Police Academy 3: Back in Training

Budget cuts force the Governor to decide which police academy will stay open, pitting Lassard's school against a rival program. To settle the matter, the two campuses stage a contest that mixes training drills with comic challenges, testing discipline, teamwork, and nerve. Carey Mahoney, Moses Hightower, Tackleberry, Larvell Jones, and Laverne Hooks rally their classmates as the competition spirals into a full blown farce. Behind the scenes, Captain Mauser hatches a plan to tilt the odds in his favor, but the scheme backfires in unpredictable ways, keeping the outcome uncertain and the laughs coming. The humor often hinges on outsized personalities clashing with protocol and the occasional misread order, nudging chaos into order. Fans always remember the chaos with smiles.

Directed by Jerry Paris, the film continues the Police Academy lineup with a screenplay by Neal Israel, Gene Quintano, and Pat Proft. It arrived in 1986 as a breezy pleasing installment built to keep the franchise rolling for fans worldwide.

Worldwide gross reached roughly 107.6 million against a 12 million budget, marking a robust commercial performance that helped solidify the Police Academy franchise across audiences and cement its status as a reliable and popular summer comedy staple for many years.

Beyond its laughs, the film helped define a late 80s comedic cadence with a big ensemble and rapid one liners. Fans still remember Hightower's gentle strength and Larvell Jones's comic sound effects, which became familiar signals of the era's lighthearted police satire. The humor translates well to home video.

Reviewers offered notes, appreciating the cast energy and practical jokes while noting film's light tone and formulaic setup. The idea centers on teamwork across a cohort and the humor found in training mishaps and bureaucratic incompetence, not drama, and it played to fans. The humor translates well to home video.