Hot Shots!

Starring: Charlie Sheen, Cary Elwes, Valeria Golino, Lloyd Bridges, Jon Cryer, Kevin Dunn, Kristy Swanson
Directed by: Jim Abrahams
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Action
1991

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: An unstable fighter pilot (Charlie Sheen) tries to get back into the action, years after suffering a breakdown because of stress due to his father's death. He romances a psychologist (Valeria Golino) and butts heads with another hot shot pilot (Cary Elwes) as he tries to climb back on top.

Review:

Tim: Spoofs are very hard to pull off- you are basially creating a new movie from bits and pieces of the other moies you are spoofing. This is far more difficult than it may seem, and that's probably why there is a long, long list of failed spoofs that simply don't work. Hot Shots! succeeds where those other movies have failed. This is not only a very good spoof- it is a very good movie on its own right. This is pretty rare, and one of the many reasons I really like this movie.

This movie obviously spoofs Top Gun, but there are also pieces of Dances With Wolves and other movies as well. Brilliantly, these are all combined exceptionally well, so the movie never feels disjointed- all these pieces just seem to make sense in the overall story. It helps that the spoofs here are absolutely hilarious- not just carbon copies, but the real humor in these very serious movies is mined and brought to light here.

The cast is one of this film's strongest attributes. Charlie Sheen is absolutely perfect in the lead role of Topper Harley. He even resembles Tom Cruise a bit in a goofy, comedic way. The reason Sheen shines is because he can switch between serious acting and hilarious spoofing like the switch of a light. This role needed someone who you would believe could actually be a fighter pilot, but someone who was willing to go to any length for a laugh- regardless of how silly or stupid he looked. Sheen is perfect in this role. He pulls off both different aspects of this role brilliantly. I loved him in this movie. Cary Elwes is likewise brilliant as his fighter pilot foil. He has the charisma to pull off the cocky, arrogant pilot, but likewise, has no problem spoofing himself for laughs.

The rest of the cast is pretty good, too. Valeria Golino might not have been excellent in the role, but she does put in quite a bit of effort. She works here. I also loved Lloyd Bridges in an unforgettable role. Nearly every line he utter is very funny, and I really enjoyed his screen time. This is impressive, because his character would seem like one who could quickly tire the audience. Because of the writing and Bridges' comedic timing, we can't get enough of him. I also liked the smaller roles of Jon Cryer and a pay-attention-or-you'll-miss-her Kristy Swanson. The cast works well together, and was one of this film's major strengths.

As I have mentioned, spoofs are so hard to pull off correctly. Too often, they do not have the substance to stand alone as a movie in their own right. This is not true here. Hot Shots! works as a movie whether or not you have seen any of the films it is spoofing. It would be considerably less funny, but it would still work. That is an important achievement. I really enjoyed this movie, and I laughed almost throughout the entire movie. It does a good job of pacing the laughs evenly. This is one funny movie, and one of the best comedies of the 90s.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Hot Shots! Part Deux, Major League, Top Gun, Airplane!