The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear

The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear is currently streaming in Australia on BINGE and Paramount Plus, and in the US on fuboTV and Paramount Plus Premium, and it delivers exactly the kind of comedy that earns a loyal following. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. 2,802 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Watch it for Leslie Nielsen — stay for everyone else around them. Put it on tonight on BINGE and see for yourself.

There is a reason The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear keeps coming up in conversation. The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear gets the fundamentals right first, then finds room to get weird with it. Bumbling lieutenant Frank Drebin is out to foil the big boys in the energy industry, who intend to suppress technology that will put them out of business. The chemistry Leslie Nielsen and Priscilla Presley bring to it does a lot of the heavy lifting. The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear came out in 1991. The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear earns its laughs from character rather than situation, which is why it does not wear thin the way pure farce tends to. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

For viewers who want something light without wanting something stupid, The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear respects your intelligence. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Leslie Nielsen's comic timing carries it through its weaker moments. The kind of comedy you recommend to someone who claims they do not watch much.