"Naked" is a lazy rip-off a time-loop movie, not only of "Groundhog Day" (1993), the gold standard of the genre, but it's also an English-language remake of the Swedish version "Naken" (2000), which I haven't seen but also doesn't appear to be held in high regard. "Source Code" (2011), "Edge of Tomorrow" (2014), "Happy Death Day" (2017), the "Russian Doll" series, and "Palm Springs" (2020) have all done interesting things with this specific time-travel concept, including doing better than "Naked" the whodunnit of a crime ("Source Code" and "Happy Death Day") and an improved rom-com ("Groundhog Day" and "Palm Springs," heck even "The Map of Tiny Perfect Things" (2021)). So, what's supposed to be special about this one? Not that its comedy relies on a man's butt, as it's a remake of that, but that it specifically relies on the supposed humor of the backside and crotch-holding front of Marlon Wayans. The extent to which his repeatedly waking up undressed in an elevator is amusing is very slight.
Yet, even that's preferable to the latter half of the picture that turns to the sentimental garbage of him trying to become a better husband-to-be as he races to get dressed and prepared, hour-upon-the-same-hour, for his wedding. The cosmic punishment of it doesn't even fit as well as it did Bill Murray's Phil Connors, who although he may've been amusing to view from the outside would likely be an unpleasant egocentric to be near. Wayans's Rob, however, is a nice guy who is the victim of a crime. Maybe he's unreliable and has a problem with purchasing lottery tickets, but big whoop--is the moral here really that one must get a full-time job and perform a supposedly-perfect wedding. I just reviewed the latest déjà vu burger "The Map of Tiny Perfect Things," too, where I complained that it lacked any of the manifold compelling manifestations of the concept, including cinematic and video-game reflexivity, intriguing genre twists and philosophical musings. "Naked" is even worse.
At least the newer movie features the characters taking some time from their infinite supply of it to more-fully explore their surroundings and have some fun and maybe even learn maths, and at least it's relatively consistent in its repetition. I mean, where does that third security guard at the hotel come from? Why wasn't he in prior naked landings? Is this reverse "Russian Doll" where the world is becoming more complete the more it's repeated? Why are all the interactions with the maid of honor with the groom? Does the bride not have friends? Is she a character or merely a goal for the hero's quest? What happened to the pigeons flying into the church? Maybe if "Naked" were consistently funny, none of this would much matter, but it isn't.
