Review of M*A*S*H (1970) by Paul W — 10 Feb 2009
I never knew the theme to MASH has lyrics. OK. I did know that, but I didn't know them & they made zero sense to me based on my lifetime of watching the TV show. The movie, though, it makes total sense.
MASH clearly has some moments which are laugh-out-loud funny and Donald Sutherland, Elliot Gould and Tom Skerritt are aptly cast (who knew Tom Skerritt was ever that young?) Other than those moments, I kept waiting for a seismic cultural tilt that never materialized. The film is raunchy at times and overtly poignant at others - but it seems to be in limbo between the jingoistic war films of the WWII generation and the critical protest inspired films of the Vietnam-era. Perhaps I'm a bit too rough, but it's generational humor is somewhat lost on me.
Still, Southerland is playing a part made for him and Gould is as good as he could ever be (I mean, he's pretty much a TV actor). I enjoyed seeing the roots of the TV program and how sanitized it had to be to appeal to such a wide audience. For that, at least, it was worth watching.
This review of M*A*S*H (1970) was written by Paul W on 10 Feb 2009.
M*A*S*H has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
