POLICE ACADEMY 5: ASSIGMENT: MIAMI BEACH (1988) ** Rene Auberjonois is very funny as the wiseguy fated to misplace his stolen diamonds smack in the middle of a police convention, but is primarily concerned about his equally misplaced hair. Whoda thunk it. It's all mildly amusing, but this is why American culture gets in trouble: it's not nearly as ambitious as, for example a French or German existential flick that goes horribly wrong and leaves you gasping for the fresh air of the polluted metropoles. People, lots of 'em, they don't even want it to be very good! Just mild and relaxing like a valium. It is. A more interesting point is that the British, for example, who enjoy a superior police force, must be horrified at these clowns running around with any authority at all. For most urban Americans, however, it's a relief just believing for a moment that cops can be so human. The film doesn't make any important commentaries, and doesn't lead you to them, but you might just end up with one anyway. Which is another way of saying that civil libertarians appalled by Bubba Smith's interrogation techniques missed the point some ways back, and would do as well boycotting Wile E. Coyote for suspected violence.
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