Hot Shots!

Hot Shots!
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jim Abrahams
Produced by Bill Badalato
Pat Proft
Written by Jim Abrahams
Pat Proft
Starring
Music by Sylvester Levay
Cinematography Bill Butler
Edited by Jane Kurson
Eric A. Sears
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date
  • July 31, 1991 (1991-07-31)
Running time
 84 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $26 million[1]
Box office $181.1 million[1]

Hot Shots! is a 1991 comedy film directed by Jim Abrahams, co-director of Airplane!, and written by Abrahams and Pat Proft. It stars Charlie Sheen, Cary Elwes, Valeria Golino, Lloyd Bridges, Jon Cryer, Kevin Dunn, Kristy Swanson, and Bill Irwin.[2] It was followed by a sequel, Hot Shots! Part Deux in 1993. The film is primarily a parody of Top Gun, with some scenes spoofing other popular films, including 9½ Weeks, Dances with Wolves, Marathon Man, Rocky, Superman and Gone with the Wind.

Plot

The film begins at Flemner Air Base 20 years in the past. A pilot named Leland "Buzz" Harley (Bill Irwin) loses control of his plane and ejects, leaving his co-pilot Dominic "Mailman" Farnum (Ryan Stiles) to crash alone; although Mailman survives, he's mistaken for a deer owing to the branches stuck to his helmet and is shot by a hunter. Topper Harley (Charlie Sheen) wakes up from a nightmare he's having about the event when Lt. Commander Block (Kevin Dunn) asks him to return to active duty as a pilot in the U.S. Navy, to help on a new top secret mission: Operation Sleepy Weasel, commanded by the incompetent and oblivious Admiral Benson (Lloyd Bridges). Harley starts to show some psychological problems, especially when his father is mentioned. His therapist, Ramada (Valeria Golino), tries to keep Topper from flying, but she relents, and also starts to build a budding romance with Topper. Meanwhile, Topper gets into a rivalry with another fighter pilot, Kent Gregory (Cary Elwes), a former lover of Ramada and son of "Mailman" Farnum who blames Buzz Harley for his father's death, and believes Topper cannot handle combat pressure.

Meanwhile, Block starts privately meeting with an airplane tycoon, Mr. Wilson, who has recently built a new "Super Fighter" that will make the American pilots superior. Block reveals that he brought back Topper for the reason of making Sleepy Weasel fail. Block would then report that it was the Navy's planes that were the real reason for the mission failure and that they need to be replaced with Wilson's planes. During one of the last training missions, an accident between Pete "Dead Meat" Thompson (William O'Leary) and Jim "Wash-Out" Pfaffenbach (Jon Cryer) leaves Dead Meat dead and Wash Out reassigned to radar operator. Block believes this is enough to convince the Navy to buy new fighters, but Wilson calls it a "minor incident", saying the planes need to fail in combat.

Meanwhile, Topper starts to show more feelings for Ramada, but she is conflicted by her past with Gregory. On the carrier U.S.S. Essess, Benson reveals the mission to be an attack of an Iraqi nuclear plant and Block assigns Topper to lead the mission, much to Gregory's chagrin. Wilson, who is also on board, coerces a crew member to sabotage the planes, putting the pilots' lives at risk. Block mentions Buzz Harley to Topper, who becomes overcome with emotion and unable to lead the mission. Block just starts to call out for the mission to be aborted when Iraqi fighters attack the squadron. All the planes' weapons fail and Block realizes what has happened. He then tells Topper that he saw what really happened with Buzz and Mailman, that Buzz tried to do everything possible to save Mailman, but ended up falling out of the plane, failing in his attempts. Inspired, Topper single-handedly beats the Iraqi fighters and bombs the nuclear plant. Back aboard ship, Wilson's plan is revealed and his standing with the military is lost. Back in port, Gregory accepts Topper as a great pilot and lets Ramada be with Topper.

The end credits show Dead Meat and Buzz Harley in spirit with Dead Meat saluting and Buzz giving a thumbs up.

Cast

Critical reaction

The film debuted at number one in the United States.[3][4][5][6] Hot Shots was both a critical and commercial success, grossing over $180 million worldwide.[1] The film holds an 83% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes based on 24 reviews.[7] The film was chosen for the 1991 Royal Film Performance.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Hot Shots!". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  2. ↑ "Hot Shots!". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  3. ↑ Fox, David J. (1991-08-27). "Weekend Box Office : List-Toppers Are Listless". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
  4. ↑ Cerone, Daniel (1991-08-06). "Weekend Box Office : 'Terminator 2' Surrenders Top Spot". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
  5. ↑ Fox, David J. (1991-08-13). "In the Wake of 'Terminator 2,' a Slow Season : Box office: With three weeks to go in the summer, it appears there will be no records set. But it may yet prove to be the third-best summer on record". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
  6. ↑ Fox, David J. (1991-08-20). "Weekend Box Office : The Summer Doldrums Continue". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
  7. ↑ "Hot Shots!". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  8. ↑ Turan, Kenneth (1991-07-31). "MOVIE REVIEW : 'Hot Shots!' Breaks the Laff Barrier". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
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