Great reaction ladies ...This was another hilarious spoof comedy by the ZAZ team...Jerry Zucker, Jim Abraham & David Zucker and Val Kilmer's big screen debut (and yes that is his actual singing voice). Glad that you both enjoyed it. Also the British actor playing Deja-Vu (Jim Carter) would later be more well known worldwide for playing Mr. Carson, the head butler on the award winning drama series 'Downton Abby'.
If you're looking for another ZAZ spoof movie, then check out their very first big screen outing, The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) - it spoofs Bruce Lee's: Enter The Dragon and television itself in general, including parodies of commercials too....also unlike their other films, which are mostly rated PG-13, this one is a hard R, but it is still hilariously funny though.
@@ForceOfLightEntertainmentDirectors David Zucker and Jim Abrahams told ScreenCrush in 2014 that the actors in the scene held their breath underwater while they shot in 10 or 15 second increments, then returned to the surface. “The hardest part was not laughing and running out of oxygen,” added Kilmer. - Screen Crush
They're doing a mash-up, spoofing several things at once: -- cold war spy movies -- world war 2 action movies -- late 50s early 60s teen movies especially Elvis Presley movies -- and of course Blue Lagoon
Oh man, been wanting to see this ever since my family caught the first minutes on Pluto TV. If that's what it's making fun of, this is going to be a blast!
Maybe better known now. But it was a box office disappointment. It needed to make over $20 million to break even and made just under that. Compare that to the over $170 million Airplane! made.
Here are a couple of genres/movies they are spoofing: 1. Elvis concerts/movies. In fact the name Nick Rivers is a take on Elvis' character Deke Rivers in the movie "Loving You." 2. James Bond/Spy movies - the car crushing scene is taken directly from a similar scene in "Goldfinger." 3. WW2 movies such as Casablanca (dialogue during the parachute scene), the Great Escape (motorcycle scene just like Steve McQueen), Dirty Dozen, etc. 4. 60's beach movies such as Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, etc. 5. Indiana Jones with the truck fight scene. There are plenty of other smaller nods to things, but these are the most obvious ones. Glad you enjoyed it.
@@ForceOfLightEntertainment Also you have Nazis in communist East Germany!? But the athletes--that was true, most country's produce coal or wood or food. But East Germany, their claim to fame was athletes. In their propaganda drive to prove that Communism was superior to the West, all their athletes were trained in government training facility's and pumped up with massive dose,s of steroids. They did win many Olympic medals, but the athletes paid a horrible price, some died other were crippled. But that,s communism, the Party is everything, the individual is worthless.
Ah. Top Secret, the finest Elvis WW2 Spy Movie ever made. And for you younguns, Mel Torme was a jazz singer popularly known as "The Velvet Fog" due to his smooooth vocal stylings. He was active from the 40s to the 60s. He was also Judge Harold T. Stone's from Night Court's favorite musician. ... I will now need to explain what Night Court was as that reference is also 30-40 years old now.... Oh, and for another young Val Kilmer comedy, Real Genius.
Between the underwater bar fight and the backwards scene, this is one of the most creative movies out there, as well as being outrageously funny. I've always loved this.
My sister loved this movie. I know every word of it because she watched it so much when we were growing up. Basically just a spoof of all the cold war espionage movies that were common back then.
From what I heard, the face-cast they took of Peter Cushing for the big eye prosthetic, was what they used to generate the digital Moff Tarkin in Rogue One
"Top Secret!" was a follow-up film after "Airplane!" was a huge success, both made by the same team. It was a spoof of intrigue, thriller, espionage movies generally.
The skeet surfing joke came up while the filmmakers were doing interviews for Airplane!. At one point, they got bored answering the same questions all the time. So they invented this game where they would say the silliest thing in the most serious way to the point that it would be taken at face value and printed in the newspaper. When asked, "What did you do during your teenage years in Milwaukee?", they would talk about skeet surfing.
Highly recommend the old david lettermen interview with all three of them from back in the day. It’s hysterical. They change clothes with each other during commercial breaks.
They spoofed numerous tv shows, films, music and commercials of the time. It was current events humor in general. It’s so hard not to laugh because it’s joke-joke-joke-joke most of the way through. It’s silly good fun and a great escape!
My favorite comedy movie of all time and the movie I have seen the most times. Truly a hidden comedy gem. As a Swede the Swedish bookstore bit is a highlight. Our dogs do indeed walk backwards.
"I guess this is Germany before the Berlin Wall fell?" 👍 It's a general parody of 'singer-features' (movies headlined by the likes of Elvis, Frankie Valley, etc) mixed with post WW-2 cold war thrillers. I think the decade is intentionally vague.
A few scenes not in this version: One of Flomaunds assistants makes an apple. Flomaund tosses the apple outside and it explodes like a gernade. At the very end, the German general is brought to the same crushing yard that Cedrick was brought to...and dropped into the same crusher...which is being operated by cedrick...still encased in the car.
Hard to believe this is Val Kilmer's first movie. Though bittersweet given his current health problems, Val crooning his way through this wacky spy parody is so lovely. He's just so charming and talented here it's wild that this is his debut. The underwater saloon fight is easily my favorite scene. It's so well done, completely absurd, and absolutely hilarious. You ladies would also love Val in The Doors and Real Genius (for starters, he has a ton of great movies)
@@Kickinwyng Way of Water got pretty close, pre-CGI enhancement. Large water tank sets, free diving trained actors, and off-screen O² assist divers. But it's also miserable to shoot in, being wet and cold all day, and James Cameron has almost gotten people killed doing similar work in The Abyss, which is why it is not done so much these days 😅
And to think a year later Val Kilmer was in TopGun and became a big star it's so sad that such a talent has had voice stolen by cancer a fantastic actor ❤
I still remember a Halloween party where a buddy of mine showed up in, IMO, one of the best costumes ever - one of the male ballet dancers from Top Secret!
The backward German library scene is the best acted scene in movie history. The movie is making fun of old spy movies and the ridiculousness of the Elvis movies. Val Kilmer actually sang all those songs, as well. Skit Surfing is my jam!
During the 70's, war movies were particularly popular. Many of them had carried over from the previous decades. You had black & white war themed shows as reruns, but you also had shows like CPO Sharkey and Black Sheep Squadron. So, war films were pretty familiar to an 80's audience. Top Secret isn't spoofing any film in particular, but it is poking fun at the WWII genre. The odd thing is, rather than being set in World War times, it's set in East Germany, during the time of the Iron Curtain. It's pretty contemporary for the time, and even mentions the Carter Administration. It always brings me joy, when someone actually gets the Pinto joke. In another decade, I'm not sure anyone will understand the context of that scene. This is one of my favorite films. It is so well crafted. When you think about the Swedish bookstore scene and the underwater fight, they really went all out on the production. It has a very good balance of story & a sheer number of sight gags. Yet, the way everything is taking everything so seriously, it's more than just a comedic skit movie.
Casablanca, Nazi Germany at war time, and a few more movies. I saw it in my kind of town, and I was in pain with laughter. I laughed more at this movie than Airplane and that's saying something. I love you two having a great time because I love this movie. The music and the gun play were so funny. Thanks, lovely ladies!
After Airplane!, the filmmakers couldn't decide which genre they'd spoof next between WWII spy thrillers or Elvis' musicals so they decided to combine both! Except for The Great Escape, the most famous movies that are spoofed are not related to Elvis or WWII: Goldfinger (the man crushed in the car), The Blue Lagoon (Hillary and Nigel flashbacks), Jaws (the cow attack), the tv series Bonanza (the underwater saloon fight), the Wizard of Oz (the final goodbye). Some references are honestly more obscure, like 1944's The Conspirators (Hillary fleeing to a restaurant after witnessing the shooting of a colleague in an alley and taking refuge at the table of a stranger. A blind man in the street selling goods from a case hanging from his neck.)
I had just started working at a movie theater a couple of weeks before this movie came out. I saw it opening day and knew nothing about it other than it was from the creators of airplane. I had no idea who Val Kilmer was, this was his film debut, but I knew immediately he was gonna be a star. I love this movie.😂
Now y'all have to check out "Scary Movie" (2000), which spoofs 1990's flicks like Scream, Sixth Sense, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and many others. I think you'd get a kick out of it.
A lot of the "German" language used in the movie is actually Yiddish spelled to look like German. For example, the restaurant is named "Gey Schlüffen". "Gay schluffen" is actually Yiddish for "Go to sleep".
Loved this movie a mid-80s classic. If you didn't grow up during that time period, I can see how you can miss out on some of the humor. The blue lagoon references or the E.T. chest glowing. Even the sports jokes were of that error. Thanks for watching it, ladies it's fun to know others enjoyed that movie.
There was a girl I was friends with in high school from 85-89. We dropped one-liners to each other from this movie all 4 years! Great memories! If they still made movies like this, the world would be a better place. Seriously! Having fun stuff like this to bond over really was unifying.
Wow what a surprise didn't expect you to react to this great movie. This is from the same directors and Airplane and The Naked Gun Trilogy. Other great Val Kilmer movies are Wilow and The Saint. Other great spoof movies are Loaded gun which is a spoof on the The first 3 Lethal weapons movies and Silence Of the Hams which A spoof on Silence of the Lambs. This movies general classic spy/war time movies and also make fun of Elvis and The Beach Boys. A great 80's spy comedy you should see not a spoof is Gotcha!
Spoofing Elvis musicals and WW2 movies was the original intent, though obviously there's cold war and Beach Boys references. The movie used to be longer but they trimmed some of the jokes and kept them on the DVD as deleted scenes. I liked the sudden Pac-Man when they were doing the "Indiana Jones map with drawn arrow" bit, but it was 1984 so it was funnier at the time. There were FOUR Doctor Who actors in the film. The easy ones are Peter Cushing and Michael Gough. Of the other two, one was a Dalek (Cy Town, playing one of the anthem singers) and another was Katy Manning's stuntman (not stuntwoman-- Stuart Fell, playing Avant-Garde).
I have a friend who grew up in East Germany and was in one of their athletic programs growing up. The scene with the East German women's athletes was scarily spot on lol.
❤👍🏼 I think when the horse was singing that was a spoof of FIDDLERS ROOF & motorcycle honk was from ROADRUNNER cartoon. So Alfred was in this movie before Batman. I guess I only watched the sanitized TV version of this movie.. I hope Natalie has recovered from her hyper ventilating or hiccups 😊 So I think the only other pure comedy film Val Kilmer has done is REAL GENIUS as far as I know P.S. I did remember the blue lagoon guy was a traitor so Michelle kudos for reading the tea leaves on that one
You asked which movie this movie is spoofing. It is not a single movie, or even a single genre. Elvis Presley made several movies in the 1960s where he would break out into song several times during the show. This movie spoofs those movies. It also spoofs 1960s spy movies. ZAZ (Zucker, Abrams, and Zucker, the directors of this movie) did a kind of mashup where they combined those two genres and then spoofed them both.
You should check out Spy Hard with Leslie Nielsen and Andy Griffith. It's a spy spoof movie with all the usual types of jokes you'd expect from The Naked Gun movies!
One of my favorite Val Kilmer movies. To this day, whenever I see or hear the word latrine...I hear LATRINE! Of course I saw this in the theater at the age of 15 so I probably have a different perspective.
Okay, how many of you are old enough to get the gag about the German car barely tapping the Ford Pinto and having it explode into flames? So many period gags in this movie, and if you weren't alive during this time, or have a good understanding of what happened, many of the jokes and gags will go over people's heads. That said, this soon-to-be 59 year old loved the movie when it came out and still laughs at it today - it's in my online media collection.
My parents had this movie on VHS. So my brothers and I watched this movie all the time when we were kids. It's always been one of my favorite comedies. But you're right it's definitely a movie you don't hear about anymore.
12:00 "Now, remember, folks, you have to perform this scene _completely_ straight-faced. It's an absurd scene, and that absurdity is intensified for the audience if you don't react to it, so don't react to it. One smile and we have to start over."
The makers of this movie said they were spoofing WW2 and Elvis films. A few years ago, I turned on my TV and Downton Abbey was on. I was surprised to see Deja Vu in the cast.
One of the best comedies of all time, and one of my favorites. So many iconic scenes and lines. I highly suggest watching the Swedish book store scene a couple times, must have been wild to try and film. The modern day spirit animal to this film in my mind would have to be Tropic Thunder. Some scenes spoof some early bond films, Octopussy comes to mind (opening train scene). Another funny note, the in movie dubbing often has nothing to do with the actual German and French being spoken so if you speak either it's often an entirely new layer of comedy. Fans of WWII and post WWII history, movies and documentaries all appreciate this movie as it usually pulls the right strings.
I've seen this movie MANY times, and like you didn't really know about it. I had always enjoyed Airplane and the Naked Gun movies, and I just stumbled upon this one and still love it to this day. I particularly enjoy watching others see it for the first time. You need to watch it a few more times and listen closely to what people say to get more of the gags in it. Another movie I'd recommend you watch, and it is a comedy, is the 1980 film "Midnight Madness". It's incredibly corny but also quite funny. It is actually the first film Michael J Fox ever starred in. Check it out.
This was his first film, Real Genius was his second and then Top Gun made Val a household name. Also shows an even more American sport than American Football or Baseball. Maybe Skeet Motor Racing might top it. You shoot and drive at the same time and 10 seconds are added the time for each miss and hits are required to free tires for the pit crew to change or gas to refill with. NASCAR WITH GUNS and Targets!
Happy you finally reviewed this movie! Vast laundry list of movies it spoof’s ranges from; Elvis’ acting career, World War II era, Westerns, and recent movies at the time it came out. This movie also showcases younger Val’s singing voice and guitar playing he learned for the role of Nick Rivers. Soundtrack of 6 songs came out on cassette and LP featuring his parody songs. Although early in his career, one could sense the “Real Genius” of his method of acting, and why throat cancer has robbed us of his full potential as an artist.
Nice to see you guys have some fun! You probably have been told in the comments hundreds of thousands of times by now but I'm too lazy to confirm - this is the very next movie from the makers of "Airplane!" I haven't seen whatever it is they are specifically spoofing either so I choose to believe they are spoofing genres rather than specific films. Spy films, WWII, Elvis movies, etc. Perhaps the odd mix was confusing and too wacky for a lot of people to"get" so that's why it didn't do so well at the box office and was therefore lesser known. Very original and a brave choice for the filmmakers Abrahams and the Zucker Brothers, who also if I'm not mistaken (I could be) are responsible for the "Police Squad!" series and "Naked Gun" franchise
"Top Secret" is one of my favorite Zucker Bros. comedies. I have it on Blu-ray, digital and the full soundtrack. I really wish Val had done more comedy other than this and another favorite of mine, "Real Genius". Yes, "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" had some comedic elements to it, but that film wasn't a fully comedy like Val's 80s movies. When Val is riding the bike across the hillside, it's a parody of the classic 1963 film, "The Great Escape". That's followed by "Raiders of the Lost Ark" when he fights on the motorcycle beside the truck. BTW, Dr. Flammond is played by the late Michael Gough, who was later known for being Alfred in the awesome 1989 "Batman" movie. Then you have the late Omar Sharif goofy it up in the beginning as the spy that gets crushed into the car. He's not known for comedy, so it was great to see him in it at the time. Yes, the sequence with the late Star Wars and Horror film actor, Peter Cushing, was done entirely in reverse, which was a fantastic scene for the time since no one had done such a long sequence like that before.
FINALLY! It's great you ladies got around to watching this. It doesn't get as most attention as "The Naked Gun" movies but it's one of the Zucker brothers best. The Swedish bookstore seen is awesome. There's so many little sight jags you are bound to find something new every time you watch it. Thanks again. now consider watching, "Amazon Women on the Moon."
I really enjoyed your reactions to Top Secret. You both had a lot of fun with this film. Peter Cushing and Michael Gough both starred in the 1958 film, Horror of Dracula. I know that there are The Blue Lagoon references.
Of all the parody movies spawned in the 80s & 90s This has always been my favourite. Never got the love I thought it should. The guys that wrote airplane, this and more were just on a lunatic roll with this one. 😂😂 Btw Airplane is titled “Flying High” here in Australia as we don’t say airplane. It’s either Plane, Jet or aeroplane.
I loved how Natalie was losing her sh*t during the drama at the concert bit xD By the way, Val Kilmer sang the songs himself. For such absurd and silly comedy they really put a lot of effort into it!
Yes, it's a shame. I remember that, the second time I saw this movie, back in '84, I was the lone spectator in the theater. (Although, on the bright side, I sat in multiple seats and reacted as wildly to the jokes as I cared to!) 😉
4:45 - If you think Kohl's is bad, Montgomery Ward was a department store that was notorious (like Sears) for spamming their customers' addresses with endless flyers and catalogs. 12:04 - **Natalie losing her sh*t watching the opera performance** 😂😂😂 35:01 - I think it's more satire of WWII and Cold War political ideologies with things like the "Daily Oppressor" newspaper at the beginning and the electrified fence killing you joke in the German national anthem lyrics.
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Great reaction ladies ...This was another hilarious spoof comedy by the ZAZ team...Jerry Zucker, Jim Abraham & David Zucker and Val Kilmer's big screen debut (and yes that is his actual singing voice). Glad that you both enjoyed it.
Also the British actor playing Deja-Vu (Jim Carter) would later be more well known worldwide for playing Mr. Carson, the head butler on the award winning drama series 'Downton Abby'.
If you're looking for another ZAZ spoof movie, then check out their very first big screen outing, The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) - it spoofs Bruce Lee's: Enter The Dragon and television itself in general, including parodies of commercials too....also unlike their other films, which are mostly rated PG-13, this one is a hard R, but it is still hilariously funny though.
Cool reaction as always ladies, you both take care and have a nice day 🥰❤️😊
@@coreyhendricks9490thank you! You too! 🥰
@@MLJ7956 funniest movie ever made 😄
To think that this was Val Kilmer's first film role - and that was genuinely him singing the songs too! What an opening to his film career!
The underwater saloon fight has to be one of the most original ideas I've ever seen. It caught me off guard.
😂
@@ForceOfLightEntertainmentDirectors David Zucker and Jim Abrahams told ScreenCrush in 2014 that the actors in the scene held their breath underwater while they shot in 10 or 15 second increments, then returned to the surface. “The hardest part was not laughing and running out of oxygen,” added Kilmer. - Screen Crush
With the Bonanza theme at the end!
I love the Mohammed Ali moves during the fight scene
They're doing a mash-up, spoofing several things at once:
-- cold war spy movies
-- world war 2 action movies
-- late 50s early 60s teen movies especially Elvis Presley movies
-- and of course Blue Lagoon
Oh man, been wanting to see this ever since my family caught the first minutes on Pluto TV. If that's what it's making fun of, this is going to be a blast!
Thanks!
Bonanza tv show, western fight scene trope also.
The great escape too
It’s a time-period mash-up too.
One of the best but least known comedies of all time. Worth it for Peter Cushing and Omar Sharif having immense fun
The whole backwards library scene with Peter is amazing. I still have trouble wrapping my mind around some of the gags 🤯
Maybe better known now. But it was a box office disappointment. It needed to make over $20 million to break even and made just under that. Compare that to the over $170 million Airplane! made.
@@LordVolkov That they filmed backwards and in a single take is astonishing work
Val Kilmer's singing is on the sound track but he's only listed as Nick Rivers.
My all time favorite #1!!
One of the most underrated of the 80’s spoof movies.
Here are a couple of genres/movies they are spoofing:
1. Elvis concerts/movies. In fact the name Nick Rivers is a take on Elvis' character Deke Rivers in the movie "Loving You."
2. James Bond/Spy movies - the car crushing scene is taken directly from a similar scene in "Goldfinger."
3. WW2 movies such as Casablanca (dialogue during the parachute scene), the Great Escape (motorcycle scene just like Steve McQueen), Dirty Dozen, etc.
4. 60's beach movies such as Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, etc.
5. Indiana Jones with the truck fight scene.
There are plenty of other smaller nods to things, but these are the most obvious ones. Glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks Chris!!
@@ForceOfLightEntertainment Also you have Nazis in communist East Germany!? But the athletes--that was true, most country's produce coal or wood or food. But East Germany, their claim to fame was athletes. In their propaganda drive to prove that Communism was superior to the West, all their athletes were trained in government training facility's and pumped up with massive dose,s of steroids. They did win many Olympic medals, but the athletes paid a horrible price, some died other were crippled. But that,s communism, the Party is everything, the individual is worthless.
Very good breakdown.
Another thing is Val Kilmer played alongside Michael Gough in this and fascinatingly enough they were in Batman forever together also
The Indiana Jones style truck chase that turns into an underwater saloon brawl is probably one of the greatest jokes in cinema
Ah. Top Secret, the finest Elvis WW2 Spy Movie ever made.
And for you younguns, Mel Torme was a jazz singer popularly known as "The Velvet Fog" due to his smooooth vocal stylings. He was active from the 40s to the 60s. He was also Judge Harold T. Stone's from Night Court's favorite musician.
... I will now need to explain what Night Court was as that reference is also 30-40 years old now....
Oh, and for another young Val Kilmer comedy, Real Genius.
Add my vote for Real Genius.
"Wait! You dropped your phony dog poo!"....."What phony dog poo?".
Omar Shariff, one of the best film actors, ever had a ball doing this movie.
Ah, that's his name. Couldn't think of it. All I could think of was Dr. Zhivago (or however that is spelled)
Between the underwater bar fight and the backwards scene, this is one of the most creative movies out there, as well as being outrageously funny. I've always loved this.
My sister loved this movie. I know every word of it because she watched it so much when we were growing up. Basically just a spoof of all the cold war espionage movies that were common back then.
From what I heard, the face-cast they took of Peter Cushing for the big eye prosthetic, was what they used to generate the digital Moff Tarkin in Rogue One
"Top Secret!" was a follow-up film after "Airplane!" was a huge success, both made by the same team. It was a spoof of intrigue, thriller, espionage movies generally.
One of my fave “dumb” movies. The “Pinto” car joke gives away how old it is.
as does the Montgomery Wards mailing list
One of the greatest movies of the 80s. I still quote lines from it today.
No, you don't. You're just trying to impress the girls.
The skeet surfing joke came up while the filmmakers were doing interviews for Airplane!. At one point, they got bored answering the same questions all the time. So they invented this game where they would say the silliest thing in the most serious way to the point that it would be taken at face value and printed in the newspaper. When asked, "What did you do during your teenage years in Milwaukee?", they would talk about skeet surfing.
Highly recommend the old david lettermen interview with all three of them from back in the day. It’s hysterical. They change clothes with each other during commercial breaks.
They spoofed numerous tv shows, films, music and commercials of the time. It was current events humor in general. It’s so hard not to laugh because it’s joke-joke-joke-joke most of the way through. It’s silly good fun and a great escape!
My favorite comedy movie of all time and the movie I have seen the most times. Truly a hidden comedy gem. As a Swede the Swedish bookstore bit is a highlight. Our dogs do indeed walk backwards.
Haha!
"I guess this is Germany before the Berlin Wall fell?"
👍
It's a general parody of 'singer-features' (movies headlined by the likes of Elvis, Frankie Valley, etc) mixed with post WW-2 cold war thrillers. I think the decade is intentionally vague.
A few scenes not in this version:
One of Flomaunds assistants makes an apple. Flomaund tosses the apple outside and it explodes like a gernade.
At the very end, the German general is brought to the same crushing yard that Cedrick was brought to...and dropped into the same crusher...which is being operated by cedrick...still encased in the car.
Hard to believe this is Val Kilmer's first movie. Though bittersweet given his current health problems, Val crooning his way through this wacky spy parody is so lovely. He's just so charming and talented here it's wild that this is his debut.
The underwater saloon fight is easily my favorite scene. It's so well done, completely absurd, and absolutely hilarious.
You ladies would also love Val in The Doors and Real Genius (for starters, he has a ton of great movies)
Thanks!
They just don't do scenes like that anymore. Not without CGI anyway. Such a shame.
@@Kickinwyng Way of Water got pretty close, pre-CGI enhancement. Large water tank sets, free diving trained actors, and off-screen O² assist divers.
But it's also miserable to shoot in, being wet and cold all day, and James Cameron has almost gotten people killed doing similar work in The Abyss, which is why it is not done so much these days 😅
"And I'll miss you most of all scarecrow" The cherry on top.. That's hilarious.
It's such a great joke mixed into the Casablanca farewell spoof 🤣🤣🤣
And to think a year later Val Kilmer was in TopGun and became a big star it's so sad that such a talent has had voice stolen by cancer a fantastic actor ❤
When you stage a whole backwards scene for one linguistic gag. Now that's class!
So few people are reacting to this one.
Happy you did.
The underwater bar fight has to be one of the best scenes ever made for a movie.
I still remember a Halloween party where a buddy of mine showed up in, IMO, one of the best costumes ever - one of the male ballet dancers from Top Secret!
The backward German library scene is the best acted scene in movie history. The movie is making fun of old spy movies and the ridiculousness of the Elvis movies. Val Kilmer actually sang all those songs, as well. Skit Surfing is my jam!
Val does all his own singing in this movie
During the 70's, war movies were particularly popular. Many of them had carried over from the previous decades. You had black & white war themed shows as reruns, but you also had shows like CPO Sharkey and Black Sheep Squadron. So, war films were pretty familiar to an 80's audience. Top Secret isn't spoofing any film in particular, but it is poking fun at the WWII genre. The odd thing is, rather than being set in World War times, it's set in East Germany, during the time of the Iron Curtain. It's pretty contemporary for the time, and even mentions the Carter Administration.
It always brings me joy, when someone actually gets the Pinto joke. In another decade, I'm not sure anyone will understand the context of that scene. This is one of my favorite films. It is so well crafted. When you think about the Swedish bookstore scene and the underwater fight, they really went all out on the production. It has a very good balance of story & a sheer number of sight gags. Yet, the way everything is taking everything so seriously, it's more than just a comedic skit movie.
That little German joke is a derivative of the “I had a hunch back at the station” joke from the Police Squad series
my brother and i watched this many times as kids. we still say this line to each other: "how do we know he's NOT Mel Torme?" LOL
My favorite line is "What's your hurry?!!"
This is one of my favorite comedies. Your laughs and reactions made refreshed its humor. I loved watching you smile and laugh.
Thanks! ☺️
Casablanca, Nazi Germany at war time, and a few more movies. I saw it in my kind of town, and I was in pain with laughter. I laughed more at this movie than Airplane and that's saying something. I love you two having a great time because I love this movie. The music and the gun play were so funny. Thanks, lovely ladies!
"Oh I know a little German". Brilliant 😁😁
"Transylvania Twist" 1989, has always been my favorite spoof movie. Slapstick, puns, visual gags, and songs, and silly synth music.
Well done, ladies! The jokes do still hold up well (and I'm especially pleased at your enthusiastic recognition of the *Blue Lagoon* segment). ☺️
After Airplane!, the filmmakers couldn't decide which genre they'd spoof next between WWII spy thrillers or Elvis' musicals so they decided to combine both!
Except for The Great Escape, the most famous movies that are spoofed are not related to Elvis or WWII: Goldfinger (the man crushed in the car), The Blue Lagoon (Hillary and Nigel flashbacks), Jaws (the cow attack), the tv series Bonanza (the underwater saloon fight), the Wizard of Oz (the final goodbye).
Some references are honestly more obscure, like 1944's The Conspirators (Hillary fleeing to a restaurant after witnessing the shooting of a colleague in an alley and taking refuge at the table of a stranger. A blind man in the street selling goods from a case hanging from his neck.)
Thanks!
I had just started working at a movie theater a couple of weeks before this movie came out. I saw it opening day and knew nothing about it other than it was from the creators of airplane. I had no idea who Val Kilmer was, this was his film debut, but I knew immediately he was gonna be a star. I love this movie.😂
Now y'all have to check out "Scary Movie" (2000), which spoofs 1990's flicks like Scream, Sixth Sense, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and many others. I think you'd get a kick out of it.
Would but we have seen them!
This is a 6 out of 5 for me… I just love it! Must have seen it like 150 times😂
A lot of the "German" language used in the movie is actually Yiddish spelled to look like German. For example, the restaurant is named "Gey Schlüffen". "Gay schluffen" is actually Yiddish for "Go to sleep".
Loved this movie a mid-80s classic. If you didn't grow up during that time period, I can see how you can miss out on some of the humor. The blue lagoon references or the E.T. chest glowing. Even the sports jokes were of that error. Thanks for watching it, ladies it's fun to know others enjoyed that movie.
Thanks for your reaction to this!! Fun Fact: Two days after this was uploaded, 6/8/24, is the 40th anniversary of the original release of the film.📽
There was a girl I was friends with in high school from 85-89. We dropped one-liners to each other from this movie all 4 years! Great memories! If they still made movies like this, the world would be a better place. Seriously! Having fun stuff like this to bond over really was unifying.
Greatest underwater fighting scene ever made!
Umm, no. That would be the zombie on shark fight from 1978s "Zombie".
Wow what a surprise didn't expect you to react to this great movie. This is from the same directors and Airplane and The Naked Gun Trilogy. Other great Val Kilmer movies are Wilow and The Saint. Other great spoof movies are Loaded gun which is a spoof on the The first 3 Lethal weapons movies and Silence Of the Hams which A spoof on Silence of the Lambs. This movies general classic spy/war time movies and also make fun of Elvis and The Beach Boys. A great 80's spy comedy you should see not a spoof is Gotcha!
It's an underrated gem and much more elaborate than the "Hot Shots" movies.😂
Spoofing Elvis musicals and WW2 movies was the original intent, though obviously there's cold war and Beach Boys references. The movie used to be longer but they trimmed some of the jokes and kept them on the DVD as deleted scenes. I liked the sudden Pac-Man when they were doing the "Indiana Jones map with drawn arrow" bit, but it was 1984 so it was funnier at the time.
There were FOUR Doctor Who actors in the film. The easy ones are Peter Cushing and Michael Gough. Of the other two, one was a Dalek (Cy Town, playing one of the anthem singers) and another was Katy Manning's stuntman (not stuntwoman-- Stuart Fell, playing Avant-Garde).
I have a friend who grew up in East Germany and was in one of their athletic programs growing up. The scene with the East German women's athletes was scarily spot on lol.
TRUST ME on this MUST SEE absolute Classic Movie,, "The Outlaw Josey Wales"
(1976)..A truly iconic movie. ❤
❤👍🏼 I think when the horse was singing that was a spoof of FIDDLERS ROOF & motorcycle honk was from ROADRUNNER cartoon. So Alfred was in this movie before Batman. I guess I only watched the sanitized TV version of this movie.. I hope Natalie has recovered from her hyper ventilating or hiccups 😊
So I think the only other pure comedy film Val Kilmer has done is REAL GENIUS as far as I know
P.S. I did remember the blue lagoon guy was a traitor so Michelle kudos for reading the tea leaves on that one
You could *not* get away with this film today, lol!
Natalie's reaction during the ballet scene was priceless.
The guy in the crushed car: "well I don't hafta go to the chiropractor anymore."...."do you think that scratch next to my forehead will buff out?"
Val Kilmer has one of the most underrated careers of all time.
Real Genius is another great young Val Kilmer movie.
You asked which movie this movie is spoofing. It is not a single movie, or even a single genre. Elvis Presley made several movies in the 1960s where he would break out into song several times during the show. This movie spoofs those movies. It also spoofs 1960s spy movies. ZAZ (Zucker, Abrams, and Zucker, the directors of this movie) did a kind of mashup where they combined those two genres and then spoofed them both.
This was Val Kilmers, first movie role.
You should check out Spy Hard with Leslie Nielsen and Andy Griffith. It's a spy spoof movie with all the usual types of jokes you'd expect from The Naked Gun movies!
Thanks!!
One of my favorite Val Kilmer movies. To this day, whenever I see or hear the word latrine...I hear LATRINE! Of course I saw this in the theater at the age of 15 so I probably have a different perspective.
Things change
People change
Hairstyles change
Interest rates fluctuate
Okay, how many of you are old enough to get the gag about the German car barely tapping the Ford Pinto and having it explode into flames? So many period gags in this movie, and if you weren't alive during this time, or have a good understanding of what happened, many of the jokes and gags will go over people's heads.
That said, this soon-to-be 59 year old loved the movie when it came out and still laughs at it today - it's in my online media collection.
I got the gag but that’s because I know my cars 😁
My parents had this movie on VHS. So my brothers and I watched this movie all the time when we were kids. It's always been one of my favorite comedies. But you're right it's definitely a movie you don't hear about anymore.
I go by Nick Rivers when on Internet forums, introductions with auto salesmen, and Craigslist deals.
Val Kilmer did his own singing. Check out Val ‘s other comedy Real Genius.
Thanks!
12:00 "Now, remember, folks, you have to perform this scene _completely_ straight-faced. It's an absurd scene, and that absurdity is intensified for the audience if you don't react to it, so don't react to it. One smile and we have to start over."
Top Secret Laughing Out Loud and Dancing is so Much a Force of Light, same team that did Airplane made Top Secret
The makers of this movie said they were spoofing WW2 and Elvis films. A few years ago, I turned on my TV and Downton Abbey was on. I was surprised to see Deja Vu in the cast.
Did you feel like you'd seen him before?
😂
"Loaded Weapon" is a spoof of Lethal Weapon. Very funny spoof with surprising stars. 😂😂😂
Loaded Weapon. 😉
@@victornewmanforever Thanks! I knew that and still typed 'gun'. Fixed! 🙂
It’s been awhile since I’ve seen this movie! Nice trip down memory lane 😊! Thanks ❤
Glad you enjoyed it!!
Great classic top secret, binge watching your videos early hours of the morning in north east England, keep em comin 👌
Will do!
The movie was filmed in England, hence a lot of British actors. The surfing scene was made in Newquay and the water was very cold!
Deja Vu went on to be in Downton Abbey!
@@ajivins1 He's also married to Imelda Staunton, who played Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter, and the Queen in the later seasons of The Crown.
@@FrenchieQc I liked her in the sitcom 'Is it Legal?'
One of the best comedies of all time, and one of my favorites. So many iconic scenes and lines. I highly suggest watching the Swedish book store scene a couple times, must have been wild to try and film. The modern day spirit animal to this film in my mind would have to be Tropic Thunder. Some scenes spoof some early bond films, Octopussy comes to mind (opening train scene). Another funny note, the in movie dubbing often has nothing to do with the actual German and French being spoken so if you speak either it's often an entirely new layer of comedy. Fans of WWII and post WWII history, movies and documentaries all appreciate this movie as it usually pulls the right strings.
I've seen this movie MANY times, and like you didn't really know about it. I had always enjoyed Airplane and the Naked Gun movies, and I just stumbled upon this one and still love it to this day. I particularly enjoy watching others see it for the first time. You need to watch it a few more times and listen closely to what people say to get more of the gags in it. Another movie I'd recommend you watch, and it is a comedy, is the 1980 film "Midnight Madness". It's incredibly corny but also quite funny. It is actually the first film Michael J Fox ever starred in. Check it out.
Very good reaction. So good I won't have to put you on the Montgomery Wards mailing list.
This was his first film, Real Genius was his second and then Top Gun made Val a household name. Also shows an even more American sport than American Football or Baseball. Maybe Skeet Motor Racing might top it. You shoot and drive at the same time and 10 seconds are added the time for each miss and hits are required to free tires for the pit crew to change or gas to refill with. NASCAR WITH GUNS and Targets!
Love these slapstick comedies. I remember sneaking in to watch this in the theater when I was 13
This isn't even remotely slapstick comedy.
Happy you finally reviewed this movie! Vast laundry list of movies it spoof’s ranges from; Elvis’ acting career, World War II era, Westerns, and recent movies at the time it came out. This movie also showcases younger Val’s singing voice and guitar playing he learned for the role of Nick Rivers. Soundtrack of 6 songs came out on cassette and LP featuring his parody songs. Although early in his career, one could sense the “Real Genius” of his method of acting, and why throat cancer has robbed us of his full potential as an artist.
Nice to see you guys have some fun!
You probably have been told in the comments hundreds of thousands of times by now but I'm too lazy to confirm - this is the very next movie from the makers of "Airplane!"
I haven't seen whatever it is they are specifically spoofing either so I choose to believe they are spoofing genres rather than specific films.
Spy films, WWII, Elvis movies, etc. Perhaps the odd mix was confusing and too wacky for a lot of people to"get" so that's why it didn't do so well at the box office and was therefore lesser known.
Very original and a brave choice for the filmmakers Abrahams and the Zucker Brothers, who also if I'm not mistaken (I could be) are responsible for the "Police Squad!" series and "Naked Gun" franchise
Thanks!
"Top Secret" is one of my favorite Zucker Bros. comedies. I have it on Blu-ray, digital and the full soundtrack. I really wish Val had done more comedy other than this and another favorite of mine, "Real Genius". Yes, "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" had some comedic elements to it, but that film wasn't a fully comedy like Val's 80s movies. When Val is riding the bike across the hillside, it's a parody of the classic 1963 film, "The Great Escape". That's followed by "Raiders of the Lost Ark" when he fights on the motorcycle beside the truck. BTW, Dr. Flammond is played by the late Michael Gough, who was later known for being Alfred in the awesome 1989 "Batman" movie. Then you have the late Omar Sharif goofy it up in the beginning as the spy that gets crushed into the car. He's not known for comedy, so it was great to see him in it at the time. Yes, the sequence with the late Star Wars and Horror film actor, Peter Cushing, was done entirely in reverse, which was a fantastic scene for the time since no one had done such a long sequence like that before.
This is the best and funniest of the ZaZ (Zucker, Abrams, Zucker) movies imo.
Grew up with this & found it hilarious as a kid especially the cow scene. I love Natalie's shirt, too cute!
Thanks! ❤
FINALLY! It's great you ladies got around to watching this. It doesn't get as most attention as "The Naked Gun" movies but it's one of the Zucker brothers best. The Swedish bookstore seen is awesome. There's so many little sight jags you are bound to find something new every time you watch it. Thanks again. now consider watching, "Amazon Women on the Moon."
Thanks!
I really enjoyed your reactions to Top Secret. You both had a lot of fun with this film. Peter Cushing and Michael Gough both starred in the 1958 film, Horror of Dracula. I know that there are The Blue Lagoon references.
Thank you!!
Of all the parody movies spawned in the 80s & 90s This has always been my favourite. Never got the love I thought it should. The guys that wrote airplane, this and more were just on a lunatic roll with this one. 😂😂
Btw Airplane is titled “Flying High” here in Australia as we don’t say airplane. It’s either Plane, Jet or aeroplane.
Love this movie, seen it 85 times lol, still funny. Thank you, ladies.
Innerspace (1987) is funny too.
Val did all his own singing in this
Lol...Natalie was really diggin' that bulging tights scene!
😂😂
I love the ode to Casablanca at the end with the airplane flying away.
Saw this movie back then, I was 8 or 9. This was the most laughs I ever had in my life so far at that age. It spoofs old Elvis movies
"Das Fenchen Switchen" reminded me of Gellerese, the phony vaguely European looking language you'd see on the old "Mission Impossible" series.
This is my favorite spoof of all time! I love The Naked Guns/Airplanes/Hot Shots, but this was always a notch above those for me
I loved how Natalie was losing her sh*t during the drama at the concert bit xD By the way, Val Kilmer sang the songs himself. For such absurd and silly comedy they really put a lot of effort into it!
😂 it was excellent! 👏👏
I love Top Secret and never understood why it didn’t catch on as much as Airplane and the Naked Gun.
Yes, it's a shame. I remember that, the second time I saw this movie, back in '84, I was the lone spectator in the theater.
(Although, on the bright side, I sat in multiple seats and reacted as wildly to the jokes as I cared to!) 😉
5:36 Funny how this movie decades ago would predict what women athletes will look like in a few years.
😂
4:45 - If you think Kohl's is bad, Montgomery Ward was a department store that was notorious (like Sears) for spamming their customers' addresses with endless flyers and catalogs.
12:04 - **Natalie losing her sh*t watching the opera performance** 😂😂😂
35:01 - I think it's more satire of WWII and Cold War political ideologies with things like the "Daily Oppressor" newspaper at the beginning and the electrified fence killing you joke in the German national anthem lyrics.