The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

As Good As It Gets

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

This is an entirely watchable World War II film. I say this with surprise, because I avoided the movie for years. I was aware of it as a kid growing up in the '60s - it showed up on "Saturday Night at the Movies" on NBC but I steered clear of it - I was probably turned off by the not-very-good TV series with the same title.Jack Lemmon is excellent here in a sort of Ensign Pulver sequel. Ricky Nelson, 20 years old (strongly resembling the young Mel Gibson) is pretty good. Nelson was at the height of his fame in 1960, with a multimedia thing going on, consisting of his daddy's TV show, movies, and, most prominently, hit records. (The man had 17 Top Ten hits in his career!)There's a gritty authenticity to the picture - for example, the sailors sweat a LOT just like they did in the South Pacific during the war. The grit combines with some laughs; this combination works well. (See "Father Goose" and "Mr. Roberts" for additional examples of this genre, drama/comedy-during-WWII.) Mike Kellin is very effective as the chief petty officer. Tom Tully is solid and subtle as the port captain - Tully suffered a tragic fate a few years later, see his listing here at IMDb for the sad details."Wackiest Ship" kind of falls apart toward the end when Jack Lemmon isn't around as much; it might have benefited from a few more minutes of Tom Tully. But on the whole it's 99 minutes well spent (it seems a little too short).

Saw it this afternoon at home with the kids. Great fun- with a bit of an edge... brilliant for a wet afternoon. Lemmon acts as though he isn't trying and still steals the show. The love interest is interesting and the beleaguered officer who we all feel for is successful in the end. it's one of those second world war movies, like Stalag 17 or whatever that is light and patriotic at the same time.....

I think the wackiest ship in the army is a fantastic movie, I first watched this on 1st July 2004, and i thought it was a good comedy movie, jack lemmon is my favourite actor. I taped the movie even though i haven't seen it, maybe it's because it's got jack lemmon in it, i feel that happens to others, people having a favourite actor or actress or even both and taping one of their movies when they haven't seen it. I have taped quite a few films and bought films with jack lemmon in that i haven't seen. I have always loved jack lemmon's movies because he was such a great actor and a great comedian. I will always be a fan of jack lemmon because he made such great movies and did fantastic ones with Walter Matthau who i think is a good comedian actor as well as jack. Thank you jack for the great movies you have made for us all fans. I give this movie 10 out of 10.

It's too bad Hollywood stopped making war flicks like this one. They were much more enjoyable than the kind of hand-wringing performances you see nowadays. Lemmon took a break from chewing the scenery in the classics "Some Like It Hot" and "The Great Race" and returned to a more straight-man character of the kind he played in Mister Roberts. Although Lemmon is, as usual, great, the movie suffers somewhat from a bland supporting cast and the insufferable Ricky Nelson, whose acting is as wooden as it was in "Rio Bravo." Although slow to get going, the movie eventually takes off and maintains a robust pace to the conclusion. Note that TV showings tend to trim this one heavily, so if you see it sitting in the bargain bin, be sure to pick it up!For fans of Lemmon or the genre only!