Today’s quick review: Hot Shots! Part Deux. Topper Harley (Charlie Sheen), one of the Navy’s finest, returns from his self-imposed exile at the behest of U.S. President Tug Benson (Lloyd Bridges), his former admiral. His mission is to rescue the American hostages being held in Iraq, as well as the previous rescue teams sent in after them. Together with a sultry liaison (Brenda Bakke) and a team of crack commandos, Topper carves a path through the jungles of Iraq to Saddam Hussein’s compound. But when Ramada (Valeria Golino), his old flame, shows up on the mission, old heartbreak stirs again, putting the mission in jeopardy.
Hot Shots! Part Deux is a goofy Rambo parody that serves as a loose sequel to the original Hot Shots!. Its style of humor is identical to its predecessor, with sight gags, faux seriousness, slapstick, light political satire, and parodies of scenes from popular movies. But it lacks some of the polish of its predecessor: the plot is less coherent, the soundtrack is less memorable, and the world feels less authentic. If Hot Shots! is Top Gun seen through a comedic lens, its sequel is merely jokes about Rambo, Apocalypse Now, and a host of other movies.
These shortcomings are merely the difference between funny and impressively funny, and Hot Shots! Part Deux is still a side-splitter for those with the right sense of humor. The individual gags are hilarious, from the celibate monks who rush to impress the first woman they have ever seen to the team’s pitiful attempts to look like fishermen when an Iraqi patrol comes to inspect their boat. The comedy is silly, plentiful, and slightly surreal. The jokes are brought together by a cast that knows how to make absurd behavior seem like the most natural thing in the world.
Hot Shots! Part Deux is a good choice for anyone with a silly sense of humor and a bit of time to kill. Fans of Airplane! and the Naked Gun series will appreciate another fine movie in the same style, while Monty Python fans are encouraged to make the leap to something less British but spiritually quite similar. Those who prefer comedy that is less absurd, more intelligent, or wrapped around a stronger plot should look elsewhere. Thought not a perfect sequel, Hot Shots! Part Deux delivers on what it promises: laughter, and plenty of it.
6.6 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for good gags held back by a mediocre core.