Sgt. Bilko (1996)
Fans of Private Benjamin will howl during Sgt. Bilko, a comedy about the most ill-prepared army unit ever. Led by Steve Martin, who prefers to set up gambling rings and let everyone hang out at the base like they’re on vacation, they’d be sunk if they were ever under inspection. Unfortunately, Phil Hartman, an old foe of Steve’s, shows up for an impromptu inspection. The only soldier who takes the army seriously is Daryl Mitchell, a newcomer who enjoys his post and all the regulations. Assembled before Phil, the men slouch and stand in hardly uniformed lines. Steve tells them, “You’ve seen real soldiers before; just do what they do.” When everyone stares blankly, he gives a macho yell and orders, “Alright, let’s do the grab the rifle by the bottom thing!”
I’ll admit that the beginning of this movie seems pretty stupid. As it continues and the men are forced to shape up, the humor really takes off. Steve’s slick conman dialogue is pretty funny, as he’s truly incapable of turning off his angle. If you liked him in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, you’ll like him in this. Dan plays a superior officer torn between his affection for Steve and his devotion to the rules. Glenne is Steve’s perpetual fiancé, who starts a romance with Phil to make him jealous. She’s very cute in this one as the innocent victim, like in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and as Steve tries to talk her out of pursuing Phil, he quips, “Think of the children! You’re a Catholic and he’s an a*****e; how would you raise them?”
Even if you think this is going to be silly, give it a chance. It was funnier than I thought it was going to be, so you might end up liking it too!
More Steve Martin movies here!
I’ll admit that the beginning of this movie seems pretty stupid. As it continues and the men are forced to shape up, the humor really takes off. Steve’s slick conman dialogue is pretty funny, as he’s truly incapable of turning off his angle. If you liked him in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, you’ll like him in this. Dan plays a superior officer torn between his affection for Steve and his devotion to the rules. Glenne is Steve’s perpetual fiancé, who starts a romance with Phil to make him jealous. She’s very cute in this one as the innocent victim, like in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and as Steve tries to talk her out of pursuing Phil, he quips, “Think of the children! You’re a Catholic and he’s an a*****e; how would you raise them?”
Even if you think this is going to be silly, give it a chance. It was funnier than I thought it was going to be, so you might end up liking it too!
More Steve Martin movies here!