SPOOF II: HOT SHOTS PART DEUX, NATIONAL LAMPOON'S LOADED WEAPON 1, ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS
As you might guess from the title, NATIONAL LAMPOON'S LOADED WEAPON 1 is a spoof of the LETHAL WEAPON series. Unfortunately, the LETHAL WEAPON movies were meant to be funny to begin with; it's next to impossible to spoof an intentional comedy right (unintentional comedies, on the other hand...). So while there are some funny gags, there aren't enough. Emilio Estevez and Samuel L. Jackson step into the roles of Colt, the burn-out and Luger, the cop ready to retire, who go after General Mortars (William Shatner), Colt's former boss, who's using the Wilderness Cookie Company (a Girl Scouts clone) as a front for his drug dealing business. There's also a love interest for Cold in the former of Miss Demeanor (Kathy Ireland), the owner of the cookie company.
There are gags in the movie that work; when Colt says to a suspect, "This matchbook says you're lying," it does, in fact, the breaking glass scene is funny, the BASIC INSTINCT spoof that Ireland does is funny, and the scene where Mortars and his underling (Denis Leary) duel by quoting aphorisms is amusing. But there aren't enough good gags. It also doesn't help that Shatner is hamming it up too much (he was more restrained with this in AIRPLANE II), and Estevez seems uncomfortable. Mostly, however, it's because the LETHAL WEAPON movies are in general funnier.
So, some people thought, was the Kevin Costner ROBIN HOOD funnier than Brooks' spoof of the film; his first spoof in six years was considered anemic. It's not one of his best, but it is pretty funny. Cary Elwes is Robin Hood, and once again, he battles the Sheriff of Nottingham (Roger Rees) and Prince John (Richard Lewis), and tries to win the heart of Maid Marian (Amy Yasbeck). Brooks does use the Errol Flynn version as a blueprint (he himself plays Rabbit Tuckman), but there are plenty of shots at the Costner version; the Moor character here is named Asneeze (Isaac Hayes), Robin Hood says he's qualified because, "Unlike others, I speak with an English accent, and once again, a famous actor cameos at the end as King Richard. Brooks also has anachronisms (a rap group is the equivalent of the Greek chorus, Achoo (David Chapelle) tries to rally the troops by spoofing Malcom X's speech, and Marian's chastity belt is an Everlast), running gags (a mole on Lewis' face that is never the same place twice),
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