Too much of everything

Nice effects though.

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Jack Lemmon is a lieutenant given command of a small and decrepit sailing schooner. He initially tries to refuse this command, but after quite a bit of cajoling and intrigue, he finally accepts. And why does the Navy want him so badly to do it? As a civilian, he was a racer of sailing ships-and people in the Navy knew nothing about how to operate one, not even the crew assigned to this ship. And why is the Navy even using a sailing schooner to begin with? To reach a port in Japanese waters that neither a regular ship nor a submarine could access.A good potential idea, perhaps, but this comedy has few laughs in it. There were a couple of good scenes, such as a sailor crossing a big ship by being taken up in a crane standing on a hook, then moving to the hook of a second crane to be taken to the ship's opposite side, and there was a scene of the schooner fighting not to get crushed between two bigger boats coming alongside them. But most of the movie is insipid and unfunny, and we were too bored to make it to the end.

Jack Lemmon is a comedic gem and also a great leading man. This movie helps prove that. He has a laid back charm that could be comparable to Cary Grant. His ability to play drama and comedy whether as lead, shared lead or as supporting actor proves that as does his longevity in the craft. He has been in so many great movies and one of my favorites has been - How to murder your wife. His friendship with Ernie Kovacs is how I believe I first became aware of Jack Lemmon. The cast in this show are all nicely played and realistic - you actually believe the actors are the characters. The script is full of great easy to enjoy dialogue. The one liners blend well and are well placed in the script which includes sailing phrases. John Lund plays well in his lighter role as I remember him from High Society. The schooner is sleek and I'd have loved to sail on her. "What will they do if they all quit?" as was recited by Chief to Ricky Nelson's character is a smile. Climbing the mast to release the stuck sail a sailor is told to "don't look down". Jack's ability to go from a comedy moment here to a serious moment and back is a joy to watch and much of that takes place even before they leave the dock. I had almost forgotten this movie but it popped up on TV today and I had a wonderful couple of hours. For those who have seen the movie Up Periscope - you'll have an idea of how they altered this script for that movie. The wackiest ship in the army is a movie that should never become lost.

I've seen this movie several times, and I can't remember really laughing one time at anything in the film, but it raises a grin here and there. Lemmon does his best to carry the film, but the title and story are ho- hum at best. The story is carried more by attitude and atmosphere generated by music and performance, and not by any real gag nor humor in the script itself.Speaking as a man who used to race yachts in his younger days, this film doesn't really hit on the short comings of novice sailors, and it could have. Instead an antiquated wooden sloop is given the ugly treatment, and the sailors try to portray their characters as being reluctant incompetents. Real novice sailors ask questions, don't know a halyard from a mainsheet, and where the jargon and equipment is briefly touched on, it's clear that the screenplay artist and director don't know much about sailing nor training sailors.Still, it's a WW2 comedy, so the movie going audience at the time probably gave it some leeway, and Lemmon's performance is a pleasure to watch. In fact all the actors hit their marks, but the script and some of the direction where accentuating the humor goes, falls short. But, if you can get my that, and you can if you let Lemmon and the supporting cast wash over you, the movie is okay. But just okay.I hadn't seen the film in years, and watching it with a more mature and educated mind, I can still appreciate it as a film experience out of nostalgia, but if I were a younger viewer being introduced to this film, I might get a little impatient with it.If you grew up with it, you'll like it. If you're new to it, then there's much to criticize. Give it a try, or watch at your own risk.p.s. there was no Air Force in WW2. It was the US Army Air Corps.

I agree with several of the previous reviewers.This is a peculiar mixture of comedy and drama. After all, getting run through by a samurai sword is hardly a joke.But for the most part it is pleasant enough mild comedy, though scarcely a classic.Since this movie is not intended to be taken seriously, pointing out "factual errors" is just for fun.One happens after they are captured.The Japanese officer shows them an aerial photo taken several days previously showing the ship with the crew disguised as natives, and says that because of this they can be shot as spies.While the Japanese were not noted for adhering to the rules of war, and did not sign the Geneva Convention, as the officer points out, Japan DID sign the Hague conventions on naval warfare of the 1890's. One provision, sometimes known as the "disguised commerce raider clause" gives Naval vessels in wartime free rein to do what soldiers are NOT permitted to do on land.Warships and their crews may adopt any disguise they choose, fly neutral or enemy flags, adopt any deception that they want.Soldiers doing the same on land , if caught, can legally be shot as spies.It may seem unfair and inconsistent, but that is the way it is under the rules of war.A minor point is that since the days of sail were not that far in the past then, you would think that the Navy could find enough men experienced in sail to man the ship.But then veterans of the armed forces will tell you that the military rarely uses common sense!