Satire is a powerful art form, which helps points out deficiencies
in human behaviors and the issues which result from them in such a way that they
become absurd, even hilarious. In
effect, satire ends up being entertaining to a broader audience. Satire also
has the ability to protect its creator from criticism, because it is implied
rather than overtly stated. In the over the top comedy “Hot Shots part
Deux”, director Jim Abrahams’ objective was simple: to cram as much satire as he could into an
hour and a half. Amidst the silliness, the
foundation for the film is laid in the mold of a “going in to get the guys”
type picture a la the overly macho Rambo III.
Although Sheen plays the Rambo character as best he can, he is clearly
less built than Sylvester Stallone, so it is truly hilarious when he walks
through every scene flexing his arms.
“Why me?” says Harley. He is met
with the reply “because “you’re the best of what’s left.” Analyzing a film like
this from an academic perspective is almost impossible. Jim Abrahams leaves no stone unturned when
deciding whom to take shots at in the film.
Political figures, the enemy, even the protagonist Topper Harley, played
by Charlie Sheen is mocked from the start of the film. The film even picks on itself, and other
movies in the war genre when the characters start referring to their world as a
movie. “Why are you here? Of all the jungles you could be in, this one.” Says Topper.
“It’s the sequel Topper. I had to
come.” Replies Ramada
The
sheer randomness of the humor is what makes this movie so great. The biggest laugh came when Topper is on a
fishing boat, making his way through a jungle river. As he passes another boat, his real life
father is on the boat, re-creating a scene out of apocalypse now, but with a
twist, they each yell to each other “I loved you in wall street”. The random humor keeps the movie fresh. Taking a short cut through the jungle leads
the team through a Beverly Hills backyard barbecue, or a cutaway in a fight
scene for a quick promo: “War, it’s fantastic!”
The
best satire in the film comes from instances in conversation and every-day
life. “You have to be joking.” Says Topper.
“Look, if I was joking, I would say, a horse walks into a bar, the
bartender says why the long face?” Replies
Ramada, Topper’s love interest in the film.
Another example is when a radio dispatcher is trying to get the soldiers
attention. “The eagle has landed. The Crips
are raiding the liquor store” “you yanking my chain?”
Although
the film desensitizes those who watch it to mediocre jokes (Which the movie is
full of), I did appreciate the way the script uses all-purpose bad jokes in
place of a common go-to crutch for most spoof comedy: gross out humor. Other than a scene with the president
throwing up sushi in the Japanese Prime ministers lap, the movie was clean,
which made for a more enjoyable viewing experience. The movie rarely made me laugh out loud, but
I had a smile on my face for the entire hour and a half. The movie ended with an ending, which was
intentionally as cliché as possible: A
long kiss followed by a chopper headed off into the sunset. The ending was fitting, given the movie’s to
have as shallow a plot as possible while making fun of other films.
The Power of
Ridicule: An Analysis of Satire- Megan LeBoeuf
The best humor is satire, and there's a reason we have so little
of it today-
Ian Hunter
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