On H List of Movie Reviews

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Hot Shots! (1991)

Rate: 5
Viewed: 4/04, 7/18

7/18: I suppose it's safe to say if Airplane! is the spoof film of the 80's, then Hot Shots! is for the 90's.

To be honest with you, I never liked Airplane! or the sequel. By comparison, Hot Shots! isn't bad and has better jokes. They aren't obvious as in "I can see them a mile away!"

Centering around Top Gun, Hot Shots! borrows moments from different films and sporting events such as Dances With Wolves, 9½ Weeks, Superman, The Fabulous Baker Boys, The Marathon Man, Gone with the Wind, Rocky, and the fight between Charles Barkley and Bill Laimbeer while making references to The Godfather, The Jackson 5, and "The Song of Hiawatha." Even Saddam Hussein is thrown in for good measure.

The acting is uniformly well-done, and everybody is natural when it comes to pulling off humorous lines and gags. Lloyd Bridges, just like how he did to save Airplane! from being a total turkey, is a true comedian, an absolutely funny guy. Dead Meat has a memorable send-off after claiming to know all of the answers to the biggest mysteries in life. Well, he should have revealed the location of Jimmy Hoffa's body while alive to save everybody the suspense.

All in all, Hot Shots! will never beat Top Gun.

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