I'm on a quest to watch most Mike Nichols movies before I write about them for work (I really don't think I'll do all 20-ish; just most). Biloxi Blues isn't one of his more well-known movies by any means, and I only really discovered it by digging through his filmography. Maybe it's kind of underrated, or deserving of a little more appreciation, but at the same time, I'm not sure it's good enough that its relative obscurity feels like the biggest injustice or anything.
It's about a young man's experience while in Boot Camp towards the end of World War II, so one way to kind of summarize it is to say it's like the first half of Full Metal Jacket stretched into one movie (plus a little less intense and with a bit more conventional comedy). It's clear it's based on a play, and though some of it's witty, some of it also felt over-written, or like it was trying to be a bit too clever. Maybe Matthew Broderick just wasn't up to delivering all the voiceover lines; they were the main points where I started to question the writing.
But some of this is quite good, and voiceover aside, I don't think Broderick was bad here. Christopher Walken also gives a weird and interesting performance as the drill sergeant, and it was great to see him bring another energy to that kind of stock role; something completely different from R. Lee Ermy's iconic drill sergeant in Full Metal Jacket, made just one year before Biolix Blues.
I guess those who really like the work of Mike Nichols or playwright Neil Simon might like this, but I think both men did better in their careers. The movie's solid, if a little clunky in places, but certainly quite watchable and engaging at its best. Curious, minor, kind of overlooked film, but definitely not the worst thing I've seen lately.
It's about a young man's experience while in Boot Camp towards the end of World War II, so one way to kind of summarize it is to say it's like the first half of Full Metal Jacket stretched into one movie (plus a little less intense and with a bit more conventional comedy). It's clear it's based on a play, and though some of it's witty, some of it also felt over-written, or like it was trying to be a bit too clever. Maybe Matthew Broderick just wasn't up to delivering all the voiceover lines; they were the main points where I started to question the writing.
But some of this is quite good, and voiceover aside, I don't think Broderick was bad here. Christopher Walken also gives a weird and interesting performance as the drill sergeant, and it was great to see him bring another energy to that kind of stock role; something completely different from R. Lee Ermy's iconic drill sergeant in Full Metal Jacket, made just one year before Biolix Blues.
I guess those who really like the work of Mike Nichols or playwright Neil Simon might like this, but I think both men did better in their careers. The movie's solid, if a little clunky in places, but certainly quite watchable and engaging at its best. Curious, minor, kind of overlooked film, but definitely not the worst thing I've seen lately.