“Wouldn’t have predicted this” – Review: Together vs The Naked Gun
This week brings an interesting clash of new releases. On one hand, an original body horror starring real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie distributed by indie company Neon. In other words, the film bro’s dream. On the other hand, a remake of a comedy classic starring Liam Neeson as yet another tough guy produced in part by Seth MacFarlane, who has been linked with some of the worst excesses of studio comedies in the past decade.
The better bet may seem an obvious choice, yet in a shocking showdown, products of both ends of the Hollywood spectrum have found themselves neck and neck with critics. That means only a Flickchart-style review can determine the best new release!
Acting
Comparing performances in a horror versus a comedy film may seem like an inherently silly task, but Together actually has an underlying vein of dark comedy throughout. Together is mostly a two-person show, with the majority of screentime devoted to Brie and Franco. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the pair have wonderful chemistry together. Even though they play a couple that is fracturing due to career issues, lack of existential satisfaction, and jealousy, their emotional ties are apparent and help make the dynamic believable. And maybe not to anyone’s surprise, the two actors do excellent work with the comedic material thrown their way. Their background in comedy serves them well for when the film wants to dive into overtly funny moments and scenes.
Liam Neeson also excels at the comedic character he plays, the son of Leslie Nielsen‘s character from the original Naked Gun film. While Neeson is known primarily today for his gruff, tough-guy roles, something this film leans into, the writing also depends on the actor being able to deliver a series of silly lines in just the right tone. Leaning into it too much might make the jokes cloying, yet without some sense of irony it would be hard to tell whether the spoof was just plain silly or actually clever. Neeson manages to find the balance. Pamela Anderson is similarly perhaps-surprisingly good, while Danny Huston and Kevin Durand are more utilitarian than great.
The performances are just part of why The Naked Gun blows past expectations and delivers one of the best comedies in a long while, but this category must go to Together if only for the gamut that Franco and Brie go through in the film. From embodying their characters, to the comedy, to selling pure terror, Together‘s success is dependent on the acting. If anyone underestimated either of them before now, that should end with this film.
Winner: Together
Writing
Together‘s biggest flaw might be the script. That’s not to say it has a bad script. This body horror offers a realistic depiction of a couple on the outs and dives into the anxieties that end up breaking up real couples. The film provides a potent examination of relationships and their potentially symbiotic versus codependent nature, and finding the right balance between being an independent person and being part of a partnership. It’s a societal struggle that even the best of couples struggle to get right at times, and the movie leans right into those challenges. As the film’s horror secret is revealed, the movie gets to directly embody that terror, no pun intended.
Despite this, the ending still ends up feeling a bit pat. It feels as though the writer had a third act in mind and knew how to get there. Yet once it was reached, it feels like the film couldn’t find anything more meaningful or poignant to say. The movie doesn’t back down from the gross-out factor hinted at throughout the runtime, to its credit. But there isn’t anything more past that. Compare with the ridiculous ending of The Substance, which despite all the silliness and gore serves as a final punctuation on the themes and finds a sad final shot. Here, the final shot produces one last laugh, though it is unclear whether it is intentional or not. While it could be said that it completes an arc, it leaves the audience saying, “So what?”
Writing an absurdist comedy is a different sort of beast. The Naked Gun is not trying to tell a real character arc or offer any societal commentary most of the time. The best absurdist films do bring in some satirical bite at times, but it is not a requirement. The biggest knock on The Naked Gun is that does not offer anything more than what you see.
But what you see is absolutely hilarious. The biggest worry with a legacy sequel to a particular type of comedy like this from the 80s is that the tone and jokes will be off. This type of movie reeks of a cheap cash grab, especially with MacFarlane involved. Yet the film manages to find a pitch-perfect tone to take the absurdist 80s humor into the modern age. While there are maybe one too many jokes calling back to the original, this movie largely avoids being an endless string of nostalgia-bait jokes. Director Akiva Schaffer (Popstar: Never Stop Stopping) instead infuses the film with the right blend of modern sensibilities and awareness while still authentically channeling the style of Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker. There may be a dose of MacFarlane raunchiness, but it is in an amount where MacFarlane’s style shines without becoming annoying.
The villain of the piece, played by Huston, does offer slight commentary on the current age of tech companies and debates over what constitutes proper masculinity. These don’t exactly blend together well, and they feel neutered so that any satirical impact is rather soft, but it’s not non-existent. The film is at its best when it aims for over-the-top absurd moments with Neeson playing a charismatic idiot.
In a shocking development, this category must go to The Naked Gun. This is one of the funniest and smarter comedies from mainstream Hollywood in many years. Most of the jokes land excellently, it avoids contrivances for the most part (one of the reoccurring flaws of modern comedies), and when there are dumb plot moments, it is usually intentional and part of the absurdism. Hats off to this movie.
Winner: The Naked Gun
Direction & Cinematography
Together‘s direction and editing largely make up for the somewhat lackluster ending. Shanks paces the movie well, and it comes in at a brisk 102 minutes and never drags its feet. Some of the shots and scares in the movie are quite disorienting and weird, and there’s a moment near the end rivaling some of Cronenberg‘s best gross-outs. Though certain effects and moments do start to feel played out by the end, it is clear that Michael Shanks is another rising voice in horror.
The Naked Gun comes in at an even brisker 85 minutes, zipping right along and never wasting a moment. While not every joke and moment knocks it out of the park, it never feels like any scene is a total dud. Some of the repeated ongoing gags, such as cops being constantly handed new cups of coffee and Neeson’s blatant disregard for procedure, are hilarious. There are two scenes in particular that are top-tier comedy, one involving an infrared goggle and another involving a snowman brought to life by witchcraft (yes, you read that right). It is a joy to have such a thoroughly funny movie again, and one that uses all aspects of filmmaking to achieve humor. This is what audiences have been sorely missing.
As well directed as Together is, this is another category that The Naked Gun snags. It tops even the original film in terms of pacing, consistency of gags, and having fun with the subgenre. The way it manages to work in the original’s parody of film noir alongside parodying modern action films and have it all blend together is quite a feat.
Winner: The Naked Gun
And the winner is…
We wouldn’t have predicted this when both trailers dropped. Yet in a stunning upset, the big studio Hollywood remake comedy is the winner. The Naked Gun feels like a movie where time and effort resulted in only the best jokes remaining in the final cut. It is an absolute crowdpleaser as well, and it should be seen in a big cinema with lots of folks laughing alongside you. It is the comedy of the year.
Tell us your thoughts on Together and The Naked Gun below and rank them both on Flickchart now!
