Search - Hot Shots! on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG-13 Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Violence, Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content, Not For Children, Profanity Movie Release: 1991 DVD Release: 08/06/2002 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 25 mins Studio: 20th Century Fox Total Copies: 51 Genres: Comedy, Parody/Spoof, Military Comedy, Absurd Comedy

From director Jim Abrahams, one of the minds behind the Airplane! and Naked Gun films, comes another parody. This time around, Abrahams has his sights set on the action-adventure genre, specifically Top Gun. Charlie Sheen stars as Topper Harley, a maverick air force pilot who constantly lives in the shadow of his father's legacy. Unable to handle the pressure, Harley has left the Air Force to live among a tribe of Native Americans. But when the United States seeks to destroy some Iraqi nuclear facilities, there's only one man for the job. After being coaxed back into service, Harley soon realizes that in addition to Saddam Hussein, he'll have to contend with a rival pilot, played by Cary Elwes, and a devious aerospace executive. Among the many films lampooned are Dances With Wolves, 9 1/2 Weeks, The Fabulous Baker Boys, and Gone With the Wind. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Charlie Sheen - Sean "Topper" Harley
Valeria Golino - Ramada Thompson
Cary Elwes - Kent Gregory
Lloyd Bridges - Admiral "Tug" Benson
Kevin Dunn - Lt. Comm. Block

The clichés found in the movie Top Gun are so widespread that this DVD release of Hot Shots! should even find favor with younger moviegoers who've never seen the 1980s Tom Cruise hit that this flick has such an infectiously good time spoofing. Wild spoof comedies aren't the first place to go to find examples of beautiful cinematography but the widescreen anamorphic transfer here is fine and returns the movie to its original theatrical aspect ratio. The disc includes a "making of" documentary and while nothing in it quite lives up to the witty title "The Making of an Important Movie," it does offer a diverting half hour. While Hot Shots! has more than its share of big laughs, the sequel Hot Shots! Part Deux, a spoof of the Rambo franchise, is actually funnier than the first picture, and both have been released on DVD at the same time. ~ Nick Dedina, All Movie Guide