Review of 1941 (1941) by Danny A — 12 Dec 2008

Okay, it's overblown. So what's your point? Rarely does a filmmaker take a story that's a turkey to begin with and turn it into something even more valuable than just your average guilty pleasure.

This is in fact one of Spielberg's most entertaining movies. It is also well-made, with a jitterbug sequence that is enough to get you snapping your fingers. And everybody in the cast revels in the fun: Belushi steals the show ("All right! Take me to Tokyo!") and Dan Ackroyd equally mirrors him in another inspired role.

All of the cameos are priceless, including Toshiro Mifune, Sam Fuller, Christopher Lee, Lionel Stander, Elisha Cook Jr., Warren Oates, Nancy Allen, Tim Matheson, John Candy, Treat Williams, Bobby DiCicco, and best of all: Robert Stack as General Stilwell.

He gives one of the funniest comic performances you will ever see in a Spielberg movie. Contrary to popular belief, this movie also made a modest profit and was not a flop. To quote Pauline Kael, "an amazing orgiastic comedy, with the pop culture of an era compacted into a day and a night".