Police Academy
1984 · Directed by Hugh Wilson
Original language: English
- comedy
- crime
The story
New rules enforced by the Lady Mayoress mean that sex, weight, height and intelligence need no longer be a factor for joining the Police Force. This opens the floodgates for all and sundry to enter the Police Academy, much to the chagrin of the instructors. Not everyone is there through choice, though. Social misfit Mahoney has been forced to sign up as the only alternative to a jail sentence and it doesn't take long before he falls foul of the boorish Lieutenant Harris. But before long, Mahoney realises that he is enjoying being a police cadet and decides he wants to stay... while Harris decides he wants Mahoney out!
What it’s like
Bright, flat studio lighting and broad, evenly lit rooms give Police Academy the look of an early-80s American comedy: plain institutional walls, drab municipal greens and browns, and a lot of medium shots that let the physical gags play out in full view. The camera stays close and unfussy, often holding on a cluttered gym, a crowded barracks or a squad room while bodies tumble through the frame. The score is bouncy and synth-tinged, and the soundtrack leans on marching-band pep and goofy cartoon effects. It is light, silly and rowdy, a comfort-watch with a warm, low-stakes mood that suits a lazy weekend afternoon, background viewing while folding laundry, or a night in with friends. The pace is brisk and episodic, built on set pieces and running jokes rather than sustained tension. Its heart is a lovable underdog slowly finding his feet among a ragtag group of misfits, with a sour authority figure as the foil. Violence is slapstick only: pratfalls, scuffles and mild bumps, with no gore and no real menace. Sexual references are cheeky and suggestive but not explicit. It is for people who want easy laughs, goofy team-up energy and a film that never asks much of them.
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