Gallery: Top Gun Turns 25: Pop Culture's Best Flyby Riffs
01top-gun
Unless you remembered to mark your [F-14 Tomcat calendar](http://www.cafepress.com/+f14_tomcat_wall_calendar,315410904), it could've easily slipped your mind that this spring marks the 25th anniversary of the best acting-is-easier-in-a-cockpit movie of all time: *Top Gun*. To take everyone's breath away all over again, AMC Theatres across the country are holding [special screenings of the fighter-pilot film](http://www.amctheatres.com/topgun/), which made a generation want to imitate envelope-pushing jet jockeys Maverick and Iceman, this Saturday and Monday. But really, it's been hard to miss the gearhead favorite: In the past quarter century, it's been name-checked and referenced more than the Bible. To mark this momentous occasion and hold over true fans until Jerry Bruckheimer decides to [rake in a butt-load of cash with a sequel](http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/10/top_gun_2.html), here are some of the best *Top Gun* cultural references of the last 25 years. Grab your aviators and enjoy. __Above:__ The official trailer for the *Top Gun* 25th anniversary re-release.
02quentin-tarantinos-rant-in-sleep-with-me
Quentin Tarantino's Rant in *Sleep With Me* ------------------------------------------- Pretty much no one remembers 1994 romantic comedy *[Sleep With Me](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_with_Me)*, but if they do it's because of this random monologue from a guy named Quentin Tarantino, who at the time had just made a little indie film called *Pulp Fiction*. In this roughly three-minute rant, an as-always motor-mouthed Tarantino breaks down why *Top Gun* is nothing but a tale about a man's struggle with his own homosexuality. The diatribe, which came on the heels of the "[Don't ask, don't tell](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don't_ask,_don't_tell)" debate, solidified the *Top Gun*-as-homosexuality-allegory meme. It's so good it's easy to forgive the fact that Tarantino misquotes the last line of the film. (Language NSFW.)
03howitshouldhaveended
*How Top Gun Should Have Ended* ------------------------------- Many a cynical *Top Gun* watcher has noted that there is a huge plot problem in the film that never really gets resolved: Why the hell does Maverick not go ballistic on Iceman for, essentially, causing the accident that killed his wingman? The fine folks at [How It Should Have Ended](http://www.howitshouldhaveended.com/) finally rectified that situation a quarter century later. With a face punch. Thanks, guys.
04hot-shots
The Entire Film *Hot Shots!* ---------------------------- Back when Charlie Sheen was famous for completely different reasons than he is now and looked more like Tom Cruise than you remember, he starred in this wonderfully dorky parody of *Top Gun*. It was no *Airplane!* but it wasn't bad. Note: In light of recent events, don't dwell too hard on the similarities between Sheen and Cruise — it leads to disturbing thoughts of what could happen to Oprah's couch.
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*30 Second Bunnies: Top Gun* ---------------------------- It's only 30 seconds long, but it's got bunnies. And *Top Gun*. And Goose's mustache. Warning: There's also implied rabbit sex.
0630-rock
Liz Lemon's High School Insult on *30 Rock* ------------------------------------------- When Liz Lemon (played by Tina Fey) goes to her high school reunion on *[30 Rock](http://www.nbc.com/30-rock/)*, she finds out she was actually the class bully, not the put-upon nerd she thought she was. When confronted by her former tormentees, her classmate Rob Sussman asks, "Still think I'm gayer than the volleyball scene in *Top Gun*?" (Lemon probably saw *Sleep with Me*.) The meme is alive. (This video is the aftermath of her comeuppance.)
07peter-griffins-fantasy-in-family-guy
Peter Griffin's Fantasy in *Family Guy* --------------------------------------- With all the pop culture references in Seth MacFarlane's biting animated comedy, it was only a matter of time before *[Family Guy](http://www.fox.com/familyguy/)* worked in a *Top Gun* joke. But this take on the film's beginning moments is note-perfect — right down to the "Goose takes a Polaroid of the MiG" bit. It would have been cool if Peter Griffin had buzzed the tower after his maneuver, but to be fair that didn't happen in the movie's opening sequence.
08barney-stinsons-halloween-costume
Barney Stinson's Halloween Costume on *How I Met Your Mother* ------------------------------------------------------------- Every Halloween there's "that guy" — or, more realistically, "those guys" — the dudes that don the flight suit and go around calling themselves Maverick and/or Goose and cruise bars calling each other "wingman." It's typically annoying, but when Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up on *[How I Met Your Mother](http://www.cbs.com/primetime/how_i_met_your_mother/)* playing Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone," it works. Because he's Barney Stinson. Note to other dudes: Don't try this at home.
09supernews-top-gov
*SuperNews' 'Top Gov' Parody* ----------------------------- Current TV's brilliant animators at *[SuperNews](http://current.com/shows/supernews/)* put together this *Top Gun* tribute during the 2008 presidential election season. Making John "Maverick" McCain and Sarah "Moose" Palin the main characters, it hits all the right notes — from the beach volleyball right down to buzzing the media's tower.
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Quick-Hit Web Clip: *Top Gun* — Done in 60 Seconds -------------------------------------------------- Made for *Empire* magazine's [Done in 60 Seconds](http://www.empireonline.com/awards2011/donein60seconds/) contest, this clip takes all the best parts of *Top Gun* and crams them into one minute. It also adds just a dash of social commentary — including references to Scientology and Kelly McGillis' sexuality.
