Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach

Plot synopsis:
Captain Harris finally finds the goods he needs to push Commandant Eric Lassard out at the Police Academy: he is one year late for mandatory retirement. But before he retires, Lassard is chosen as "Police Officer of the Decade," and brings his favorite graduates—Sgts. Hightower, Jones, Tackleberry and Hooks, Lt. Callahan, and new graduate Officer Thomas "House" Conklin—to the National Police Chiefs Convention in Miami Beach to celebrate with him. While there, they meet his nephew, Sgt. Nick Lassard of the Miami Police Department. Lassard unwittingly takes a bag belonging to jewel thieves containing stolen diamonds.
As the jewel thieves try to get the bag back, and Captain Harris tries to prove to Commissioner Hurst that he's the right man to replace Commandant Lassard, the usual hijinks ensue, including Lassard trying to guess the annual procedural demonstration. When the jewel thieves kidnap Commandant Lassard, he goes willingly, thinking it's indeed the procedural demonstration. It launches a negotiation, which Captain Harris botches, getting himself captured as well. A chase across the Everglades ensues to rescue the oblivious Commandant. In a standoff with the smugglers, Nick explains to his uncle that the situation isn't a demonstration and that his kidnappers are in fact real criminals. Lassard, upon hearing this information, promptly disarms and subdues his assailants to the amazement of all the officers. At a ceremony at the end of the film, Commissioner Hurst announces that Commadant Lassard will be allowed to continue his duties as Commadant until he sees fit to retire, much to Harris' chagrin, as well as Hightower's promotion to Lieutenant.

Tags: comedy, prank

Review:
The first "Police Academy" movie was good.
Time seems quite distended and relative when watching any Police Academy film, but the awfulness of PA5 tends to send one into an alternate dimension where seconds seem to take weeks.
Kind of like watching the Benny Hinn show with a fantastic hangover in the middle of a hospital ward, in other words.Anyways, at some point in the film, our cast decide to indulge in a limbo-dancing event.
If that isn't irony, I don't know what is.It is scenes like the one I've just described that Steve Guttenberg and Bobcat Goldthwait obviously read before telling their agent that not working at all was preferable to appearing in this drivel.
As we endure endless scenes with extras falling over for no readily apparent reason (although the golf balls sell the illusion effectively enough) or characters tanning the word "dork" onto each others' chests (and that is about as adult as the humour gets here), one of the great theories about family-friendliness is proven.
The makers of Police Academy 5 might have made a Police Academy film that is suitable for four-year-olds to watch, but in so doing, they have made a film that only four-year-olds would want to watch.If your four-year-old is able to read at what we laughingly refer to as an adult level such as I was at that age, they will most likely turn to you when the credits roll and say something along the lines of "well that was stupid, wasn't it?".The plot revolves around something that probably should have been done at the end of the last film: putting George Gaynes out to pasture.
After seeing him in previous Police Academy films and Punky Brewster (often within days of each other), I have a tremendous respect for the man, but he really is just getting too old to do this.
Granted, there are actors who put in great performances at similar ages (Christopher Lee is only about five years his junior), but given that George has started to speak at a rate of about one word an hour, I don't think he's got another film left in him.
Getting back to the plot, anyway, as Commandant Lassard is scheduled to retire, Captain Harris senses an opportunity to become Commandant of the Academy, while his old trainees sense an opportunity to pay respect to a man who had quite the positive impact in their lives.It sounds like a very flimsy foundation for a film, and to be quite frank, when you've got writers of this calibre putting it together, it is.
George Gaynes, in spite of being so old that you aren't sure anymore that he's pretending to be completely unaware, is the only actor in this mess who *doesn't* phone in his performance.Matt McCoy is a poor substitute for Steve Guttenberg, as is exemplified by the quality of the jokes played on Captain Harris demonstrates.
We've seen Mahoney smear shoe-polish on a megaphone, cast dispersions on Harris' sexuality, as well as make a laughing stock of the man by spreading the word about an unfortunate accident involving a motorbike and a horse.
By the time of this fifth Police Academy film we can view these misfits as old and familiar friends.
The plot involves Police Chief Lassard heading off to Miami Beach to accept an award.
I don't know how the "Police Academy" series ever got any more productions after the second or third film, but they did.
The "Police" are back and Miami's got them!And they can have 'em."Police Academy 5" would be a disappointment if a college film class had produced, directed and starred in it.
Okay, let's continue.Guttenberg cut out in the last movie, which leaves McCoy as the "romantic/humorous" lead.
Of course, there's the usual complications of jewel smuggling, kidnapping, chases in the Everglades, purse snatchers in drag....You want the truth, here's the truth: the best part of this entire movie is watching Jones gallivant around in a swimsuit.
While there, they meet Lassard's nephew Nick (Matt McCoy), who is a poor replacement for Mahoney.And so here we are: the first Police Academy movie without Steve Guttenberg and the first sequel without Bobcat Goldthwait.
Gun man who likes guns - I burst my colon and shat myself: so amusing.This was was notable for the silly men slipping on golf balls and for Captain Harris' trouser falling down in the airport.I am laughing still.
Y'know, I loved the Police Academy movies when I was a child....
I was never a fan of the way-too-long-running 'Police Academy' series back in their Eighties heyday, and always did my best to avoid them.
There were only a couple of things I laughed at in the whole ninety minutes of film, one scene that just sticks out, is the mistaken first class trip, Harris and Proctor take with a few farmyard animals.
Lassard, who's passed retirement age (this hidden info discovered, thanks to our two bumbling unlikeables who reveal it so of course, the long avenging Harris can take Lassard's place) has been invited to Miami for a commendation farewell party, so he invites his favourite academy of misfits along, where they inadvertently bump heads with a band of bumbling jewel thieves, lead by a familiar snooty face, Rene Auberjonois from the Benson t.v. show, and he laps the bad guy up wonderfully.
Too we meet Lassard's likable grandson, also a cop, and a damn fine one (Matt MCcoy) where the laughs and gags, just keep on misfiring, Auberjonois and the beautiful Miami bird watching sights, the best things about this dreaded Academy entry.
This is just one of those one's, where the intended funny bits, just keep missing, where our lovable Academy's traits, like Jones's sound tricks, even Tackleberry's over enthused gun play and new choices of weapon gags missed too.
sadly there is a nr.5 movie in the series about the police academy.
you can see on the actors that they had a fun time making the movie, and thats a good thing.
Choosing plot over simply adding in numerous characters proves to be the downfall of the Police Academy series.
Gaynes, who had been in the background most of the time in these films, becomes the main focus as he's forced into retirement, but also being honored as police officer of the decade (or was it century?).
This may not have been THE best of the Police Academy film series, but it also wasn't the worst.
OK, I'm starting to see the slump in the police academy sequels, it is number 5, Assignment: Miami Beach, where we've lost Steve Guttenberg and the jokes are not as funny as they used to be.
Again, the only thing that makes it worth it though is the original cast members, like Bubba Smith, Michael Winslow, and G.W. Bailey, but it seems like they're almost getting sick of the sequels too.
Not to mention, not only do they not have Steve Guttenberg back, but there is no Zed or Sweetchuck, I loved those characters.The Class of '84 are going to see their favorite Commandant Lasard get an award for all his hard service in Miami, they are all invited together.
Off the flight, Lasard gets the wrong bag where he thinks his fish is, but instead has a camera with hidden jewels, not knowing he is being followed by thugs to get the diamonds back.Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach isn't a bad movie by any means, like I said there are still some good laughs in it.
"Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach" falls into the latter category.
The bumbling cops of "Police Academy" are, very unfortunately, not.Steve Guttenberg has, by this time, finally come to the over-due conclusion that the series is going nowhere, and so he has left the ongoing string of sequels to enter into fresher territory -- by appearing not very many years later in joyless remakes of older films ("It Takes Two," a.k.a.
Finally realizing that the police officer's daily routine gags are no longer fair ground for comedy, the filmmakers have moved the series to Miami Beach, land of ample spoofing and lampooning!
As the police of the film can never seem to do anything right, the series itself can never seem to be funny.The plot involves Commandant Lassard (George Gaynes) being called to Miami to receive a special lifetime achievment award of some sort (the biggest plot hole being, of course, that he does not deserve it at all after the many disasters instilled by him in the predecessors.
(The awful joke I wrote above comes into play, here!) But instead of just losing his luggage at the airport, he accidentally picks up a similar briefcase belonging to a band of jewel thieves -- and they're pretty eager on getting their stash of diamonds returned to them.Commandant Lassard is kidnapped and the doofus cops from the previous entries (save Guttenberg's Carey Mahoney and Bobcat Goldthwait's missing Zed) embark on a mission to save him.
Don't ask."Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach" proves that everything is ample ground for comedy -- Florida, jewel thieves, fat men, and alligators.
If anything, the entire "Police Academy" series just stands as a landmark reminder that Hollywood has been taken over by ruthless film executives who want nothing but money.
After the disappointing Part 4, it was great to see Police Academy 5 return to form.Fans of Mahoney from the first four films will be disappointed to learn he is not in it.
But it's a great story and truly funny.Commandant Eric Lassard and the gang take a trip to Miami to attend a police convention.
As usual, Captain Harris and Lieutenant Proctor are out to grab all the glory.Scenes to watch out for include the crook who farts in the lift, the battle between Hightower and an alligator (or crocodile maybe)and the end chase in boats.Police Academy 5 was enjoyable..
As always, the Police Academy team make another humorous comedy, Captain Harris and Procter were hilarious (particularly when Procter goes on the Ski Jump and Harris gets DORK written on him)  as usual and Comandant Lassard was also really funny, a great blend of humour.
It isn't great and will never be a favourite comedy or overall film of mine, but it clearly knew what it wanted to be so it was easy to take it for what it was and what it set out to do.It was followed by six sequels, and none of them were as good or even on the same level as the first, though admittedly some are worse than others.
The best performance by a large margin comes from Rene Auberjonois, who seems to be having fun and really makes an effort to liven things up (and he succeeds).Even with the presence of George Gaynes, G.W. Bailey and Michael Winslow, high points previously, only Auberjonois comes close to giving a good performance.
Matt McCoy is an incredibly bland and wooden lead, filling in for Steve Guttenberg (him leaving the series was a very wise decision for him).'Police Academy 5' looks cheap, with budget and time constraints written all over it, and generally it is also one of the most ineptly directed films of the series.
The music, so catchy and infectious in previous instalment, is forgettable at best here and often that is being too kind on it.Anybody who disliked the writing in the previous three 'Police Academy' sequels will outright hate it here.
They suffer from pedestrian timing and from taking immaturity to a whole new level that one feels their IQ has dropped.While it has been well established that people don't see the 'Police Academy' films for their stories, the story here feels repetitive and incredibly lazy in execution, and it's only with the kidnapping subplot (which doesn't gel with the rest of the film) where there's a little more momentum.
Lassard (George Gaynes) is forced into retirement but he does get a trip to Miami Beach and of course his gang goes along.
I'm sure fans of the film, including myself, will get a few grins out of the movie and the cast members do have a certain amount of charm but this should have been it for the series..
I would not recommend seeing it, although the next one wasn't all that bad.Steve Guttenberg being out of the series definitely made a difference and a lot of the gimmicks that made the original work were not present in this one.
being forced at gunpoint to watch all Police Academy movies in succession?
But then I saw Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach.
This time the remaining recruits (Smith,Winslow, Ramsey and Graf, Guttenberg and Goldthwait obviously abandoned a sinking ship) go to Florida (You know things are lame when we are ripping off Revenge Of The Nerds II) to assist Lassard (Gaynes) in accepting a career lifetime reward, while jewel thieves pop up in this painful sequel.
As people notice Steve Guttenberg was barely in Police Academy 4, here he's not even in this muck.
Naturally this is unfunny garbage and the only real laugh comes from watching comedy that fails so bad that it actually becomes funny again.
Miami Beach, Florida, where lots and lots and lots of crime are to be found, and are needed by the police academy to go where they belong - to the slammer!
Oh, sure, the police academy does that - as well as many other funny things in this movie!
I should expect all the other "Police Academy" movies to be that way as well.
Michael Winslow still manages to get a few chuckles, if not laughs, all the rest is a convoluted mess of scenes, which are supposed to be funny but could have been shot better by a bunch of teenagers with a camcorder and too much time on their hands.Some kind of story involving a trio of dimwitted international thieves hiding their loot in Commander Lassard's luggage is thrown in around the edges.
Granted I did not think it was the best comedy ever, I just thought it came closest to being good since the second movie in the series.
However, it still needed more work, for one Bubba Smith was never my favorite character yet he gets to much focus now that Guttenberg is gone, the jokes are still repeated to much, and the franchise had way to many sequels in way to short a time span.
Still, it had a more interesting plot than the previous two sequels and more laughs, if they maybe took a couple of years to write a story and shoot the film the movie might have been a more polished less repeated jokes movie..
So I'm not going to lie, I was raised on most of the Police Academy movies.
With the departure of Steve Guttenberg and a dominant lead character, many feared the fifth movie would not be as good as the rest.
Throw Captain Harris (MASH's G.W. Baily) and Proctor in town in hopes of getting Harris the promotion to Lassard's old job by placing him in a good light with the up and up's (a hilarious scene on the beach involves someone writing DORK on Harris' chest in sunscreen while he is asleep...oh might mighty me is it great!) make the mix one heck of a ride for our boys in blue.
In a rare moment of thoughtfulness, Proctor appeared to me to look at the gum and discover the stretching and breaking are pretty much the same thing.At any rate, it's telling that such a simple thing should come across as one of the most creatively meaningful things in the series, but I do have to say that Police Academy 5 is not nearly as bad as I have read that it is.
As you know, this is the first Police Academy movie that's missing Steve Guttenberg as Mahoney, and he's replaced by the charming Matt McCoy, who plays Commandant Lassard's nephew Nick, an ace Sergeant on the Miami Beach force.
Of course the fourth sequel in the Police Academy franchise is not a good movie, but it was never made with any Academy Awards in mind.
this movie almost has no laughs,and it's the second worst in the series.
I really don't get it with these movies; thought the makers that after so many bad movies that THIS, this fifth would really break threw with it's extremely original story and laughs - well, no.The movies don't get a bit better, they just keep getting worse.
Lassard, Proctor, and Harris get the best laughs and at least try with their performances.
Like the last few sequels in the POLICE ACADEMY series, Assignment: Miami Beach is a tedious instalment in the franchise that's happy to repeat all the best gags from previous movies and add little in the way of freshness or originality.
If anything, it spurs Captain Harris to fly to Miami Beach where the award is to be presented so that he can hob-nob with the police commissioner in order to further his ambitions of becoming successor to Commandant Lassard.
Even so, being the 5th movie of the series this film still had a hard time duplicating the success of the first or second pictures and as a result I have rated it accordingly.
Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach.
Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach.
Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach.
Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach.
Steve Guttenberg said a firm "no" to being in this or any other sequels that may (and did) follow, good choice, this is probably the worst of the sequels, not even the self-made sound effects of Winslow can save it, nothing to laugh at, lovable characters not doing anything exciting, just a complete waste of time.
Bubba Smith, Michael Winslow, David Graf, Leslie Easterbrook, Marion Ramsay, Matt McCoy, Janet Jones, Rene Auberjonois, G.W. Bailey, Lance Kinsey and George Gaynes star in this 1988 comedy sequel.