Retrospective Film Review

Police Academy (1984) • 40 Years Later — loveable underdogs in arresting ’80s comedy

The mayor declares that anyone can enrol in the police academy irrespective of their physical condition or education level, and thus misfits descend…

When I first heard ACAB (All Cops Are Bastards), I thought straight away, ‘Even RoboCop?’ My next question was, ‘Even Police Academy?’ People say you couldn’t possibly make today. Those people would also moan if modern, liberal Hollywood remade with a mayor literally called Mary Sue who freaks out the police establishment by scrapping discrimination based on “height, weight, sex, education, or physical strength” for recruits, to better reflect the community they serve. Sounds pretty woke to me, but that’s the premise of Police Academy.

Producer Paul Maslansky was scouting locations for The Right Stuff (1983) when he witnessed a scene that perfectly encapsulated his new film pitch: “a bunch of ludicrous-looking police cadets being dressed down by a frustrated sergeant.” He had to enquire about this…