The mayor declares that anyone can enroll in the police academy irrespective of their physical condition or education level, and many misfits descend on the academy, including a young troublemaker who’s forced to apply or go to jail.
Cast:
- Steve Guttenberg as Cadet Carey Mahoney
- Kim Cattrall as Cadet Karen Thompson
- Bubba Smith as Cadet Moses Hightower
- Donovan Scott as Cadet Leslie Barbara
- Michael Winslow as Cadet Larvell Jones
- Andrew Rubin as Cadet George Martin
- David Graf as Cadet Eugene Tackleberry
- Bruce Mahler as Cadet Douglas Fackler
- Marion Ramsey as Cadet Laverne Hooks
- G. W. Bailey as Lieutenant Thaddeus Harris
1984 viewing
I watched Police Academy at home with my dad. He rented it one night and I sat in the living room while he watched it.
I was quickly engaged, laughing at the stupid jokes and mesmerized by the sound effects of Cadet Jones. Was he really making those sounds with his mouth?
I enjoyed Police Academy back in 1984, let’s see if it still holds up today.
40th Anniversary Re-watch
This movie is dumb, the jokes are juvenile, probably offensive and the slapstick is goofy. And I laughed the entire time! There’s nothing new or original about Police Academy but it’s a fun movie to sit and laugh at for 90 minutes.
Due to a declining number of Police Officers the mayor of an unknown town lifts all restrictions and accepts all applicants to the Police Academy. Carey Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg) isn’t a willing applicant, he is given an ultimatum, join the Police or go to jail.
The Chief of Police hates the idea and wants to make the experience miserable so the substandard recruits will quit. He puts Lt. Harris (G. W. Bailey) in charge of the recruits to make their life a living hell.
The recruits are a rag-tag bunch of misfits who would never get past the application process. Despite Lt. Harris’ best efforts they all learn how to be Police Officers and graduate from the Academy.
The movie moves from one gag to the next with abandon and they all hit and are funny. The acting isn’t the best in the movie but the comedic timing is spot on. The movie’s writers have a strong background in comedy and it shows.
Writer and director Hugh Wilson created the TV series WKRP in Cincinnati, Easy Street and Frank’s Place. He also wrote Stoker Ace (1983) and would go on to write Burglar (1987), Down Periscope (1996) and many more.
Co-writers Neal Isreal and Pat Proft also wrote Bachelor Party (1984) [LINK}, and then Moving Violations (1985), Real Genius (1985), Look Who’s Talking, Too (1990), the Naked Gun franchise and the Police Academy TV series. The three of them had their finger on the pulse of comedy in the late 70s , 80s and 90s.
Favorite Line:
You’re not at the bottom of the list, you are the bottom of the list.
The actors also help this movie, not really with the acting but more their comedy. They are able to play off of one another with good timing to make the jokes land. The chemistry between Mahoney and Lt. Harris is great and makes the movie fun to watch.
When Mahoney puts brown shoe polish on the megaphone and it transfers to Harris’ face, an oldie but a goodie and it’s still funny. Or when a recruit throws an apple out the window hitting a man in the head and starting a city wide riot. It’s all goofy humor, yet fun to watch.
I contend this movie still holds up after forty years. If you like mindless, entertaining humor Police Academy fits the bill. It spawned six sequels, a TV series, an animated series and a comic book series. It’s a juggernaut of a franchise.
Police Academy was released on 23 March 1984. It made a big impact at the box office making over $81 million on a $4.5 million budget. It’s parked at #6 for highest grossing movies of 1984.
Did you watch Police Academy? If so let me know your thoughts in the comments below or on X(Twitter). The main Geekster channel is @GeeksterMedia and I’m @MileHighSamurai You can also find me on Bluesky @MileHighSamurai
9/10 stars
Be the first to comment