This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
Play it again, Sam.
Plot Overview
A mole in the service has been
responsible for the capture of special forces sent to rescue
hostages from Desert Sprinkles. They are being held in a prison
complex between Iraq & A Hard Place. CIA femme fatale Michelle
Huddleston (Brenda Bakke) is assigned to lead the next rescue
attempt. Her sole lesbian indiscretion in college is either
unknown or ignored. A taxi driver plant collects photographic
evidence that she is hetero enough. When the enemy body count
exceeds the rescuers' ammunition supply, they improvise
weapons on the ground. To save his bumbling arse in the coming
election, President Thomas “Tug” Benson (Lloyd
Bridges)—known for exaggerated war stories—dons
some scuba gear and swims over to fight Saddam (Jerry Haleva) mano a mano.
Ideology
Michelle must pick up Topper Harley (Charlie Sheen)
from a Buddhist monastery in Thailand where they'd never seen a
woman before (“These men have taken a supreme vow of
celibacy, like their fathers, and their fathers before
them—”). They don't want her to leave them so wave
signs saying MI CASA ES
SU CASA. We are being prepared for a rip off scene from
“Casablanca”
in which Topper stumbling upon his missing girlfriend Ramada
Rodham Hayman (Valeria Golino) in the field laments, “Of all the
missions in all the jungles you had to walk into this one.” In
“Casablanca” an errant babe had stumbled into Rick's
Bar after having earlier stood up Rick (Bogart) in order to track
some German agents. Here we see an errant message in Morse
employing the German ü (“dit dit dah dah”), Ramada having been ordered
to secretly come to the aid of her husband (“I thought he was
dead”) Dexter Hayman (Rowan Atkinson) captured in Germany
where he'd been flight training novice agents.
(1Peter 3:1) “Ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives.” Here the word conversation is being used in its old sense of manner of life. The apostle had wanted Christian sisters to live exemplary lives of submission as to be good influences on any unbelieving husbands of theirs without having to nag them. This movie wife is expected to be a loyal American to bolster the courage of her captured (“I can't walk”) husband (“they've tied my shoelaces together.”)
(1Peter 3:6) “Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.” The note in my Criswell Study Bible reads, “The whole matter of subjection is illustrated by a reference to Sarah, who referred to Abraham as ‘lord.’ Though the reference is undoubtedly to Genesis 18:12, it encompasses the general attitude of Sarah toward Abraham. Christian women have become the offspring of Sarah, spiritually speaking, and thus [are to], literally, ‘do good with no fear of consternation’.”
The Muslims also claim descent from Abraham & Sarah, so in Aziz Nesin's autobiography he writes, “In my country [Turkey] of thirty million, perhaps more than twenty million have lived experiences that closely resemble mine, and are still living them” (180.) These include:
No matter what the subject, there were no “all-over-and-done-with,” noisy, yelling fights in our house.Father, though a terribly hot-tempered man, never raised his voice to a shout. Mother never shouted; usually, she pouted silently without showing it. But even this imperceptible sulk didn't last for long. Her husband was the “Enfidi” [Master.] Even frowning was the right of the “Enfidi” only. (39)
The woman being “not afraid with
any amazement” would include not displaying consternation,
sulking or frowning, but leaving that up to the man if at all. In
this movie Topper reads Great Expectations on the
plane to the drop. Once freed, Dexter plans a real hoot (“I want to
do it all”) with Ramada, on the order of, shall we say, Minimal
Expectations. Ramada's comment is, “Don't get me started.”
The best example is First Lady Lavinia Rodham Benson (Rosemary Johnston) who allows herself to be meekly led away when caught listening at the president's door—she was too shy to interrupt. The worst example is Hillary Rodham Hussein bitching on the phone to her husband.
(1Peter 3:7) “Likewise, ye
husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour
unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs
together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not
hindered.” The note from my Criswell Study Bible reads:
Responsibility for the husband is no less demanding. His assignment is to live with the wife, knowing her needs, recognizing her strengths and weaknesses, and treating her with honor (timēn Gk.), a term used to describe the value of a precious stone. Thus, she is to be treasured, protected, and loved, with every tender provision being made for her. If the husband fails in this mandate, he may find his prayers “hindered.” The Greek term may be rendered “cut off.”
When Tug discovers, “That's your wife, sir,” he compliments her, “Yeah, so it is. Lavinia. You're looking as lovely as the day we met.” His prayer “God bless America” bears fruit. When the winner Dexter takes salacious photos of his treasured wife, his prayer gets cut off (“He really was a wiener.”)
Production Values
“” (1993) is a sequel to “Hot Shots.” It was directed by Jim Abrahams. It was written by Jim Abrahams and Pat Proft. It stars Charlie Sheen, Lloyd Bridges and Valeria Golino. Also featured are Richard Crenna as Col. Denton Walters, Brenda Bakke as Michelle Rodham Huddleston, Miguel Ferrer as Commander Arvid Harbinger, Jerry Haleva as Saddam Hussein, David Wohl as Gerou, Mitchell Ryan as Sen. Gray Edwards, Michael Colyar as Williams and Ryan Stiles as Rabinowitz. Rowan Atkinson (of Mr. Bean fame) played a prisoner of his own mind. They all did a swell job. Lloyd Bridges was an absolute riot.
MPA rated it PG–13 for sexual spoofs and language.
There were some mild ethnic and race jokes, too. The lead for
“Casablanca,” which “Hot Shots Part Deux” lampoons,
was at first intended for actor Ronald Reagan but given to Humphrey
Bogart. In this one another actor plays Reagan in cameo. It was on
Reagan's watch that Lincoln's birthday was combined with
Washington's to give us Presidents Day. In this movie there's a
bust of Lincoln that opens into a candy dish. There's a shot of
Lincoln's bottom face combined with President Benson's top to give
us a Franken-president. Politically, I suppose that represents a
president whose brain does not align with what his mouth is saying,
if I'm not reading too much into it.
This was a great comedy. There were too many jokes to get them all. Runtime is 1 hour 26 minutes.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
Buddhism and Islam upstage Christianity in this one, as does “Star Wars” The Force, though truth be told, there isn't much religious content anywhere. The Americans are still the good guys. Military language is a little salty. Some basics of geography are given but some are mocked. This one is good for some laughs.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Edge of your seat action-packed fun. Suitability for Children: Suitable for children 13+ years with guidance. Special effects: Well done special effects. Video Occasion: Good for Groups. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall movie rating: Four stars out of five.
Works Cited
Scripture is taken from the King James Version. Pub. 1611, rev. 1769. Software.
The Criswell Study Bible. Authorized King James Version. Nashville | Camden: Thomas Nelson Pub., 1979. Print.
Nesin, Aziz. Istanbul Boy. Yol (The Path,) The Autobiography of Aziz Nesin, Part II. Copyright 1979 by Center for Middle Eastern Studies. University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas: Center for Middle Eastern Studies, 1979. Middle East Monographs, No. 7.
bibles.n7nz.org