Police Academy (1984)

Police Academy is easily the best movie of the entire series which seemed to decline steadily in quality. Made up of a cast of mostly unknowns who would later become well known for this 1984 classic, Police Academy is still a delightful comedy 33 years on.In an unnamed city (actually filmed in Toronto), the city mayor decides to solve the problem of the shortage of police officers by removing all restrictions for the police academy and no longer will cadets be discriminated against sex, weight, height, orientation, intelligence and fitness. As the gates have been thrown open, men and women of all shapes and sizes apply for the police academy. The cadets include Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg), Jones (Michael Winslow), Hightower (Bubba Smith), Tackleberry (David Graf), Hooks (Marion Ramsey), Thompson (Kim Cattrall), Fackler (Bruce Mahler), Barbara (Donovan Scott), Martin (Andrew Rubin), Blankes (Brant Von Hoffman), and Copeland Scott Thomson). While the good hearted Commandant Lassard (George Gaynes) is more than willing to give all the cadets a chance, Lieutenant Harris (G.W. Bailey) is strongly opposed to the standards being lowered and is more than willing to wash a majority of the cadets out of the academy by making their lives hell. Sergeant Callahan (Leslie Easterbrook) is also one of the instructors of the academy however more than one of the male cadets have a sexual interest in her.Although Steve Guttenberg had small roles beforehand including Diner (1982), he became a household name throughout the 1980's with the first four Police Academy movies as well as movies such as Cocoon (1985), Short Circuit (1986), and Three Men and a Baby (1987). Unfortunately he was barely sighted in the 1990's and his star power that he one had was lost. Kim Cattrall also earned a number of leading lady roles in movies such as Big Trouble in Little China (1986) and Mannequin (1987), and also hit the big time with TV series Sex and the City. The rest of the cast such as Michael Winslow, David Graf, Bubba Smith and G.W. Bailey continued to appear in the Police Academy series and had a variety of small roles in other movies, however most of the cast have since developed a cult following. Sadly David Graf died in 2001 after a heart attack, former NFL star turned actor Bubba Smith died in 2011, and George Gaynes passed away in 2016.Despite its adult humour, Police Academy was a movie I enjoyed watching as a young child (though I had hired the movie out on video and had watched it numerous times, my mother forbid me to watch the first movie upon discovering a number of infamous scenes) as well as the rest of the movies and the animated series (which got me hooked originally).Police Academy is still a time pleasing classic comedy that is still enjoyable as time goes on. The same can't be said for the rest of the series with its over reliance of unsophisticated humour, sex-related jokes and physical comedy which did become repetitive. That aside, the first movie still remains as the most memorable of the series.7/10.

1984's Police Academy was great in it's day and 32 years later the movie still feels fresh and full of vitality. Sadly it's ONLY the first entry in the series that has held up over the years and that's largely due to the films risqué sense of humour, being more adult or "mature" in nature. I've seen this film dozens of times over the years and always get a kick out it.It's funny to think that this movies success (or the entire series for that matter) largely hinges upon the presence of a perennial B-Lister like Steve Guttenberg, but it's true - it just doesn't seem like a Police Academy movie without Officer Mahoney. For the uninitiated Police Academy is a rousing comedy, that comes loaded with many funny and memorable characters and it was the starting point for a long-running and prolific series of movies throughout the 80's and into the early 90's. But it's this one, the first one, if memory serves me correctly, is the only one that's actually true to it's title - it being the only one that takes place largely at a "police academy". And it's here, at the beginning, where the comedy is most focused and is at it's most effective.Centering largely around Cadet/Officer Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg) who plays a good-for-nothing punk that's constantly in trouble with the law, as he drifts from one low-paying job to another. Eventually he's pressured into going to the police academy or prison, unenthused by either choice, he chooses the academy, once there he's intent on getting thrown out later that very same day "Be out of here by three". He proceeds to cause mischief where ever he goes and with every chance he gets - and there are many. Because after all, that's really half the show - Mahnoney's shenanigans on campus. In fact his handiwork becomes so well known to others, that you hear lines like "Mahoney... it's gotta be Mahoney". He's constantly at odds with his superiors's and one in particular: Lituentant Harris, who is by far the most combustible and vocal of the academy's training core and it's between them that many of the movies funniest exchanges happen. I'd say the best of which would have to be the accident involving the dirt-bike and horse's ass - Riotous! Truly a classic film moment - or better yet the scene that immediately follows, which is a hilarious continuation of that scene.Having recently seen it yet again, I can attest to the films seemingly timeless quality and it's irrepressible comedic charm. Director Hugh Wilson did a great job with getting the most out of his cast and the films comic sensibilities still manage to shine brightly after all these years. Police Academy, the first in the series, the one that literally "started it all" remains a top-tier comedy and one of the very best of the 80's - a decade that easily had more notable comedies than any other (I could make a list but don't feel that it's necessary).Sadly it's -only- with the first Police Academy movie that the magic is alive and vital - the rest were obviously tamed-down for younger audiences - and it's a real shame they went with that direction.I can't help but think how awesome it would have been for Eddie Deezen to have been one of the new cadet's, definitely a missed opportunity..... but anyway's - Long Live The Great Mahoney!

Numerous comedies have been made involving a group of misfits coming together under one roof for a common reason. This specific plot has been used in countless comedies and for countless genres. It is by far from the greatest movie made but the one that comes to mind that was quite popular during the 1980s was Hal Needham's The Cannonball Run (1981); a ragtag group of zany car drivers set out on the biggest race of their lives to reach the finish line. A few years later, this movie would be released and its plot isn't a stranger to what was previously mentioned; an ordinary group of schmoes from the city join the police academy after it becomes legal for anyone to join for any reason. If they pass, they are officially apart of the police force. Simple as that, and as bare bones as it is, the movie gets by just fine for the most part. The only difference between the two movies is that one is in an actual race of who will win, while the other is a race of who will graduate.Written by Neal Isreal, Pat Proft and Hugh Wilson (who also directed) have put together a decent script with a number of positives and only a couple of negatives that clearly needed to be changed. The biggest issue with its script is that it's not a whole story. Since there are numerous characters, there are just several subthreads that run parallel to each other. This also means some characters will have better developed backstories than others. This is usually the sacrifices that are made for bigger ensemble casts. Unfortunately with that come a number of clichés that have been seen in other comedies. Some of which most filmgoers would expect because of how predictable the typecasting is. Yet, this is forgivable because all the main actors who have the majority of screen time are all likable in their roles. This is due to their distinguished personalities. The big three characters belong to Carey Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg), a labeled troublemaker but only for the wrong reasons, Karen Thompson (Kim Cattrall) as Mahoney's love interest, and Capt. Harris (G.W. Bailey) who strongly loathes Mahoney and wants to remove any other rejects. Bailey continues to be funny in his roles. Every character that he has been cast for remains comical in their own way with his clumsy facial expressions. Then there's gentle giant Moses Hightower (Bubba Smith), the shy Laverne Hooks (Marion Ramsey), sound effects master Larvell Jones (Michael Winslow), the innocent dough boy Leslie Barbara (Donovan Scott), the tough and attractive Capt. Callahan (Leslie Easterbrook), the old forgetful Commander Lassard (George Gaynes), hispanic man George Martin (Andrew Rubin), the gun-totting crazy man Eugene Tackleberry (David Graf) and a couple others. With all of these personalities on screen it is hard not to find at least one thing to exploit from each character when it comes to comedy. For the majority of the time the comedy works efficiently. It's not falling off your seat hilarious but there are several moments that will create some good laughs. A lot of the gags and slapstick are stupid and goofy but they work because of how ridiculously quick the situations get. However, there are some jokes that are a bit crude. Humping and butt jokes are bit immature even if the tone is to be goofy. For its time, yeah maybe it was funny but now, those kinds of gags are just ehh. One of the bigger surprises is when there's a racial slur thrown out in the spotlight. Umm,...OK, since when did one of these antagonists become filled with that much hate? Thankfully, it is resolved (somewhat). Come on, there's no reason for that. Keep it classy.Michael D. Margulies was the director of photography for this feature. Although most of his work was shooting for TV movies, it seems as though he handled it well. Margulies gets a lot of the surrounding police campus and the city scenes don't look boring either. They're not beauty shots but they do work. The music was composed by Robert Folk who would be better known for scoring music to the Jim Carrey vehicle Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995). Although Folk's work isn't easy to physically find other than a couple areas, he at least makes it catchy and easy to listen to. The main theme for the franchise has a memorable motif involving flutes and snare drum to emphasize the military aspect of the police academy. The rest of the tracks have more jazz themed tunes, which isn't the usual way of producing a film score but it works nonetheless.Its large cast of comedic talents are clever in their own ways even for a largely thin plot. However, some jokes are bit silly and ill-advised even for its goofy tone. These flaws are thankfully made up with music that is unique and memorable and focused cinematography.

I'm not necessary a fan of low brow , unsophisticated humor. I avoid toilet and vulgar humor. "Police academy" isn't an intelligent or sophisticated comedy. However I like it because the humor is pretty much innocent and never crosses the line of good taste. Yes , it's R rated comedy but most of the jokes here actually make this a good family entertainment. It was made in era where similar movies like "Caddyshack" (good) , "Porkys" (bad) , "Stripes" (bad) "Bachelor party" (decent) or "Revenge of the nerds" (decent) gained popularity. From all of them "PA" was the most popular and is the best. Funny thing – The plot was actually inspired by real life ! Paul Maslansky got the idea for Police Academy during production of " The Right stuff" (1983). A group of police cadets arrived to help with crowd control for the filming of a street scene. When the cadets piled out of the buses to take their posts, they were diverse; men, women, tall, short, black, Chinese. Maslansky found it humorous, asking the sergeant, "Are these all going to be future San Francisco's finest ? " The sergeant looked at Paul and said that due to an equal opportunity recruitment policy, "We've got to take them all into the academy, but we can flunk them out."The movie has got some kind of plot , but to be honest the whole story is just an excuse for a marathon of gags. "Police academy" pretty much feels like a series of sketches with likable goofy characters. Ah yes , the characters . There are the main strength and the heart of the movie. They are pretty much one dimensional and lack depth , but how entertaining they are ! They memorable , colorful , likable and unforgettable. Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg in role which made him famous) the wise cracking, prank pulling underdog with heart of gold. Larvell Jones (Michael Winslow) the human sound effect machine. Tackleberry (David Graff) the gun-happy macho. Comendant Lassard (George Gaynes) the completely clueless old man. Moses Hightower (Bubba Smith) black giant . Lieutenant Harris (G.W.Bailey) the lovely asshole. Hooks (Marion Ramsey) shy black woman with voice projection problems. Feckler (Bruce Mahler) the ultimate unlucky nerd. Who could forget about them !The movie was written by Hugh Wilson (director) , Pat Proft and Neal Israel ("Bachelor party" and the "Naked gun" trilogy). Memorable one liners and scenes , especially : The scene with the hooker in the speaker's podium , the horse scene , the unforgettable Blue Oyster bar , the sexy Amazon drill instructor , "Princess ?! More like a Prince to me !" , Larvell Jones intimidating guns and many more… The movie doesn't care about political correctness and that's one of the reasons why I like it. Solid acting from all people in the cast. Watch out for young and uncredited Ed O'Neill ("Married with children" TV series) handing out uniforms on the first day at the Academy. Robert Smith created one of the most memorable and likable music themes ever. He also provides a good score for the whole movie. The tango is called "El Bimbo" performed by Jean-Marc Dompierre and his orchestra.The sequels didn't live to the original and sadly many people seem to think that the original was bad too. I don't really think they should make them in the first place. There simply wasn't any potential to create good franchise. The sequel number 2 is watchable , but the series got repetitive and boring very quickly. The TV series were also bad."Police academy" is a good comedy. It's FAR from "Worst movies ever " list . It's innocent, silly , sometimes stupid fun . It's better than so-called raunchy comedies like "Stepbrothers" that Hollywood is making now. I give it 7/10.