Hot Shots 1 & 2 on DVD

For fans of The Naked Gun and Airplane, their lesser-known and not-quite-as-good brothers are finally on DVD, Hot Shots! and Hot Shots! Part Deux.

Jim Abrahams, who worked alongside the Zucker boys on those previous films, took on the Hot Shots! projects without them, and the results are good, but not spectacular.

The main parody for Hot Shots! is Top Gun, but it also parodies numerous other films, like 9 ½ Weeks, Rocky, and Gone With the Wind.

Topper Harley (Charlie Sheen) is a dangerous pilot, and it seems someone always gets hurt when he’s around. He was kicked out of the navy for such a mishap, but they need him back because he’s “the best.” He eventually makes his way back, at the same time falling in love with the beautiful psychiatrist, Ramada (Valeria Golino). He squabbles with the pretty boy (Cary Elwes), and ends up saving the day, and earning the respect of Admiral Bensen (Lloyd Bridges).

Hot Shots! Part Deux is more of a Rambo parody. Topper is back, this time to save a group of U.S. hostages from the Middle East. Back again is Ramada, and the now President of the United States, “Tug” Bensen. Topper has to deal with his feelings for Ramada (who left him years earlier), but not let them get in the way of his mission.

Both movies offer some laughs, but neither has the kind of knee-slapping hilarity you’ll find in comedies like BASEketball (a Zucker movie). The humour is about as subtle as a Mel Brooks flick, but that’s the appeal. You don’t have to think about it at all; it just slaps you in the face. Much of the gags are visual, using props or people getting hit on the head (and so forth). Some jokes work and some don’t, but that’s the same with every comedy. Fortunately, Hot Shots! has a great cast that can make jokes work even when they don’t.

Sheen is pretty good, displaying excellent comic timing, but the real star is Bridges. Many of the funniest lines/bits belong to him, and it’s clear why Abrahams and the Zucker boys keep casting him in their films. He’s absolutely hilarious, and is clearly not afraid to make an ass of himself.

Hot Shots! is the kind of movie that lets you leave your brain at the door. They’re not the best movies in the world, but they deliver enough laughs to make them worth your while.

Neither film was a massive hit, so it isn't surprising that Fox has not given them the greatest DVD treatment. The picture and sound are not great, and there isn’t much in the way of supplements, but for Hot Shots! it’s about the movie.

Both movies are presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, but Part Deux is quite a bit better. It’s probably due to the fact that it’s two years newer and had a bigger budget, but the quality of the original is pretty poor. It’s soft, grainy, and you can tell it’s over ten years old. Part Deux is a little soft, but is otherwise not bad.

The audio quality differs substantially between the two. Though advertised on the box as merely “Dolby Surround,” part one actually features a decent surround track. The flying scenes use the surround speakers quite effectively, and it sounds as though the planes are flying all around you. Part Deux, unfortunately, is merely presented in Dolby Stereo. Granted, a light comedy like this doesn’t really scream out for DTS, but there are some mock action scenes that would have done well with 5.1. Still, one can’t complain, all things considered.

Hot Shots! features some trailers, and a 25-minute featurette called “Making an Important Movie,” that seems to be from the time of release. It’s kind of amusing at first, but gets tiresome very quickly. Part Deux features two shorter featurettes, “An Adventure in Filmmaking,” and “Early Awareness.” Again, both start out amusing, but you’ll quickly be reaching for the remote.

For fans of the two films, these discs are about as good as you could ask for. It’s pretty much a guarantee there won’t be any special editions of these in the future, so if you enjoyed them enough to buy them, now is your chance.

Hot Shots! and Hot Shots! Part Deux, from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
85/88 minutes, anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) 16X9 enhanced, 5.1 Dolby Digital, Dolby Stereo
Starring Charlie Sheen, Valeria Golino, Lloyd Bridges, Cary Elwes and Richard Crenna
Produced by Bill Badalato
Written by Jim Abrahams & Pat Proft
Directed by Jim Abrahams

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