Hot Shots!

Here's the basic formula for dissecting this film: If "Airplane" spoofed a single film (in this case "Top Gun") instead of an entire genre (disaster films), you'd get "Hot Shots".

For a basic plot summary, "Hot Shots" basically spoofs the movie "Top Gun" with any and all types of sight gags included. Charlie Sheen, Valeria Golino, Cary Elwes, and Lloyd Bridges provide the starring roles, and are all hilarious in every scene they carry.

For some people, this type of humor is childish and won't elicit much more than a simple chuckle. For others (myself included), though, the sight gags and hilarious physical comedy will have you in tears of laughter. The chemistry between Sheen and Golino is incredible, Elwes is at his maniacal best, while Bridges basically steals the show as the hilarious old general who always seems to save the day in the end.

This is a film that is kind of hard to explain in print. You really just need to sit down and watch it to determine if it is the right kind of comedy for you. You'll know within the first few minutes.

I should have rewatched Top Gun before seeing this ... I did hold back on that to make it a "double feature" when the second Top Gun movie finally gets its theatrical release .. you know when Cinemas reopen and all that. You can still see that it spoofs that Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer (gay?) bromance . Now don't get overexcited or offended - the undertones are there and they get spoofed here. If you are easily offended maybe do not watch this movie. Though you'd be missing out on many good jokes - from one third of the Zaz team ... he knows his stuff for sure! And the cast is amazing too.

Bridges is on a roll here, as is Sheen and the others. The erotic scene of the movie is exactly that by the way ... hot and steamy, but also super funny. I sort of miss those cool spoof movies ... you could tell they loved movies and didn't just make fun of anything they saw ... there was much love ... and ridiculous insanity included.

I'm not sure why, but I guess I was interested in seeing the first Hot Shots since my mom only has the sequel and I noticed the movie in Blockbuster, I also love Charlie Sheen in comedies, he works so well in spoofs. Not to mention all in all, I do love spoofs, most work for me. It's just the kind comedy that I like. Hot Shots! proved itself to be a worthy spoof that is more than worth watching. It spoofs Top Gun, An Officer and a Gentleman, 9 1/2 Weeks, Gone with the Wind, Rocky, among many other movies.

Topper is a pilot who is wanted back in the navy and falls for a woman, but he has an edge is considered a rebel. Cary Elwes gives him a hard time constantly, especially since his father caused Cary's father to have a freak plane accident. Cary is also in love with Topper's woman and wants revenge.

Hot Shots is a great comedy that I have to admit is a guilty pleasure, but it has so much that most comedies lack now a days. It's just a fun innocent movie that deserves a little bit of a higher rating. Charlie Sheen rocks in comedies, although they have destroyed my new favorite guilty pleasure, 9 1/2 Weeks, it's all good.

7/10

Hot Shots, starring Charlie Sheen is a spoof film that kind of addresses the macho-military man stereotype. I consider it to be one of the funniest spoofs I have ever seen.

Before the review let's get into the premise

Topper played by Charlie Sheen is a young and very much stereotyped Navy Fighter Jet Pilot. Haunted by the Ghost of his late father, and his freak-accident crash that got his friend killed, Topper is an ambitious pilot that has his sights set on one thing...becoming the best pilot the Navy has ever seen. After getting kicked out of the Navy for being too much of a high risk asset, Topper seeks refuge with a Native American tribe until he gets recruited by Lt Block, an old friend. LT block needs Topper and his flying prowess in order for the mission to succeed. Will Topper finally overcome the Ghost of his father and become the best pilot the Navy has ever seen?

This movie is funny. But there is a prerequisite for it. If you haven't seen Top Gun, then this movie is not going to be that funny. Honestly. The reason spoofs are so funny in the first place is because they are poking fun at plot holes, stereotypes and really just giving some normalcy to the dramatization that is a little over the top in another context. If you really want the jokes to land as hard as possible, consider doing a double feature with Top Gun followed by Hot Shots.

Now the biggest downfall for spoofs is honestly the casting. There just really isn't a big budget for spoofs and because of that the delivery of the comedy and satire suffers due to the actors not being adequate enough to deliver the lines and actions in a convincing way. Charlie Sheen really carries this movie and sets the tone. The Director, Jim Abrahams, who also directed "Airplane!" did an amazing job at keeping everybody on the same page. Every line and joke felt so fluid and this spoof film didn't feel like a bunch of SNL sketches that were edited together.

I think Hot Shots is definitely for you if you have watched and enjoyed other movies such as "Airplane" "Airplane 2" and the Naked Gun series. Hot Shots! Is definitely one of those movies I have to watch just because it's such a fun and lighthearted movie that really brings some laughs into the home.

Hot Shots is one of my favorite movies when it comes to comedy. It was made in a time that farting and burping weren't yet considered as the very best humor has to offer.

This film is very enjoyable when you don't know any of the movies this parody has been based on (very hard to believe), but when you do know the movies, Hot Shots is really hilarious from time to time. Most of the time they make fun of Top Gun, but movies like Superman, Dances with Wolves, Gone with the Wind... can be recognized in it as well.

Topper Harley is an excellent pilot who left the navy because he couldn't cope with the feelings of guilt over his father. His father didn't do enough to help his co-pilot during a mission and the poor man got killed in an awful way. When he found out, Topper decided never to fly again. He now lives on his own with an Indian and a wolf, inhaling helium. However, when Lt Commander Block offers a second chance, to take part in secret mission Sleepy Weasel, Topper decides to fly again, although this means that he'll have to deal with a difficult love interest and his old fears.

This movie certainly scores above average when you ask me. Therefor I reward it with a 7.5/10.