Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (1985) Warner Bros./Comedy RT: 87 minutes Rated PG-13 (language, crude humor, comic violence, brief nudity, some sexual content) Director: Jerry Paris Screenplay: Barry W. Blaustein and David Sheffield Music: Robert Folk Cinematography: James Crabe Release date: March 29, 1985 (US) Cast: Steve Guttenberg, Bubba Smith, David Graf, Michael Winslow, Marion Ramsey, Bruce Mahler, Colleen Camp, Art Metrano, Lance Kinsey, Howard Hesseman, Peter Van Norden, Bobcat Goldthwait, Tim Kazurinsky, George Gaynes, George R. Robertson, Julie Brown, Ed Herlihy, Sandy Ward, Arthur Batanides, Jackie Joseph, Andrew Paris, Lucy Lee Flippin, Jason Hervey. Box Office: $61.6 million (US)
Rating: ***
It would appear that the rowdy recruits have cleaned up their act a bit in Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment seeing that it carries a PG-13 rating instead of an R like the first movie. This time the emphasis is on the silly and the slapstick rather than the sexual (no podium scene this time, sorry!). It’s still funny, but like most comedy sequels, Police Academy 2 doesn’t quite measure up to the original.
Given how much I enjoyed the first movie, I couldn’t wait to see what producer Paul Maslansky had in store this time. As indicated by the title, the now-graduated cadets receive their first assignment. Naturally, it’s in the worst district in the city. It bears mentioning that it’s NEVER said where exactly the Police Academy movies take place. The academy was simply called the Metropolitan Police Academy and the force is known as the Metropolitan Police Department. If it’s of any help, the movies are typically filmed in Toronto which explains why the city always looks so clean. In any event, the city streets will never be the same once these crazies are set loose on the unsuspecting public.
The 16th Precinct is being terrorized by a street gang called “The Scullions” whose leader Zed (comedian Goldthwait) is a screaming idiot. Chief Henry Hurst (Robertson, The Amateur) informs Captain Pete Lassard (Hesseman, WKRP in Cincinnati) that he has 30 days to turn things around or he’s out of a job. Kiss-ass boob and new nemesis Lt. Mauser (Metrano, Joanie Loves Chachi) wants the promotion and Hurst promises him the position should Lassard fail. Mauser, with the aid of dim-witted flunky Sgt. Proctor (Kinsey, Doctor Detroit), intends to make sure that this happens.
Hurst promises Lassard six new men from the academy. The new members of his force are wise-ass Mahoney (Guttenberg), hulking Hightower (Smith), gung-ho Tackleberry (Graf), human sound effects machine Jones (Winslow), squeaky-voiced Hooks (Ramsey) and accident-prone Fackler (Mahler). Mauser takes an instant dislike to Mahoney and partners him with hygienically-challenged K-9 officer Vinnie Schtulman (Van Norden, Waitress!). Tackleberry gets paired with motorcycle cop Sgt. Kathleen Kirkland (Camp, Clue) with whom he falls in love. The goal is clean up the mean streets of the city by getting rid of Zed and his gang of hoodlums. Again, Mauser intends to see that the rookies fail at every turn.
One of the terrorized citizens is merchant Carl Sweetchuck (Kazurinsky, SNL), a meek sort whose antique shop is destroyed by the eager young cops trying to stop a robbery. Zed torments this guy at every turn, a motif that recurs in future installments of the series.
Police Academy 2 has its fair share of funny moments. Guttenberg pulls a couple of good pranks on Mauser including replacing his shampoo with epoxy resin solution. It results in the jerk having hair glued to his palms and a few masturbation jokes. This installment marks the first times Jones does his signature imitation of the bad dubbing commonly seen in cheap kung fu flicks. The words coming out of his mouth don’t match its movements. Classic!
The cool thing about the Police Academy movies is that they’re good-natured as opposed to the mean-spirited comedies that today’s audiences seem to love. Guttenberg has settled into his role very nicely. His performance is effortless. However, you can’t really critique the performances in Police Academy movies as the actors are simply playing cartoonish character-types. Smith as the reticent behemoth, Graf as the gun-crazy whack job, Mahler as the klutz and Winslow as the wacky sound effects guy. It all works. Ramsey is funny as the soft-spoken type who always manages to find her voice at the end when she screams “Don’t move, dirtbag!”, nostrils flaring and eye twitching, at some astonished perp. Comedian Goldthwait brings his act to Police Academy 2 and it takes some getting used to. He’s what you call an acquired taste.
The slapstick is quite good as are any scenes with the perennially confused Cmndt. Lassard (Gaynes), especially the one at the Japanese hibachi restaurant. Word of warning, never place a goldfish bowl on a hot hibachi. At the end, Mahoney goes undercover as a hoodlum named Jughead that used to run with “The Archies” in order to find out where the Scullions hang out. It’s not as funny as the riot in the first movie, but still humorous. Police Academy 2 is very enjoyable and one of the better sequels.
