The Gnome