---
title: "Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment"
year: 1985
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/police-academy-2-their-first-assignment"
fi1m_id: "police-academy-2-their-first-assignment"
imdb_id: "tt0089822"
tmdb_id: 10157
wikidata_id: "Q589896"
fi1m_score: 42
critics_score: 42
critics_reviews: 4
published: "2026-10-04T19:16:50.376681+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-04T19:16:57.753956+00:00"
region: "PH"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (1985)

Directed by Jerry Paris · 1h 27m · Comedy, Crime

## Identity

Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/police-academy-2-their-first-assignment
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** police-academy-2-their-first-assignment
- **IMDb ID:** tt0089822
- **TMDB ID:** 10157
- **Wikidata ID:** Q589896
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089822/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/10157, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q589896

**Fi1m score: 42** · Critics 42 (early) from 4 reviews

*In a sentence:* Bobcat Goldthwait makes an appalling noise, and for once that is a reason to keep watching

> Bobcat Goldthwait and Art Metrano find laughs in Jerry Paris’s thin police comedy, but the ensemble deserves better writing. At 87 minutes, it still feels padded, with too much waiting between jokes that work.

## Synopsis

Carey Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg), Moses Hightower (Bubba Smith) and Larvell Jones (Michael Winslow) are part of the ensemble in this crime comedy. David Graf plays Tackleberry, Marion Ramsey plays Laverne Hooks and Colleen Camp plays Kirkland. Pete Lassard (Howard Hesseman), Commandant Lassard (George Gaynes) and Lieutenant Mauser (Art Metrano) also feature, alongside Doug Fackler (Bruce Mahler), Zed (Bobcat Goldthwait) and Chloe (Julie Brown). Jerry Paris directs this 87-minute film, with a script by David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein.

## Review

Jerry Paris’s *Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment* is a poor comedy with a couple of performances worth rescuing. Bobcat Goldthwait and Art Metrano find laughs, but the film leaves too much of the evening to an ensemble it has not properly supplied with jokes. At 87 minutes, it ought to feel light. Instead, long stretches pass without much comic reward, and the goodwill towards the performers begins to wear thin.

David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein’s script is slight even by the forgiving standards of this kind of crime comedy. A thin plot need not matter when each comic encounter has its own shape and surprise, but too much here depends on finding juvenile behaviour funny in itself. We have no objection to juvenile behaviour. We would simply prefer the joke to develop once the initial silliness has been established, rather than being left to appreciate the effort.

Steve Guttenberg plays Carey Mahoney, with Bubba Smith as Moses Hightower, David Graf as Tackleberry and Michael Winslow as Larvell Jones. The cast has the variety a broad ensemble comedy needs, and the performers do not seem short of enthusiasm. What is missing is the sense that the writing has found enough worthwhile business for them to share. Their contributions are intermittently enjoyable, but too often the film seems satisfied merely to have assembled them.

We laughed at Bobcat Goldthwait’s screeching as Zed, because his delivery makes even the act of getting a sound out seem absurdly difficult. The voice is excessive, abrasive and funny, and it gives the film a welcome suggestion that somebody might do something unreasonable. That will be intolerable to some viewers, which is fair enough. For us, the sheer oddness of the performance breaks through the otherwise routine fooling about.

Art Metrano does something useful with Lieutenant Mauser, too, making weak material seem more workable than it deserves. His performance has enough comic confidence to hold our attention without relying on quite so much noise. Neither actor can make the surrounding film feel more substantial, but their contributions stop it becoming a complete waste of time. There is a modest pleasure in watching performers find something playable where the script has given them little help.

James Crabe’s cinematography does little to make the comedy more expressive, while Bob Wyman’s editing never quite finds the briskness the material needs. Trevor Williams’s production design is serviceable, but offers little extra humour to reward a wandering eye. Robert Folk’s music supplies energy without making the jokes feel any less laboured. None of these contributions is the central problem; the scenes need stronger comic ideas before they need polishing.

The standard for a knockabout police comedy need not be especially lofty: invention, timing and a cast worth following will do. This has enough acting talent to make the shortage of good jokes frustrating. Its occasional successes are also quite specific, so there is little point pretending it will improve for anyone unmoved by Bobcat Goldthwait’s vocal assault. Try it only if that noise already counts as an attraction.

*Fi1m score 42, published 4 October 2026.*

## Straight answers

**Is Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment worth watching?**

*Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment* is hard to recommend beyond fans of broad, noisy comedy; we score it 42 out of 100. We find laughs in Bobcat Goldthwait’s abrasive delivery and Art Metrano’s comic confidence, but the thin writing leaves long waits between worthwhile jokes. Try it only if Goldthwait’s screeching is already part of the attraction.

**How long is Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment, and what is it rated?**

*Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment* runs 1h 27m. It is a comedy and crime film.

**Where can I watch Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment in the Philippines?**

*Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment* is not on any streaming or rental service in the Philippines at the moment. It is available in 28 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment, and is it suitable for children?**

*Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment* carries a UK 12 certificate, making it a choice for viewers aged 12 and over rather than younger children. The juvenile humour and Goldthwait’s abrasive screeching may test adults’ patience too. The certificate alone does not establish how violent or frightening it is, so we cannot give a more specific assurance on those points.

**What should I watch after Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment?**

After *Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment*, try [*The Naked Gun*](https://film.one/film/the-naked-gun-from-the-files-of-police-squad) (1988, Fi1m 88): The police jokes arrive faster, and the background works as hard as the leads. Then [*The Guard*](https://film.one/film/the-guard) (2011, Fi1m 78): A coarser, darker police comedy that gives its troublesome officer something worth saying.

### Reviews we read (4)

- **Empire**, Ian Nathan (65/100, inferred): Nathan finds the sequel juvenile and thinly plotted, but still capable of delivering laughs. He especially praises Bobcat Goldthwait’s Zed, whose screeching routine he finds unexpectedly hilarious. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/police-academy-2-first-assignment-review/)
- **Time Out**, TJ (64/100, inferred): The page identifies this as a film review, but the critic’s verdict is not available. Its metadata notes that the film tones down the smut for a PG rating, but no specific praise or complaint can be confirmed. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/police-academy-2-their-first-assignment)
- **Variety**, Variety Staff (25/100, inferred): The critic finds the sequel a murky, weak follow-up that lacks the original’s creative talent. Art Metrano stands out as the one performer who gets mileage from the material. [Read](https://variety.com/1984/film/reviews/police-academy-2-their-first-assignment-1200426498/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kevin Thomas (F): The critic condemns the sequel as a dismal follow-up that wastes its talented cast. He singles out the film’s sheer wretchedness as especially painful given the original’s comic success. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-04-01-ca-28388-story.html)

## Details

- **Director:** Jerry Paris
- **Director:** Jerry Paris
- **Writer:** Barry W. Blaustein, David Sheffield
- **Cinematography:** James Crabe
- **Editor:** Bob Wyman
- **Music:** Robert Folk
- **Production design:** Trevor Williams
- **Costume design:** Bernie Pollack
- **Producer:** Paul Maslansky
- **Cast:** Steve Guttenberg as Carey Mahoney; Bubba Smith as Moses Hightower; David Graf as Tackleberry; Michael Winslow as Larvell Jones; Bruce Mahler as Doug Fackler; Marion Ramsey as Laverne Hooks; Colleen Camp as Kirkland; Howard Hesseman as Pete Lassard
- **Runtime:** 1h 27m
- **First release (the US):** 28 March 1985
- **Genres:** Comedy, Crime
- **Budget:** $8 million
- **Box office:** $56 million

## Where to watch in the Philippines

Not streaming, renting or buying in the Philippines at the last check.

Also available in: AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IN, IT, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Carry On Constable* (1960): Another collection of ill-equipped officers, with a warmer, more companionable kind of silliness.
- *The Pink Panther* (1963): For police incompetence given more room, better timing and a patient camera.
- *Police Story* (1985): Police slapstick with physical risks that give the comedy considerably more force.
- *The Naked Gun* (1988), Fi1m 88: The police jokes arrive faster, and the background works as hard as the leads. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-naked-gun-from-the-files-of-police-squad.md)
- *The Guard* (2011), Fi1m 78: A coarser, darker police comedy that gives its troublesome officer something worth saying. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-guard.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/police-academy-2-their-first-assignment