Hot Shots! Part Deux

Hot Shots! Part Deux has quietly become one of the more dependable comedies currently available in Australia on Disney Plus, and in the UK on Disney Plus. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Watch it for Charlie Sheen — stay for everyone else around them. Start it on Disney Plus whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

Hot Shots! Part Deux arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. The jokes in Hot Shots! Part Deux land because the characters underneath them are worth caring about. Topper Harley is found to be working as an odd-job-man in a monastery. The CIA want him to lead a rescue mission into Iraq, to rescue the last rescue team, who went in to rescue the last rescue team—who went in to rescue hostages left behind after Desert Storm. Charlie Sheen and Lloyd Bridges lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1993. The real test of any comedy is whether it is still funny once you know all the jokes, and Hot Shots! Part Deux holds up on rewatch in a way that separates it from one-off curiosities. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Hot Shots! Part Deux is the kind of thing you put on in the background and end up fully watching. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Charlie Sheen's comic timing carries it through its weaker moments. The kind of comedy you recommend to someone who claims they do not watch much.