--- title: "Police Academy" year: 1984 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/police-academy" fi1m_id: "police-academy" imdb_id: "tt0087928" tmdb_id: 9336 wikidata_id: "Q1248429" fi1m_score: 62 critics_score: 62 critics_reviews: 7 published: "2026-10-04T18:37:19.286646+00:00" updated: "2026-10-04T18:37:19.718540+00:00" region: "VN" 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 (1984) Directed by Hugh Wilson · 1h 37m · Comedy, Crime ## Identity Police Academy - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/police-academy - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** police-academy - **IMDb ID:** tt0087928 - **TMDB ID:** 9336 - **Wikidata ID:** Q1248429 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087928/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/9336, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1248429 **Fi1m score: 62** · Critics 62 from 7 reviews *In a sentence:* Michael Winslow provides his own sound effects; a few more jokes would have helped everyone else > *Police Academy* has enough warmth and daftness to reward a taste for broad comedy. Hugh Wilson’s film is also crudely assembled, with Michael Winslow providing rather more invention than the writing. ## Synopsis Carey Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg) is among the new recruits at a police academy, alongside Karen Thompson (Kim Cattrall) and Moses Hightower (Bubba Smith). Larvell Jones (Michael Winslow) brings a repertoire of vocal sound effects to the group, which also includes Tackleberry (David Graf) and Leslie Barbara (Donovan Scott). The academy’s authority figures include Lieutenant Harris (G. W. Bailey), Sergeant Callahan (Leslie Easterbrook) and Commandant Lassard (George Gaynes). The recruits’ individual quirks put them at odds with the institution as they begin training together. ## Review *Police Academy* is a patchy comedy with enough affection for its recruits to make the better jokes count. Hugh Wilson directs as though getting us to like this intake matters more than persuading us that anyone should entrust them with police work. That is a reasonable bargain for a broad institutional comedy, and for a while we are happy to accept it. The difficulty is how often the film assumes that an odd personality is already a finished joke. Steve Guttenberg gives Carey Mahoney an easy sociability that helps the comedy through its thinner stretches. G. W. Bailey’s Lieutenant Harris is a useful focus for the recruits’ resistance to authority, his severity giving them something definite to push against. George Gaynes makes Commandant Lassard’s foolishness seem almost restful beside the surrounding commotion. Bubba Smith gives Moses Hightower an unforced likeability. These are performers we are happy to spend time with, even when the script supplies little reason to laugh. Michael Winslow is the clearest reason to stay. As Larvell Jones, he supplies vocal sound effects with a precision that the surrounding comedy rarely matches. We laughed at those noises, because hearing such unlikely sounds produced by a human voice is a pleasure in itself. The skill makes a familiar gag worth hearing, and Hugh Wilson is right to give it room. The screenplay, credited to Neal Israel, Pat Proft and Hugh Wilson, is much less dependable. Its recruits clash with authority, but the writing too often treats that familiar arrangement as sufficient reason for laughter; the vulgarity then has to do work that a sharper situation might have done. Crudeness need not be a problem, and we would not ask this film to acquire better manners. We would ask it to make the jokes less interchangeable, and to give the cast more to play between them. Michael D. Margulies’s cinematography is clear and unshowy, which suits performances that need no extra underlining. Trevor Williams’s production design provides a serviceable academy, though the place itself gives us little to enjoy beyond its usefulness to the cast. There is nothing wrong with keeping the surroundings plain when the comic business is strong. Here, the lack of visual invention becomes more noticeable whenever the dialogue and gags run short of it too. Editors Robert Brown and Zach Staenberg have the difficult job of making these separate comic turns feel like a film. They keep things moving, but the uneven jokes repeatedly interrupt any comic momentum they establish. Robert Folk’s music supplies a welcome sense of purpose, lending the foolishness more conviction than it sometimes deserves. At 97 minutes, the film is not overlong, although it can feel short of material. The comedy of misfits confronting an institution needs some ingenuity in the misbehaviour. Hugh Wilson gets mileage from the familiar antagonism, then settles for the easiest available gag too often. We are not looking for a considered account of police training, but the academy could have supplied more than an excuse to put these people together. Anyone fond of broad ensemble comedy will find enough warmth to forgive some of the weaker passages. Go for the performers, with a fair tolerance for crude jokes. *Fi1m score 62, published 4 October 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews lean towards a mixed reception, with most critics finding some laughs in Police Academy’s goofy recruits and clashes with authority. Praise centres on its affable, often innocent humour and supporting performances: Variety singles out Michael Winslow’s human sound effects, while Empire finds the comedy consistently funny and argues that it deserves more respect than its reputation allows. Even the qualified responses find something appealing in its silliness. The reservations concern uneven jokes, fragmented writing and the point at which broad humour becomes merely crude. Vulture accepts the messiness for the sake of the charm, whereas The New York Times finds the gags more crude than amusing. The spread is fairly wide, though enthusiasm is less common than qualification; the evidence also has limits, with one verdict unverifiable and two others represented only by partial text. ## Straight answers **Is Police Academy worth watching?** *Police Academy* is worth considering if we share a taste for broad, crude ensemble comedy, though its patchy writing keeps our score at 62/100. Michael Winslow’s vocal sound effects and the cast’s easy likeability provide the strongest reasons to watch; the film too often expects an eccentric recruit to be a joke in itself. **How long is Police Academy, and what is it rated?** *Police Academy* runs 1h 37m. It is a comedy and crime film. **Where can I watch Police Academy in Vietnam?** *Police Academy* is not on any streaming or rental service in Vietnam at the moment. It is available in 2 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, and is it suitable for children?** *Police Academy* carries a UK 15 certificate, so it is not suitable for children under 15. We flag its vulgarity and crude jokes rather than any specific violence or scares; the certificate is the clearest guide to suitability, and the comedy is better suited to older teenagers and adults comfortable with that humour. **How does Police Academy compare to Stripes?** *Police Academy* offers a police-training variation on the unruly-recruits comedy of [*Stripes*](https://film.one/film/stripes), but we favour the latter while it stays on the parade ground. Both pit ensemble mischief against institutional discipline: *Police Academy* relies heavily on likeable performers and uneven gags, while *Stripes* has the stronger comic stretch before its move away from the base thins out the jokes. **What should I watch after Police Academy?** After *Police Academy*, try [*Stripes*](https://film.one/film/stripes) (1981, Fi1m 70): Another unruly intake, with military discipline supplying the resistance to ensemble mischief. Then [*The Lavender Hill Mob*](https://film.one/film/the-lavender-hill-mob) (1951, Fi1m 82): A gentler criminal enterprise, with precise plotting behind its apparently harmless bungling; and [*Hot Fuzz*](https://film.one/film/hot-fuzz) (2007, Fi1m 84): Police procedure and provincial absurdity, with jokes built to reward close attention. ### Reviews we read (7) - **Empire**, Mark Dinning (75/100, inferred): The critic finds the film consistently funny and more deserving of respect than its reputation suggests. The sweet, naïve humour and standout supporting performances are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/police-academy-review/) - **Vulture**, Alden Ford (70/100, inferred): Ford finds the film a messy but affable comedy that remains somewhat funny. He praises its harmless, goofy charm while criticizing its implausible premise, fragmented writing, and uneven jokes. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2011/03/watching-police-academy-for-the-first-time.html) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (65/100, inferred): The review finds the comedy harmless and innocent, with a fresh setting but uneven results. It especially praises Michael Winslow’s performance as a human sound-effects system. [Read](https://variety.com/1983/film/reviews/police-academy-1200426009/) - **RogerEbert.com** (64/100, inferred): The page is blocked, so the critic’s verdict cannot be verified. No praise or complaint can be identified from the available text. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/police-academy-1984) - **Time Out**, TJ (63/100, inferred): The available text signals a critique of the film’s vulgar humour, but does not reveal the critic’s overall verdict. It singles out the barrage of vulgar jokes as a notable feature. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/police-academy) - **Radio Times**, John Ferguson (3/5): Ferguson says the original produced its fair share of belly laughs and unexpectedly spawned a long-running franchise. He highlights the oddball recruits’ clashes with authority and eventual proving of themselves. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-7bogjz/police-academy/) - **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (35/100, inferred): Maslin's verdict is negative, finding the comedy more crude than amusing. The film's broad, gag-driven approach is what the review singles out. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/23/movies/film-police-academy-with-no-entrance-rules.html) ## Details - **Director:** Hugh Wilson - **Director:** Hugh Wilson - **Screenplay:** Hugh Wilson, Neal Israel, Pat Proft - **Story:** Neal Israel, Pat Proft - **Cinematography:** Michael D. Margulies - **Editor:** Zach Staenberg, Robert Brown - **Music:** Robert Folk - **Production design:** Trevor Williams - **Costume design:** Christopher Ryan - **Producer:** Paul Maslansky - **Cast:** Steve Guttenberg as Carey Mahoney; Kim Cattrall as Karen Thompson; G. W. Bailey as Lieutenant Harris; Bubba Smith as Moses Hightower; Donovan Scott as Leslie Barbara; George Gaynes as Commandant Lassard; Andrew Rubin as George Martin; David Graf as Tackleberry - **Runtime:** 1h 37m - **First release (the US):** 22 March 1984 - **Genres:** Comedy, Crime - **Budget:** $4 million - **Box office:** $81 million ## Where to watch in Vietnam Not streaming, renting or buying in Vietnam at the last check. Also available in: AU, IT. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Stripes* (1981), Fi1m 70: Another unruly intake, with military discipline supplying the resistance to ensemble mischief. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/stripes.md) - *The Lavender Hill Mob* (1951), Fi1m 82: A gentler criminal enterprise, with precise plotting behind its apparently harmless bungling. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-lavender-hill-mob.md) - *The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe* (1972): Official incompetence meets an oblivious innocent, with more care over the plotting. - *Hot Fuzz* (2007), Fi1m 84: Police procedure and provincial absurdity, with jokes built to reward close attention. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/hot-fuzz.md) - *Kung Fu Hustle* (2004): For broader physical comedy, sharper visual invention and an equally unruly supporting cast. --- © 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