Film

Police Academy: Mission to Moscow

The seventh and final Police Academy film sends Lassard's lovable cadets to Moscow to help Russian police fight the Mafia. It's pure '90s comedy chaos: slapstick, fish-out-of-water humour, and character bits you've grown fond of if you've made it this far. For completionists and people who love dumb fun without meanness.

TMDb rating2.3

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Beverly Hills Cop III1994

Eddie Murphy returns as Axel Foley in another fish-out-of-water comedy with a similar energy: goofy set pieces, a charismatic lead cracking jokes, and a plot that's really just scaffolding for the comedy.

But The comedy is broader and less sharp than the earlier films, and the action sequences feel bloated rather than punchy.

Beverly Hills Cop III poster

Troop Beverly Hills1989

Shelley Long leads a ragtag group of misfits through comedic chaos with genuine warmth and zero cynicism. Same DNA as Police Academy—ensemble, underdog spirit, character-driven humour that doesn't rely on cruelty.

But It's aggressively cheerful and sincere, which can feel saccharine if you're in a mood for anything edgier.

Troop Beverly Hills poster

Super Troopers2001

State troopers playing pranks and solving a crime with messy camaraderie. Ensemble comedy with real affection for its characters and laugh-out-loud set pieces that actually land harder.

But The humour is raunchier and meaner-spirited than Police Academy, even when the heart is there.

Super Troopers poster

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Red Heat1988

Both send Western cops to Moscow as the setup; both are buddy-cop comedies about unlikely cultural collisions, but Red Heat treats the premise seriously rather than as pure farce.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Belushi as a Soviet cop and Chicago cop forced to partner up—a buddy cop film with the same fish-out-of-water Moscow angle, but played deadpan and straight. Surprisingly effective action-comedy with real chemistry.

But It's a earnest action film first and comedy second, which means if you want Police Academy silliness, you won't find it here.

Red Heat poster
More like this (8)

Ghostbusters II1989

Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and the gang reunite for a sequel that knows what you loved about the first one and tries earnestly to deliver it again, with practical effects and genuine comedy.

But It doesn't recapture the original's magic, and feels more like a victory lap than a real story.

Ghostbusters II poster

Coming to America1988

Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall's comedy chemistry, elaborate set pieces, and committed performances elevate what's basically a silly premise. Warmth and goofy fun wrapped around real craft.

But It's long, the subplot machinery creaks, and some of the cultural humour hasn't aged as kindly as you'd hope.

Coming to America poster

National Lampoon's European Vacation1985

The Griswolds abroad: fish-out-of-water comedy, an endearing family stumbling through disasters, and genuine character dynamics beneath the slapstick.

But Chevy Chase's comedy style is very specific, and the plot is threadbare even by road-trip standards.

National Lampoon's European Vacation poster

Spies Like Us1985

Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd as bumbling spies sent to Moscow during the Cold War—the premise alone sells it, and their rapport carries you through.

But The jokes don't always land, the pacing drags, and it feels like an SNL sketch stretched to feature length.

Spies Like Us poster

Repo Man1984

Punk aesthetic collides with deadpan comedy in a Los Angeles repo man's world. Weird, funny, visually striking, and genuinely strange in ways that still feel fresh.

But It's deliberately amateurish and fractured, which reads as experimental rather than entertaining if you're looking for conventional laughs.

Repo Man poster

Ruthless People1986

An ensemble cast (Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Judge Reinhold) in a kidnapping caper played for laughs. Tight, well-constructed comedy with characters you actually like.

But The premise is darker than the tone, and it can feel tonally uncertain about what kind of movie it wants to be.

Ruthless People poster

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!1988

Both are ensemble police comedies built on character affection and sight gags, but The Naked Gun pioneered the rapid-fire absurdist style that influenced everything that came after.

Leslie Nielsen as a hapless detective solving crimes while chaos erupts around him—joke density so high you'll catch new ones on a rewatch. Absurdist slapstick with a different texture than Police Academy but the same anarchic warmth.

But The joke structure means there's almost no emotional weight; if you need a story to care about, this is a gag machine and nothing more.

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! poster

Brewster's Millions1985

Both films trust their ensemble and character moments over plot mechanics; both believe audience goodwill comes from liking the people on screen, not from cynicism.

Richard Pryor and John Candy as a man forced to spend a fortune in thirty days—a premise-driven comedy with genuine heart, character chemistry that makes you smile, and a warmth that doesn't require meanness.

But The plot is thin, the pacing meanders, and once you understand the premise, there's not much surprise left.

Brewster's Millions poster

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