Film
Movie theaters, reviews and showtimes in New York, plus articles, trailers and more
- Home
- Box Office
- Listings
- Trailers
- Features
Bookmark this page- Edition:
Hot Shots! (1991)
Director: Jim Abrahams
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Enlisted in a top secret bombing mission alongside the élite of the Navy's air corps, hot-headed flyboy Topper Harley (Sheen) must first convince the beautiful base psychiatrist (Golino) that his mental quirks won't endanger the operation. In the event, he earns her love, his comrades' respect, and a one-way ticket to Disneyland. This Kentucky Fried movie dogs Top Gun like canned laughter dogging a feeble joke. There's nothing as subtle as parody here. Instead, Abrahams and co-writer Pat Proft keep the narrative framework out of harm's way while taking pot shots at whatever takes their fancy, from Nine 1/2 Weeks to Dances with Wolves. These spoofs are funny up to a point, but Abrahams can't summon much conviction for the job; too often, a mere allusion does all the work, while wackier gags are stretched beyond breaking point. It might be funnier.Author: TCh
Cast & crew
Director: Jim Abrahams
Producer: Bill Badalato
Cast: Charlie Sheen, Cary Elwes, Valeria Golino, Lloyd Bridges, Kevin Dunn, Jon Cryer, William O'Leary, Kristy Swanson, Efrem Zimbalist Jr full cast
Genre(s): Comedy
Duration: 85 mins
Most popular on this site
Features
To the letter
Forty years later, Costa-Gavras's Z still brims with fury.
Mind over matter
David Cronenberg reflects on a most bizarre body: his own corpus of work.
Fool's gold
Can an Oscar win lead to a cursed career? Here are five stories of postaward professional meltdowns.
We are the championed
Terrorists and teens abound in this year's "Film Comment Selects."
A history of violence
Matteo Garrone's kaleidoscopic Gomorrah wallops you with Italy's crime crisis.
True romantic
James Gray exchanges urban amorality for amour in Two Lovers.
Playing in the dark
MoMA salutes pianist Stuart Oderman's 50 years as the one-man sound of silents.
Junk bonds
Cast and crew recall the making of the classic NYC drug drama The Panic in Needle Park.
What do you think?
Post your review now