Police Academy Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
The new police recruits. Call them slobs. Call them jerks. Call them gross. - Just don't call them when you're in trouble.
What an Institution!
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!
| Steve Guttenberg | Cadet Carey Mahoney |
| Kim Cattrall | Cadet Karen Thompson |
| Bubba Smith | Cadet Moses Hightower |
| Donovan Scott | Cadet Leslie Barbara |
| George Gaynes | Cmndt. Eric Lassard |
| Andrew Rubin | Cadet George MartÃn |
| David Graf | Cadet Eugene Tackleberry |
| Leslie Easterbrook | Sgt. Debbie Callahan |
| Michael Winslow | Cadet Larvell Jones |
| Debralee Scott | Mrs. Fackler |
| Bruce Mahler | Cadet Douglas Fackler |
| Ted Ross | Capt. Reed |
| Scott Thomson | Cadet Chad Copeland |
| Brant von Hoffman | Cadet Kyle Blankes |
| Hugh Wilson |
6.00 out of 10 (12412 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Goofy police action
posted on 04 Jul 2009Sometimes you just want to sit back and laugh. You don't need any deep thought; you are just looking to relax.After final exams yesterday, that is what I wanted and Police Academy fit the bill. Nothing spectacular, but it did provide two hours of laughs with juvenile jokes starring Stve Guttenberg, who made four of these films; the gorgeous Kim Cattrall, who racked up a whole room for of awards and nominations for her role in Sex and the City; G.W. Bailey from The Closer; Leslie Easterbrook, seven Police Academy films and The Devil's rejects; and many funny supporting actors.Not high art, just good entertainment.
It ain't perfect, but it's fun!
posted on 23 May 2009A few years ago I first saw this movie. I hadn't had such a good time in years. I was laughing all the time. Okay, the story is, if I may say so, not really good. But that wasn't what the writers meant with this movie. It's for fun!So, watch it with not a to critical eye. And have fun!
Intermittently funny but consistently crude and basic film that will appeal to fans of Porky's and the like
posted on 23 May 2009On the 4th March 1984, newly elected Mayor Mary Sue Beal announced that she was changing the hiring practices of the city's police force. No longer would height, weight, sex, education or physical strength be used to keep new recruits out of the Metropolitan Police Academy. Hundreds of people who never dreamed of becoming police officers signed up immediately. Naturally the police were completely freaked by those they suddenly had to work with. This is their story. This is the police academy.It was a source of much bemusement (sadly not amusement) to me that my ex considered the Police Academy series to be among her favourite comedies. Supposedly having better taste (or perhaps just different taste) I never really saw the appeal of the puerile material and obvious gags of the sequels but admit it had been years since I saw the original. Happy to eat humble pie, I had a recent look at this film to see if it had devalued by what it would later become. To some degree of course it had, but that it is not to suggest that the original was ever anything special, because it wasn't and isn't. The plot is just a simple collection of basic gags, many of which you can see coming minutes before it arrives. It never aspires to do more than this and in fairness it does produce some funny scenes even if the majority are in poor taste or just very simple.The cast match this approach and they do the best they can with what little they have to work with. Guttenberg is a reasonably lovable rouge and is a good lead for the type of film that it is. He is given good support by lots of (now) familiar faces who maybe don't have a lot to them, but do their specific stuff. Cattrall is still a surprise find years later and she turns in a posh, sexy type well. Gaynes plays his simple role really well and produced one of my few laughs with his infamous (and crude) speech scene. Bailey is fun while Smith, Graf, Ramsey and Winslow all do their thing with characters who, for better or worse, we all know.Overall this is a very basic film that will appeal to those who like this sort of teenager nonsense. Yes the sequels generally got worse, but this doesn't mean that the original was ever brilliant, because It isn't. Occasionally funny but mostly this is just a collection of obvious gags that don't aspire to much and deliver only the basics.
This shows that movies can be stupid and funny at the same time.
posted on 23 May 2009Okay, so "Police Academy" is probably the ultimate manifestation of the word "witless". But it doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is: nice, silly fun. The plot basically has a series of goof-off misfits enrolling in the police force and turning it topsy-turvy. Steve Guttenberg, as Cadet Carey Mahoney, may have to remember this as his peak in movies, and he does a pretty good job here.Anyway, the movie is pretty much an excuse to be silly. And they do just that. With hilarious one-liners and one gag after another, you won't be disappointed. Of course, I advise you not to watch it if you're the type who only wants to see "important" movies.
Harmless Fun
posted on 17 May 2009I won't go into the details much of Police Academy, because it's quite simple and everyone should know it by now. The PA series has been around for 20 years now and we know the drill. The PA series is what it is. It's silly, totally ridiculous, but harmless fluff for clean viewing. I am not gonna write how dumb it is or how cheap it is. Why?. We already know this. Everyone knows this and has for 20 years. Writing about it just to blast it and all that and how stupid it is is kind of redundant. Uh, really?. There has never been any question, doubt, or any misconception about what these films are or like. People know what they are and they know what they are going to get when they rushed to the theater to see it or watch it now. They obviously liked the way it was and the simple, mindless fun it delivered, because if they didn't, then the movies would not of been as successful or popular as they were, or had so many made. I definitley know many scholary people who enjoy movies like this because they are fun and innocent and let you have a fun side. It's alright to like PA and any of it's sequels.
Compared to its sequels this is brilliant (minor spoilers!!)
posted on 24 Dec 2008Lately I watched "Police Academy 4" and even though I was all alone in the room, I was embarrassed to be there. But it made me realize just how much of an original film the first installment was. I still like watching this, the one movie, that set off a whole series not just of sequels but also of very bad comedies with the word "Academy" in their titles. And the reason this could happen was that this film actually had a bucket full of very funny moments. Yes, I fondly remember the training session during which Cadet Hooks turned an arrest into a hold-up, because of her nervousness. Or when it turned out, what kind of bar the "Blue Oyster" actually is (a joke that was already dead, when the first sequel picked it up). Or when Michael Winslow started showing his sound imitation talents at a police station. A lot of this is really bad, but there's enough good stuff here to make it just the movie you want to see on a nice evening at home with the guys. Man, you even get Steve Guttenberg when he was still funny! 6/10 and a friendly pat on the authors' shoulders.
Guilty pleasure!
posted on 15 Nov 2008I don't know what got to me. This evening, I went to the video store and got this one. I first saw it back in the 80's. Now let's not go nuts and call this the best comedy of all times. But it's still a pretty decent one (or indecent if you prefer!). The movie is generally funny, the characters are likable, and it's filmed in Toronto! I was surprised to realize that with the first scene showing the Toronto skyline. Some scenes are very funny, especially the one with George Gaynes (Commandant Lassard). Ah! the podium scene! So funny! Pea-brain humor, but good pea-brain humor!Out of 100, I gave it 71. That's good for ** out of ****.Seen in Toronto, on April 5th, 2003.
Burn all copies of this series!!! Well, heehee...
posted on 12 Nov 2008I loved the series as a little boy, but now I just can't watch it. Let's forget the disturbing homophobic jokes that show gay men as sex maniacs that will have sex with everything male- even two scared ugly cops, it's just that the jokes in general are bad. It's a kind of humor that passed away from the world, thank god.
Still very Hilarious!!
posted on 02 Aug 2008Funniest comedy, spoof, to come out in the 80s (1984) I did not see this when it debut back then, R-rated restriction, and this is a time when I definitely was a minor and definitely not allowed to see this sort of movie, even if it is in the comedy genre. So, I saw this film when I became a young adult and it still can have me gasping for air from laughing so hard. So, many, many, scenes here that are goofy and the antics!!! Actor Steve Guttenberg, actresses Kim Catrall, and all the other casts all make this work! I don't want to give away spoilers to those who have never seen this film, but in my opinion, it is soooooo very hilarious!! You the new viewer out there may enjoy!!
Revenge of the 80's: The franchise film!
posted on 09 Jun 2008Police Academy (1984) was the first of many films from this series. Since this was the 80's and this film was very successful there was only one alternative, milk the cash cow until it was dry. Like most of these films, the first one is the best and most creative of the bunch. The film follows a bunch of losers and outcasts who join the local police academy for various reasons. The main character is Mahoney (played by Steve Guttenberg) a man with a shady past who enrolls in the academy as an alternative punishment for a previous criminal act. He becomes the motley crew's leader and representative.This movie made Guttenberg a star and it started a film series that would live on D.T.V. and make the producers a lot of money. It also gave people jobs and made others into minor stars. I found this movie to be very entertaining. If you're into juvenile humor and a bunch of cheap laughs, then I recommend this movie. Others need not apply. Followed by six sequels!!Recommended for some laughs and low brow humor. Hey, it's one of the essentials.xxx
"dancing sir. mostly dancing"
posted on 03 Jun 2008If you ask me, Stripes and Porky's were both not that funny and pretty overrated. They did have there moments, and dont get me wrong Bill Murray is pretty damn funny but that movie wasnt that good, but I wont get into why I didnt like that movie, because this is a review for Police Academy, unfairly called one of the worst films ever. Why? I dont know. It's "offensive" or "homophobic". color me homophobic but i laughed my ass off at the gay bar scene. classic stuff.Well there's not much of a plot, but i always see plot to be bothersome and bad. Yeah, screw plots, but seriously this isnt the movie for plot. steve guttenbergs character has to go to the police academy because he got in trouble with the law. I dont really like him but this movie still made me almost piss myself. It's great stuff. The rest of the cast is pretty damn funny too.If you ask me, It's a pretty good, entertaining, fun movie and To show you I'm out of my mind, I'll say I enjoyed most of the sequels to some extent too. Yeah yeah, I'm a nut. 8/10
Police Academy
posted on 28 Apr 2008Many sequels have followed, I do remember seeing one or two of them, but the original is obviously the most loved and successful, all the others only have tiny moments of humour. Anyway, basically with rises in crime, the mayor to open the door of the city's Police Academy to anyone who wants to join (obviously we see how silly this decision was, but at the same time how fun). Chief Henry Hurst (George R. Robertson) does not agree with the mayor's decision, and soon enough the academy is overrun with misfits, including parking lot attendant Carey Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg), forced to go there for causing trouble, his only other option is jail. Other cadets include Karen Thompson (young Sex and the City star Kim Cattrall), who Mahoney has his eyes on, tall flower loving Moses Hightower (Bubba Smith), Leslie Barbara (Donovan Scott), George Martín (Andrew Rubin), gun loving Eugene Tackleberry (David Graf), Douglas Fackler (Bruce Mahler), Chad Copeland (Scott Thomson), and of course, my favourite (the only actor I would to see the sequels for, and who is in all of them) Larvell Jones (Michael Winslow), with the ability to make literally any noise just from his mouth. Lt. Thaddeus Harris (G.W. Bailey) is least impressed with the new recruits, and at first he is making sure Mahoney in particular has the least fun, and then he switches to wanting him out. All the cadets become more determined to make good, especially when a riot starts in the near town. In the end, the riot is stopped, and also some robbers caught, and all of them graduate, it's just a shame the films that follow are not as successful (or possibly as popular). It was number 42 on The 50 Greatest Comedy Films. Good!
Leslie Easterbrook makes this Movie
posted on 13 Apr 2008This picture was released on March 23 1984 starring Steve Guttenberg as Carey Mahoney, Kim Cattrall as Karen Thompson and Bubba Smith as Moses Hightower. The town is being taken over by crime and one of the biggest problems is the local Police Academy has too high of standards and it's running low on cadets. With public safety taking a turn for the worse in this hit comedy, the academy lowers its standards to get more cadets. Soon, the new class is overrun with misfits and losers, including Carey Mahoney, who is given the choice of joining the force or going to jail; Karen Thompson, a pretty cadet whom Mahoney has his eye on; Moses Hightower a mountain of a man who likes to tend flowers; and Larvell Jones, who has an uncanny ability to imitate the sound of practically anything. Constantly befuddled Commandant Lassard and his lackey, Lt. Harris), are none too thrilled with their new charges, but as they try to wash their hands of the cadets, Mahoney and his classmates become all the more determined to make good. Now thoughts about this movie! It wasn't a bad comedy, but it did lack the things that can keep your attention. However there was one actress that caught my attention and that was Leslie Easterbrook. She was the only reason to keep watching this movie. She a very lovely actress and I hope to see her in the future movies. Based on the fact that Leslie was in this I give this 7 weasel stars.
cheap imitation
posted on 08 Mar 2008Towards the beginning of this film, there's a gag about a man's wife who doesn't want him to go off and join the 'open-enrollment' police academy. He is impervious to her pleas, and drives off, ignoring her efforts to run, hop, and jump for miles just to keep demanding he not do this. Eventually she winds up on the hood of his car, but by then he's already at the academy.Descriping this scene doesn't do it justice; it is very funny, and almost certainly the work of Pat Proft, known for his contributio0ns to the films by Abrams and the Zucker bros.If only the rest of the film could be this funny! Alas, despite the presence of Proft, the film is really just one among a hundred "Animal House" imitations of the early eighties - you know, a bunch of losers out-do the savvy pros, etc. (See also "Nerds", and Dangerfield's college film, and a couple beach movies, one of the "Porky's", etc. etc.) - a genre itself inspired, not by the great comic visions of the past like those of the Marx Bros., but cheap mildly gross television shows like "McHale's Navy"."Mediocre" is the word here folks - and it's really baffling why some people like laughing at films like this rather than spending the time developing their taste so they can appreciate something finer. The reason why they might is because finer comedy is funnier comedy - so, do they want to laugh or not? The answer, I fear is, they don't want to laugh - they want to snigger. If male, they would rather get drunk at a topless bar than make love to a real woman. If female, they would rather a boy buy them a cheap but gaudy ring rather than a thin band made of real gold.But looks are deceiving; despite its popularity, this isn't either an amusing film or an interesting one.
boring, to say the least
posted on 16 Feb 2008Stripes was one one the best dumb movies I have ever seen. Police Academy, trying to be like Stipes, is just an embarrassment. Many memorable lines from Stripes like "I think you're ready for the Special Olympics," or "I thought I should join before I got drafted," or "All I know is that we finally get to kill someone" are hilarious. They are things that you wouldn't expect someone to say, but they make a movie out of it! Police Academy is way too predictable, you know where they are heading, but they stop just before they get there. I can't even remember any memorable lines from Police Academy except this really disturbing one. The shy cop says at the end of the movie "don't move dirtbag." It was disturbing because you expected her to become "tough" and she does, but in such an unamusing and forced way. Of course, Police Academy doesn't have the caliber of actors like Stripes does. If John Candy or Bill Murray did Police Academy, they could make it work. Instead Police Academy hired all these crappy no-name actors from nowhere that take the movie nowhere. I was surprised that there was so much hooting and hollering and laughing going on in the theater. I thought that perhaps everyone else was watching something else. I know it is a little too late, but if you haven't seen this dud, avoid at all costs!!
Crummy STRIPES rip-off
posted on 30 Dec 2007Try a little experiment. Watch the movie Stripes then watch this movie. You will see that these movies are very similar, with one major exception. Stripes is actually funny. Police Academy is an obvious rip-off (even the music is so similar it's scary), yet is fails to be as funny. I think the acting alone could help to account for it. Steve Guttenberg is NO Bill Murray!
silly fun
posted on 27 Dec 2007Though critics slammed this, it's obvious that it didn't matter to crowds back in 84, with this going on to make about 90 million that year. Guttenberg's starmaker has him as a wise ass trainee in the P.A. which he was forced to join. He clashes continuously with Bailey's Lt. Harris. Then there's the other yo yos who can't do anything right, clumsy Fackler, hothead Tackleberry, and the human sound effect, Jones. They generate lots of good gags and create some memorable characters. And despite the sequels getting bashed, they're not as bad as some say.
slapstick and mindless fun
posted on 21 Aug 2009Whenever I am ill or not feeling happy, I can easily switch on a Police Academy film and its slapstick and mindless comedy always make me smile and make me feel better :-) This is a great film... but that is my personal opinion!