The Nude Bomb is funny surprise, much finding a tuna sandwich in the glovebox of your car.  Before watching I advise that you strap in and zip up or maybe don’t zip up to truly be in the spirit of the movie. This is cinematic acid trip which deserves a review with all the chaotic energy of a triple espresso shot with an overdoes of Viagra

So what is “The Nude Bomb”? Well, you can start by imagining James Bond and Inspector Gadget had a baby, and then left it at a daycare run by Roger Rabbit.  It’s a spy comedy starring Don Adams, reprising his legendary role as Maxwell Smart — a man so clueless, he makes a Joe Bidon look like Sherlock Holmes. He’s got the trench coat, the shoe phone  and enough dry one-liners to desiccate an Egyptian mummy. But this time, he’s not fighting KAOS with bullets or brains — no sir — he’s going after a villain who wants to explode everyone’s clothes off. That’s right. It’s not a metaphor. It’s a literal bomb that nukes your underpants!

The villain is a baddie named Nudo — very subtle and very Bond-esque.   He’s built the ultimate weapon of mass undress destruction. This guy is like if Dr. No watched too many Hustler porn movies and said, “Yes, this is my origin story.” However, instead of taking over the world with lasers or robots, he’s decided, “Let’s get rid of clothes! BOOM! Now you’re naked!” You gotta admire the boldness of the plot. Or maybe call Dr Susan Block for therapy. Possibly both.

The storytelling darts around like a gerbil on LSD. Maxwell Smart bumbles from one locale to another: ski resorts, fashion shows, underground lairs that look like IKEA on roids. He’s surrounded by an ensemble of agents and models and there’s even a talking typewriter at one point. The movie runs on logic on cartoon logic written by an infantile version of 80s toxic masculinity. .

Now this movie is damn funny but only you’re someone who enjoys a nostalgic high on disco fumes and wearing polyester pants.  But if you’re watching it now, stone-cold sober, you might feel like you’re being slowly attacked by dad jokes wielding banana peels. The humor is dated and from today’s perspective, it’s like being told that the Care Bares are teaming up with Dead Pool in the next sequel.

BUT! Don Adams sells it with his unforgettable his nasal delivery and eternal optimism, He’s like the weird uncle at Thanksgiving who tells the same joke every year, and dang it, you still laugh. There’s a charm, a weird nostalgic magic, like watching a roller disco ballet while blindfolded.

The Nude Bomb is a glorious, glittering missile with a happy face painted on it. It’s ridiculous. It’s nonsense. It’s got less plot than a Tiktok video. But it knows it’s ridiculous but that’s the point.   In a world of self-serious action flicks, sometimes you just need a naked bomb and a man with a shoe phone to remind you how weird things can get.

Need a laugh?  Then watch Up In Smoke

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