I wrapped up my viewing of The Naked Gun series with the fourth disk in the boxed set, Wrongfully Accused.
On the surface, it should be hilarious. The Harrison Ford version of The Fugitive is ripe for satire, as is the genre. Alas, Wrongfully Accused botches the job.
It's hard to say what exactly is wrong as there are a number of clever moments and situations, but the whole film feels labored and the timing is just a bit off. I think it's two slow.
Timing is essential in comedy and a classic mistake is to try to draw out the gags. I'm not where the "ham it up and people will laugh" concept took root, but in my experience, rapid-fire jokes work best.
I'm not just thinking of the Zucker-Abrams-Zucker films, but the rapid-fire dialogue of the classic film noir offerings. Comedy often depends on momentum, and once you get people laughing, throwing additional absurdities in rapid succession create a truly memorable laugh riot.
Another factor is that the same sort of absurdity that worked in the 1970s doesn't work now. Authority figures have been soundly mocked for a half century, so there's not a lot of humor value in seeing absurd behavior at a classical orchestra performance.
With that unsatisfying conclusion, I'll probably get back into my ongoing exploration of 80s movies I was too young to watch.
Chateau Lloyd 
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