Sometimes you need a good laugh.

“The Naked Gun” has plenty of laughs.

Not all of the laughs in “The Naked Gun” are good. Some of the laughs in “The Naked Gun” are downright awful. They are groaners, as it’s said at the dentist’s office.

“The Naked Gun” is an extremely silly spoof of a police action film procedural. The film stars Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr., a bumbling Los Angeles police department officer.

Leslie Nielsen (1926-2010) played Frank Drebin in “Police Squad” (1982), the TV series on which the movies are based. Nielsen starred in “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!,” 1988; “The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear,” 1991, and “Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult,” 1994.

One doesn’t know if Liam Neeson was chosen for the role of Frank Drebin Jr. because his initials are LN, the same initials as those of Leslie Nielsen.

The choice of Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr. is a good one. Neeson not only parodies the role of a police lieutenant as Drebin. Neeson pokes fun at the roles he played in his own tough-guy action films, including the “Taken” series, 2008-2014, and his collaborations with director Jaume Collet-Serra (“Unknown,” 2011; “Non-Stop,” 2014; “Run All Night,” 2015; “The Commuter,” 2018).

Neeson, 73, with 193 acting credits on Internet Movie Database, received an Oscar nomination, actor, for “Schindler’s List,” 1993. Neeson received two Tony Award nominations, actor, play, “Anna Christie,” 1992, and “The Crucible,” 2002.

In “The Naked Gun,” Neeson plays the role of Frank Drebin Jr. with dead seriousness. He’s his own straight man.

Pamela Anderson, 58 (“The Last Showgirl,” 2024; “Pamela: A Love Story,” 2023; TV’s “Baywatch,” 1992-1997). is great fun as Beth Davenport, the love interest of Frank Drebin Jr.

Supporting actors include Paul Walter Hauser (Ed Hocken Jr.), Danny Huston (Richard Cane), CCH Pounder (Chief Davis), Liza Koshy (Detective Barnes), Busta Rhymes (Bank Robber) and Priscilla Presley (in a cameo, reprising her role as Jane Spencer). There are cameos by WWE professional wrestlers Dave Bautista and Cody Rhodes.

“The Naked Gun” is directed by Akiva Schaffer at nearly a chuckle a minute. The film is chockfull of sight gags (think “Austin Powers,” 1997), slapstick and double entendre dialogue.

Akiva Schaffer’s juvenile sense of humor makes him a great choice to direct “The Naked Gun.” Schaffer directed “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers,” 2022; “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping,” 2016, and was part of “The Lonely Island” comedy team, with Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone, and “Lonely Island” music videos. Schaffer received two Primetime Emmy Awards (“I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson,” 2023; “Saturday Night Live,” 2007).

Schaffer co-wrote the screenplay for “The Naked Gun” with Dan Gregor and Doug Mand (screenwriters, “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers”) based on the television series by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker.

The plot for “The Naked Gun” is not much to write home about, nor to write a movie review about.

That’s OK when the plot device is a stolen P.L.O.T. Device, as in Primordial Law of Toughness. The device is flipped, with a ridiculous big switch, to revert humans back to barbarians.

Scenes that advance the plot device, or maybe not, include a Mixed Martial Arts match at the Ponzi-scheme.com Arena; a weekend getaway by Frank and Beth at a lodge with a manic snowman, and a self-driving police car that won’t leave the driving to us.

The photography by Cinematographer Brandon Trost (Director of Photography, “Sonic the Hedgehog 3”) has the schlocky, often under lit and sometimes overexposed look of a 1970s’ movie or TV show.

The music by Lorne Balfe (Primetime Emmy Awards nominee, theme, “Genius,” 2017; “Restless,” miniseries composition, 2013) is appropriately bombastic. The song, “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” by Jefferson Starship, is used to hilarious ironic effect.

“The Naked Gun” checks all the boxes: Silly? Yes. Dumb humor? Yes. Side-splittingly funny? Often.

If you’re a fan of “The Naked Gun,” this movie may trigger you.

“The Naked Gun,” PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children. May contain some material parents might not like for their young children.) for crude, sexual material, violence, bloody images and brief partial nudity; Genre: Action-Comedy-Crime; Run time 1 hour, 25 minutes. Distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Credit Readers Anonymous: “The Naked Gun” end credits include a scene between Frank Drebin Jr. (Liam Neeson) and Beth Davenport (Pamela Anderson) at a resort. They break the fourth wall, look directly at the audience and Neeson punches some of the credits.

Neeson sings a maudlin song, “My Sweet Beth,” written by Akiva Schaffer and Greg Chun.

In “The Naked Gun” tradition, fake credits are mixed in with real credits: “Set Dressing: French, Italian, Russian”; “Film Lab Operator: Rod Lurie”; Fake Netflix password and a Snellen Eye Exam Chart.

At the very end is a scene with Weird Al Yankovic, who had cameos in the three “The Naked Gun” movies.

“The Naked Gun” was filmed May through June 2024 in Atlanta, Ga.

At The Movies: “The Naked Gun” was seen in the standard format at AMC Center Valley 16.

Theatrical Movies Domestic Weekend Box Office, Aug. 15-17: “Weapons” stood its ground at No. 1, two weeks in a row, $25 million in 3,450 theaters, $89 million, two weeks, as “Freakier Friday” continued at No. 2 with $14.5 million in 3,975 theaters, $54.7 million, two weeks, and “Nobody 2,” with Bob Odenkirk reprising his role in the Comedy Crime Thriller, opened at No. 3 with $9.2 million in 3,260 theaters.

4. “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” dropped one place, $8.8 million in 3,355 theaters, $247 million, four weeks. 5. “The Bad Guys 2” dropped one place, $7.5 million in 3,380 theaters, $57.2 million, three weeks. 6. “Superman” stayed in place, $5.2 million in 2,655 theaters, $340.9 million, six weeks. 7. “The Naked Gun” dropped two places, $4.8 million in 3,027 theaters, $41.9 million, three weeks. 8. “Jurassic World: Rebirth” dropped one place, $2.9 million in 2,270 theaters, $332.1 million, seven weeks. 9. “F1: The Movie” dropped one place, $2.6 million in 1,172 theaters, $182.8 million, eight weeks. 10. “Coolie,” an India Tamil-language Action Thriller, $2.4 million in 800 theaters, opening.

Movie box office information from Box Office Mojo as of Aug. 17 is subject to change.

Unreel, Aug. 22:

“Honey Don’t!,” Rated R: Ethan Coen directs Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza and Chris Evans in the Comedy Crimer Thriller. Honey O’Donahue, a small-town private investigator, investigates a series of deaths.

“Relay,” Rated R: David Mackenzie directs Riz Ahmed, Lily James, Sam Worthington, Willa Fitzgerald, Eisa Davis and Victor Garber in the Action Thriller. A go-between for corporations breaks his own rules.

“Splitsville,” R: Michael Angelo Covino directs Dakota Johnson, Adria Arjona, Kyle Marvin and himself in the Comedy. A marriage gets tricky.

Movie opening information from Internet Movie Database as of Aug. 17 is subject to change.

Two Popcorn Boxes out of Five Popcorn Boxes