The third true comedy spoof movie to be released this summer (after "Mafia" and "BASEketball"), this film -- like those recent ones before it -- offers a few random laughs, but nothing that could be categorized as hilarious in a gut-wrenching way. More apt to elicit a knowing smile or grin, the film uses the standard machine gun delivery of jokes hoping to hit with some of its "ammo." Unfortunately, more often than not the projectiles are weak at best. Watch for a lame box office debut and a quick trip to the video store for this one.
Following the standard plot where a certain story or genre is spoofed while simultaneous, but brief jabs are thrown at other, various material, the film has two things immediately working against it. First, the timing couldn't be worse by following those two previously mentioned films (let alone the fourth hybrid movie, "There's Something About Mary") as audiences can apparently only take so much of this sort of comedy. In addition, some of the material -- in particular a tongue into one ear and out the other scene, and some fun poked at Irish line dancing -- has already been done in those other films.
Far worse, however, is the source material that's being used as fodder for this film. In the past, the genre has traditionally picked on subjects ripe for some lambasting. Like "Mafia!" that went after the organized crime films, the best entries in the field -- the "Airplane" and "Naked Gun" films -- skewered movies that took themselves too seriously when, in reality, they were often quite inane. From the many airline disaster films to the hordes of cop (and cop buddy) flicks, the material was there for the taking.
This film, however, goes after the critically and publicly acclaimed film, "The Fugitive." While there's nothing wrong with picking any film to spoof -- and we're certainly not protectively defensive about this one -- the original movie and its plot were anything but bad (which is often helpful for this sort of film) and that particular plot clearly hasn't been overdone. Consequently, there's just not enough there around which to build a spoofing film, and that lack of material definitely shows.
Writer turned first-time director Pat Proft (who wrote or co-wrote the "Naked Gun" and "Hot Shots" movies) pretty much follows "The Fugitive's" plot in a way that's nearly more homage, than spoof based. Since there wasn't much in the original that was absurd, Proft tries to turn those elements around to become that, but most of the efforts are mildly humorous at best.
Leslie Nielsen (the "Naked Gun" movies, "Mr. Magoo") -- playing the Harrison Ford part -- delivers his standard deadpan, pratfall laden character, and occasionally has a good line or two to deliver, but suffers from a lack of decent comedic material. Despite his willingness to do whatever it takes -- verbally or physically -- to elicit a laugh, the filmmakers have unfortunately pretty much left him high and dry.
Veteran actor Richard Crenna -- playing the Tommy Lee Jones character -- has the part down pat, but likewise isn't given enough funny lines. Jones' Oscar winning performance was already over the top, and while Crenna has the barked order cadence and delivery just right, little of his material is outrageously funny like it should have been.
The same holds true for the supporting cast members, and that's another feature that further diminishes the film's overall impact. If you think back to the original "Airplane," there were so many humorous auxiliary characters throughout the film that made every moment wackily enjoyable and the entire film a delight. Here, performers such as Kelly Le Brock, Sandra Bernhard, and Michael York are underused, unfunny, and easily could have replaced by nearly any other actor or actress with no noticeable effects.
You do have to get writer/director Proft some credit for trying, however. The film does manage to get in many jabs, jokes and mentions of many other films and other material. Unfortunately, most of it's only mildly funny at best, despite the creative intentions.
Beyond all of the material from "The Fugitive," there are spoofs of "Baywatch" (set on a cold Minnesota lake), "Mission Impossible," "Braveheart," "Clear and Present Danger," "Charlie's Angels," "Dirty Harry," "North by Northwest," and of course, the inevitable one on "Titanic." Throw in some jabs at "The Lord of the Dance," instrument thrashing rock artists, and even Dr. Kevorkian and O.J. Simpson, and there would seem to be plenty of room for a few comedic misses.
While viewers will obviously recognize the source material, this film's versions of such moments, while occasionally clever, just don't have what it takes to get the audience rolled up in any collective -- or even singular -- belly laughs. You'll probably appreciate the effort, but not laugh very often.
All of which goes to prove that the spoof genre may have run its course, and now must be considered an endangered cinematic species. While once extremely popular -- because the entries were clever, often outrageous, and almost always funny -- recent offerings of pure spoof movies have been mostly rejected by today's audiences.
With poor box office returns, studios will be less likely to keep "breeding" such films, and they may soon go the way of the dodo bird. After ancient mankind got the laughs out of their system regarding how goofy the creatures looked, they realized they weren't that funny anymore, and the poor, rejected creatures simply vanished from the Earth (end of science class).
Nowhere near as funny as its predecessors, and suffering from poor timing and a lack of ripe source material, this film just doesn't have what it takes to fully amuse audiences. Despite an occasional laugh -- and the usual goofy credits -- the film comes up quite short of what's normally expected from this genre. Thus, we give "Wrongfully Accused" just a 2 out of 10.
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