The Spirit of Leslie Nielsen is Alive and Well in ‘The Gumshoe Diaries’

The Naked Gun movies are the kind of classics that make one say to oneself, “Yes. This is hilarious, but would it still be funny if it were made today?†Would Leslie Nielsen’s antics find a home among a larger audience than just us, the comedy-nostalgic, if Paramount said “Let’s do this†28 years after the series’ first installment hit theaters? The answer, of course, is “absolutely not,†because Leslie has passed away and no one, I mean no one could harness that same brand of comedy–a style so absurd it made you cringe hard before you belly laughed harder.  Besides, even if someone could do it like Leslie, is his tone even appealing anymore, in this the age of ennui-fueled premium streaming series and indie features (many of which I like, by the way)? No way. Right? Fucking right?!

Well, watch Ken McCarthy and John Kingman’s The Gumshoe Diaries, starring Johnathan Fernandez before making up your mind. I did, and, while it’s not a large enough contribution for me to make my mind up yet, I’m certainly all balled up. That’s gotta count for something.

Luke is an executive producer for CollegeHumor and a watcher of many web videos. Send him yours @LKellyClyne.

The Spirit of Leslie Nielsen is Alive and Well in ‘The […]