‘Top Gun 2’: Film critic eats his shoe (literally) over ‘Top Gun: Maverick’
Screenshot: Matt Patches/YouTube
Chicago - Film critics can have a bit of a reputation as a stuffy, pretentious crowd. But, hey, at least the best of us can admit when we’re wrong. And that’s particularly true this week for "Polygon" Deputy Entertainment Editor Matt Patches — who decided to put his money where his mouth is (literally) over a 12-year-old bet involving "Top Gun: Maverick" and a shoe.
Back on October 26, 2010, around the time news first broke that star Tom Cruise and producer Jerry Bruckheimer were interested in making a sequel to the 1986 classic "Top Gun," Patches jokingly tweeted, "If Top Gun 2 happens, I will eat a shoe".
Screenshot: Matt Patches/YouTube
Given how many films are announced without ever coming to fruition, it wasn’t the craziest assertion on his part. But 12 years later — after a long development process and many pandemic-related delays — "Top Gun: Maverick" finally soars into theaters this weekend. And not one to welch on a bet, apparently, Patches uploaded a video on his YouTube channel where, yes, he actually eats an (edible but worn!) shoe.
RELATED: ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ review: ‘Top Gun 2’ is a gloriously corny nostalgia fest
The 20-minute video is more than a mere act of self-ownership, however. It’s also a hilarious tribute to the "Top Gun" franchise (in this case "Top Gun: Shoe") and film culture in general — complete with a Tom Cruise impersonator, a parody of the Kenny Loggins anthem "Danger Zone" and, yes, a lot of logistics about how one actually goes about eating a shoe. (Well, in this case, constructing a homemade shoe out of fruit leather and then eating it.)
WATCH FREE ON TUBI: Rob Lowe and in Jennifer Grey in "If The Shoe Fits"
The shoemaking starts around the 11:15 mark in the video, while the actual shoe-eating happens at 15:20, but we recommend watching the whole surreal thing to appreciate the full effect.
And don’t worry, there’s a slightly less odd and somewhat sweeter treat at the end of this story too. The folks at Paramount Pictures (the studio that produced "Top Gun: Maverick") actually sent Patches a shoe-shaped cake in honor of the occasion, which, we have to say, looks a little tastier than his homemade version.
For more on this stunt, you can read Patches’ post-shoe-eating interview with "Vanity Fair."
About the writer: Caroline Siede is a film and TV critic in Chicago, where the cold never bothers her anyway. A member of the Chicago Film Critics Association, she spent four years lovingly analyzing the romantic comedy genre one film at a time in her column When Romance Met Comedy for The A.V. Club. She also co-hosts the movie podcast, Role Calling, and shares her pop culture opinions on Twitter (@carolinesiede).
About Tubi: Tubi has more than 40,000 movies and television series from over 250 content partners, including every major studio, in addition to the largest offering of free live local and national news channels in streaming. The platform gives fans of entertainment, news and sports an easy way to discover new content that is available completely free.
Tubi is available on Android and iOS mobile devices, Amazon Echo Show, Google Nest Hub Max, Comcast Xfinity X1, Cox Contour, and on OTT devices such as Amazon Fire TV, Vizio TVs, Sony TVs, Samsung TVs, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X | S, and soon on Hisense TVs globally. Consumers can also watch Tubi content on the web at http://www.tubi.tv/.
Tubi and this television station are both owned by the FOX Corporation.