Review of The Mouse That Roared (1959) by Chris D — 09 Nov 2015
The Mouse that Roared is an agreeable little movie from the height of the Cold War, when the world stood tensely poised for the potential destruction of the Earth by any or all of the nuclear powers. It honestly doesn't hold up very well compared to some of the other movies on this theme, most notably, Dr. Strangelove. The plot is fairly implausible, the satire a little heavy-handed, the humor too quaint and not funny enough to overcome the shortcomings of the plot and satire.
It was a breakout role for Peter Sellers, who specialized in exquisite, impeccably-textured character performances his entire career, first as a muse for Spike Milligan's Goon Show insanity, and then in many movies, both good and bad. If he had made no movies other than Dr. Strangelove, Being There and the Clouseau movies, his place in movie history would always be secure. In this movie, his performances are typically precise and spot on.
It also features Jean Seberg, an actress whose later life engendered much turmoil and controversy. With respect to this movie, I can only report that despite her future notoriety, as of 1959, she wasn't a very good actress.
This review of The Mouse That Roared (1959) was written by Chris D on 09 Nov 2015.
The Mouse That Roared has generally received positive reviews.
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