Review of M*A*S*H (1970) by Bobby B — 03 Mar 2011
M*A*S*H is one of the most acclaimed, iconic films of one of my absolute favorite directors - if that doesn't seem like a sure bet for "this is going to be one of my new favorite movies", I don't know what is. But I found M*A*S*H terribly disappointing. Maybe I should revisit it sometime down the road with revised expectations, but on one viewing I think it falls way short of the hype level.
I can appreciate why this was a smash in 1970 - Altman's chaotic style and the anti-authority humor in a wartime setting must have been downright subsersive and appealing 40 years ago. But aside from being an interesting look at the culture of the early 70's, not much about M*A*S*H interested me. The characters are all kind of assholes, and much of the humor fell flat for me. I found it mildly amusing at its best moments and downright dull at its worst. Also, Altman wasn't really on his A-game yet - he released a masterpiece a year later with McCabe and Mrs. Miller, but his distinctive style was only developing during M*A*S*H. I suppose I'm in the minority on this one.
This review of M*A*S*H (1970) was written by Bobby B on 03 Mar 2011.
M*A*S*H has generally received very positive reviews.
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