Police Academy-1984
Director Hugh Wilson
Starring Steve Guttenberg
Scott’s Review #1,442
Reviewed September 27, 2024
Grade: B+
Police Academy (1984) is a fun slice of nostalgia for me that oozes back memories of being a pre-pubescent boy, and it’s difficult to put my ‘critic’ hat on long enough to review the film adequately and impartially.
But I’ll try.
1980s cinema is filled with movies like Police Academy, featuring bumbling antics and situation comedy gags with little film integrity or artistic merit. The dimwitted and sex-crazed characters, usually male, go from one situation to another with the hopes of fun and sex.
The franchise relies on basic slapstick humor, typically grounded in simple characterization and physical comedy. As with many similar films, the theme centers on a group of underdogs struggling to prove themselves while various authority figures try to suppress them.
Thus, the audience adores and roots for them.
Yes, Police Academy is riddled with cliches, idiocy, and a disrespect for law enforcement, but only in the softest of ways. Filmmakers have no ill contempt and only intend to follow a well-used comedy formula to produce a hit.
Quite a hit, it spawned six sequels, culminating in 1994’s lame Police Academy: Mission to Moscow.
When the mayor of an unnamed crime-ridden city loosens the restrictions on entering the police academy to get more cops on the street, all manner of oddball characters enlist to join the force.
Among the cadets are sexy Carey Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg), hulking Moses Hightower (Bubba Smith), blonde Karen Thompson (Kim Cattrall), and sound effects-generating Larvell Jones (Michael Winslow), who all have to show initiative and courage when they are faced with tough situations out on patrol.
The law enforcement villains are Police Chief Henry Hurst (George R. Robinson) and Lieutenant Thaddeus Harris (G.W. Bailey), who scheme to make the training unbearable so the recruits will quit.
In predictable form, the good-looking Mahoney and Karen fall in love while the incompetent rookies manage to save the day and bust some thugs. They receive recognition for bravery and graduate from the academy.
Beneath the surface is the racial diversity of three prominent black characters who became popular staples of the franchise. There are a few ethnic slurs, but they’re used by villains who receive their comeuppance.
There are several LGBTQ+ situations, one of which involves two of the foils purposely being sent to a gay bar and dancing the night away with masculine leather men.
Later, Commandant Eric Lessard thinks Mahoney has provided him with fellatio (it’s a female prostitute), and thinks he sees Mahoney making out with a man.
The inclusion is a nice touch for the time, and it’s unclear whether the message is that the foils may be gay, that the situations are meant for laughs, or that being straight is better.
Nude scenes featuring female characters exist, and we do see male characters shirtless, but like many 1980s mainstream R-rated films, the females are nude, and the males are not.
An unfair double standard that has mercifully changed over the years.
A terrific and apt comparison is that the Police Academy (1984-1994) franchise is like the Friday the 13th (1980-2009) franchise. So many sequels follow a similar formula, so the audience knows what to expect and adores the redundancy.
I’ve seen both series numerous times and never get tired of them.
Police Academy (1984) is not high art, nor is it meant to be analyzed. For its pleasing entertainment and a chance to root for the underdog, the film is satisfying, provides a chuckle or two, and I won’t feel guilty about my enjoyment.
