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Top Secret (1984)
Released By: Paramount Home Video   Rating: PG   In Theaters: N/A
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Studio: Paramount Home Video
Genre: Comedy
MPAA Rating: PG
Director: Jim Abrahams
Language: English
Official Website: N/A
Theatrical Release: N/A
Home Video Release: N/A
Cast: Christopher Villiers, Jeremy Kemp, Lucy Gutteridge, Michael Gough, Omar Sharif, Val Kilmer
Published ID: 1804
UPC: 097360156744, 097360156720, 097361384948,
Plot: The second of Zucker-Abraham-Zucker's theatrical-feature spoofs (Airplane was the first, discounting the patchwork Kentucky Fried Movie), Top Secret! lampoons practically every film genre. Specifically, however, this is a hybrid of an Elvis movie and a World War II underground resistance thriller. In his film debut, Val Kilmer plays Nick Rivers, a Presley-like American rock idol sent behind the Iron Curtain on a goodwill tour. Before long, he is involved in a complex espionage scheme thanks to beautiful Lucy Gutteridge, the daughter of a scientist (Michael Gough) held captive by the Communists. Also essential to the action is flamboyant resistance leader Christopher Villiers, who behaves like Victor Mature in Betrayed (1954) and talks like James Mason. Adhering to Z-A-Z's cheerful disregard for people, places and events, the East Germans are depicted as Nazis, while the Underground is comprised of Frenchmen. The plot is mainly an excuse for the Z-A-Z team's fondness for joke-a-minute lampoonery, skewering cinematic targets ranging from The Blue Lagoon (1980) to The Wizard of Oz (1939). As in Z-A-Z's other efforts, Top Secret! scores its biggest yocks when invoking cliches that we never realized were cliches-and falls on its face whenever attempting a too-obvious gag (the biggest clinker: that pigeon statue in the park). Everyone has his or her favorite bits in this film: our faves include the resistance fighter named Deja Vu (Haven't we met somewhere before?), Kilmer's horrible nightmare while being tortured (he arrives too late to take final exams), the army-booted cow, the sensitive Pinto, and the East German National Anthem, sung to the tune of the Shorewood (Wisconsin) High School marching song. But let's say no more: comedy of this nature is designed to be seen, not written or read about. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
IDDateTimeTitleReviewHelpfulVotesTotalVotes
Another slap stick movie in the vein of Airplane.
Added 8/3/2009

Top secret is in the vein of the Airplane, Hot shots series. Even if it is stupidly funny it's better than watching serious stuff that is on TV. Highly recommended for people who like to escape reality every now and then.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Skeet Surfin' !
Added 7/30/2009

Wonderful satire of Elvis Presley and early 1960's teen movies and 1940's noir/war/espionage movies, and, other movies (They even threw The Wizard of Oz in there!). I have always wanted to sing and perform "Skeet Surfin'" with one of my bands! Saw this when it first came out in 1984. For some reason I was the only person in the theater laughing! I had not seen "Airplane!" or any other films by these guys, so I thought that it was an extremely original style of comedic film making. Val Kilmer at the time was basically an unknown actor. He is excellent in this, and so are all of the other actors and actresses. Anyway, I loved it then and I love it now. I like "Top Secret!" even better than Airplane!, Hot Shots, The Naked Gun, etc., but I really like all of those movies also.......
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Comedy at its best!
Added 7/17/2009

Starring with Val Kilmer playing Nick Rivers, a rock-n-roll singer who is invited to perform in Germany, Top Secret is a rather funny comedy, so off the wall at times that you laugh at your heart's content.

The Cast: Lucy Gutteridge plays Hillary Flammond, just wait until she explains the meaning of her name; Peter Cushing plays the bookstore proprietor, Jeremy Kemp is General Streck, Christopher Villiers plays Nigel "The Torch," the resistance leader who was stranded on a deserted island with Hillary when they were children and still has a crush on him, Warren Clarke as Coloner Von Horst, Harry Ditson as Du Quois, Jim Carter as Déjà vu, Eddie Tagoe as Chocolate Mouse and the magnificent Omar Shariff as Agent Cedric.

Val Kilmer performs "Tutti Fruitti" with such passion that he is rather believable as another version of Elvis Presley, swiveling his hips with the same style and grace. He is invited to Germany, but a Germany that lives behind the Iron Curtain and this blond American version of Elvis Presley brings democratic values to the resistance as he joins their cause. The situations that develop are chaotic, silly at times, but performed with such fun and wit that you will laugh and have to rewind at times to "get" the joke for they happen at rapid fire. Many classics are played here, scenes from Casa Blanca as Val Kilmer and Lucy Gutteridge play off some of its best lines; The Blue Lagoon when Christopher Villiers "The Torch" attempts to imitate Christopher Atkins; and many others.

A great spoof, one the funniest movies we have come across, we highly recommend getting this DVD if you need to disconnect, have fun with light hearted comedy. By the way, it took rewinding the movie to get the backwards scene with Peter Cushing and many others to enjoy the fast paced comedy bits. Don't miss it!


0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
A Deft Skewering
Added 6/2/2009

Top Secret is one of my guilty movie pleasures, for the non-stop way in which it throws every imaginable gag at the viewer - sight gags, puns, political humor, slapstick, musical parody, movie parody, classical ballet parody, Omar Sharif in a crunched-up car, an underwater saloon brawl to the tune of the theme for Bonanza, the surreal `backwards' scene in a Swedish bookstore (with subtitles, yet) and a member of the French Underground named Déjà vu (`ave we not met before?") . These elements all come flying so thick and fast that at least some of them have a chance to stick to your funny bone. Top Secret cheerfully managed to skewer two apparently disparate genres; the `Cold War/WWII espionage flick, and Elvis Presley musicals, with some passing swipes at "Blue Lagoon" and various James Bond flicks. Frankly, it doesn't much matter of one gag falls a little flat, for there will be five or six more in the next few seconds, and the odds are that at least one of them will elicit uncontrollable giggles. "Top Secret" may have been Val Kilmer's very best movie performance, along with "Real Genius" - and it also proved without a doubt that if he couldn't have made it as an actor, he had a better than even chance as a pop-singer. Alas, within a couple of years he would start taking himself all too seriously. No movie role that he has had since has displayed quite as much of the manic sense of energy, the musical chops - or the gleeful sense of humor.

This is definitely one of the most memorable and funniest films from the 1980s, amusingly repackaged with a bonus CD of pop songs from that period: INXS, A-ha, and the barely-recalled Echo and the Bunnymen. Extra features for the film itself include four alternate scenes, the original theatrical trailer and the obligatory commentary track by the directors, and producer.

0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
A dollar short and a day late
Added 5/30/2009

There a a few okay gags, but just okay, and the pace was too slow. Certainly nowhere near as good as Airplane, and if that's a 5-star, this one, by comparison is lucky to get 2 stars. Well, even the Zuckers/Abrahams combo can have an off day. I kinda liked the cow though. One star was for the cow.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Another slap stick movie in the vein of Airplane.
Added 8/3/2009

Top secret is in the vein of the Airplane, Hot shots series. Even if it is stupidly funny it's better than watching serious stuff that is on TV. Highly recommended for people who like to escape reality every now and then.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Skeet Surfin' !
Added 7/30/2009

Wonderful satire of Elvis Presley and early 1960's teen movies and 1940's noir/war/espionage movies, and, other movies (They even threw The Wizard of Oz in there!). I have always wanted to sing and perform "Skeet Surfin'" with one of my bands! Saw this when it first came out in 1984. For some reason I was the only person in the theater laughing! I had not seen "Airplane!" or any other films by these guys, so I thought that it was an extremely original style of comedic film making. Val Kilmer at the time was basically an unknown actor. He is excellent in this, and so are all of the other actors and actresses. Anyway, I loved it then and I love it now. I like "Top Secret!" even better than Airplane!, Hot Shots, The Naked Gun, etc., but I really like all of those movies also.......
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Comedy at its best!
Added 7/17/2009

Starring with Val Kilmer playing Nick Rivers, a rock-n-roll singer who is invited to perform in Germany, Top Secret is a rather funny comedy, so off the wall at times that you laugh at your heart's content.

The Cast: Lucy Gutteridge plays Hillary Flammond, just wait until she explains the meaning of her name; Peter Cushing plays the bookstore proprietor, Jeremy Kemp is General Streck, Christopher Villiers plays Nigel "The Torch," the resistance leader who was stranded on a deserted island with Hillary when they were children and still has a crush on him, Warren Clarke as Coloner Von Horst, Harry Ditson as Du Quois, Jim Carter as Déjà vu, Eddie Tagoe as Chocolate Mouse and the magnificent Omar Shariff as Agent Cedric.

Val Kilmer performs "Tutti Fruitti" with such passion that he is rather believable as another version of Elvis Presley, swiveling his hips with the same style and grace. He is invited to Germany, but a Germany that lives behind the Iron Curtain and this blond American version of Elvis Presley brings democratic values to the resistance as he joins their cause. The situations that develop are chaotic, silly at times, but performed with such fun and wit that you will laugh and have to rewind at times to "get" the joke for they happen at rapid fire. Many classics are played here, scenes from Casa Blanca as Val Kilmer and Lucy Gutteridge play off some of its best lines; The Blue Lagoon when Christopher Villiers "The Torch" attempts to imitate Christopher Atkins; and many others.

A great spoof, one the funniest movies we have come across, we highly recommend getting this DVD if you need to disconnect, have fun with light hearted comedy. By the way, it took rewinding the movie to get the backwards scene with Peter Cushing and many others to enjoy the fast paced comedy bits. Don't miss it!


0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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