MISTER ROBERTS (3+ outta 5 stars)
Funny, kind of sentimental war movie starring Henry Fonda as the title character, forced to serve on a Navy vessel for one of the worst Captains ever (James Cagney). Mr. Roberts dreams of getting off the ship, which is devoted mostly to transporting cargo and being transferred to a battleship to do his bit for WW2. Unfortunately, he makes the Captain look too good... and the Captain refuses to let him go. Meanwhile, the crew's morale keeps going down and down due to the Captain's incompetence and hardheadedness. Classic 50s comedy has some great performances... Fonda, Cagney, William Powell and Jack Lemmon are all in great form! Very similar in style to TV's M*A*SH... in fact, the sentimental finale reminded me quite a bit of a much-heralded episode of that show. Also has the distinction of having one of the best closing lines in cinematic history: "It is I, Ensign Pulver..." Ahhh, I can't spoil it and tell you the rest... see the movie for yourself.
Funny, kind of sentimental war movie starring Henry Fonda as the title character, forced to serve on a Navy vessel for one of the worst Captains ever (James Cagney). Mr. Roberts dreams of getting off the ship, which is devoted mostly to transporting cargo and being transferred to a battleship to do his bit for WW2. Unfortunately, he makes the Captain look too good... and the Captain refuses to let him go. Meanwhile, the crew's morale keeps going down and down due to the Captain's incompetence and hardheadedness. Classic 50s comedy has some great performances... Fonda, Cagney, William Powell and Jack Lemmon are all in great form! Very similar in style to TV's M*A*SH... in fact, the sentimental finale reminded me quite a bit of a much-heralded episode of that show. Also has the distinction of having one of the best closing lines in cinematic history: "It is I, Ensign Pulver..." Ahhh, I can't spoil it and tell you the rest... see the movie for yourself.