The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear

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The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear

PG-13

1991

1h 25m

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

77%

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112 Reviews

65%

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100,000+ Ratings

Lt. Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) returns for more madcap high jinks in this police-procedural spoof. Powerful energy corporations are intent on putting a halt to the eco-friendly plans of Dr. Albert S. Meinheimer (Richard Griffiths), the new U.S. energy czar. They scheme to replace Meinheimer with an imposter who will do their bidding. Unfortunately for them, Drebin gets tangled up with their plans while trying to steal back his ex (Priscilla Presley) from her slimy new beau (Robert Goulet).

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Critics Consensus

Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear delivers a handful of moderate laughs, but overall, its strained antics pale in comparison to its gut-busting predecessor.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Tribune

It's 85 minutes of pure, breathless pleasure. The eternally oblivious Drebin, played with growing relish by a reborn Leslie Nielsen, now seems firmly entrenched as one of the great comic creations of American movies.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jul 23, 2025

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Craig MacInnis

Toronto Star

It is merely stating the obvious to say that The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear is the most important movie of the year -- and also the most excellent.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jul 23, 2025

Full Review

Carrie Rickey

Philadelphia Inquirer

How funny is it? I'm snickering too hard to answer. Not only does David Zucker's preposterously silly film stoop to new comic lows to get you to laugh, it even does the limbo. And cha-chas, too. With arms akimbo and legs splayed.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 23, 2025

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Although there wasn’t much of a reason to do a sequel, it’s easy enough to be entertained by carrying on with the misadventures of the invariably inept yet accidentally successful policeman.

Rated: 6/10

Aug 23, 2025

Full Review

Sebastian Zavala Kahn

Me gusta el cine

It's the second part that I find most consistently funny, and the one with the best third act. Instead of fizzling out at the end, "The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear" concludes hilariously and quickly. [Full review in Spanish].

Rated: 4.5/5

Jul 30, 2025

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Gary Thompson

Philadelphia Daily News

It's all fairly ridiculous, and fairly entertaining. There's no getting around the fact, however, that Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker have lost a bit of their collective touch.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jul 23, 2025

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Sam W

More silly and goofy antics with ample one liners and farce but the gags weren’t as good or as frequent as in the first film. The ecological political storyline was rather dry but there were still some iconic scenes and laugh out loud moments and the lead characters put on a good show.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/25/25

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Max W

The comedic beats fall short in both quality and quantity compared to its predecessor, but combined with an excess of contemporary political undertones. Yet Leslie Nielsen’s effortless comedic charisma still manages to buoy the film’s overall humor.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/19/25

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Melvin D.

Wasn’t as funny as the first or even the third movies but still a fun watch.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/18/25

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Jay W

This one, like the first, has a lot of good jokes and funny moments. What it lacks in wit, it makes up for in sheer number and variety of jokes. There is a sense of, "been there done that." with a lot of jokes and story beats, particularly with the love story. I am aware that this is a comedy where you aren't meant to take much seriously. But it does bother me that a lot of the plot revolves around the joke that nuclear power is bad and solar power is good. But that is a tangent for another place.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/15/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Not as good as the first one but still hilarious

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/15/25

Full Review

Kári Leó Ó

I find this pretty underrated and in my opinion it´s kinda better then the first one I find this funnier then the first one

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/12/25

Full Review

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David Zucker

Director

Leslie Nielsen

Det. Lt. Frank Drebin

Priscilla Presley

Jane Spencer

George Kennedy

Det. Captain Ed Hocken

O.J. Simpson

Det. Nordberg

Robert Goulet

Quentin Hapsburg

The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear: Official Clip - Boxing Knowledge

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The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear: Official Clip - Wheelchair Mayhem

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The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear: Official Clip - Frank the Tank

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The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear: Official Clip - Pulling the Plug

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The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear: Official Clip - Final Requests

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The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear: Official Clip - Interrogating Almost Dead Guys

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The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear: Official Clip - She Reminds Me of Mom

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The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear: Official Clip - What Are You Trying To Tell Me?

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The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Lt. Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) returns for more madcap high jinks in this police-procedural spoof. Powerful energy corporations are intent on putting a halt to the eco-friendly plans of Dr. Albert S. Meinheimer (Richard Griffiths), the new U.S. energy czar. They scheme to replace Meinheimer with an imposter who will do their bidding. Unfortunately for them, Drebin gets tangled up with their plans while trying to steal back his ex (Priscilla Presley) from her slimy new beau (Robert Goulet).

Director: David Zucker
Producer: Robert K. Weiss, John D. Schofield
Screenwriter: David Zucker, Pat Proft
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $84.3M
Runtime: 1h 25m
Sound Mix: Surround

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