BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See

Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

betty dalton Matthew Broderick enters military bootcamp for WW II. Will he survive or will he die laughing? Combine Matthew Broderick with director Mike Nichols and what do you get? A fun and feelgood war comedy. Broderick and Nichols are both known for their heartwarming comedian qualities. Movies with either one of them in it will give you characters on screen that are very loveable and funny. It is not slapstick though, the acting is serious, the issues are serious, but the characters are so endearing and humanly clumsy themselves that they provide the comic relief. This style is typical for the acclaimed director Mike Nichols who has won several oscars for best picture and directing during his magnificent carreer. Where Matthew Broderick is responble for the fun part of this movie, a drill sergeant played by Christopher Walken takes care of the heavy drill stuff. Walkens role is what gives "Biloxi Blues" it's balls. This drill sergeant's character is really to be feared, the man is on the edge of losing his mind. He oozes unpredictabillity. Combine that with the cute puppyface character of witty Matthew Broderick and you have got an ideal conflict for continueously funny jokes.Now this is suppose to be a movie about training soldiers, heavy stuff normally, but not so this time. It has got the feel of a holiday camp. There are only boyscoutish funny trainingscenes in America itself to be seen, no fighting whatsoever. There is even a lovely interlude of budding romance (swooping dancescene) with penelope ann miller in her younger years. It is a 12 years and older movie, very laidback and funny, with some romance mixed into it and along the way in a casual tone some serious issues like race, sexuality and peer pressure are being raised.

g-bodyl I never thought Biloxi Blues would be endearing or compelling it turned out to be. In fact, I thought this would be a major rip-off of the first half of Full Metal Jacket, but with zany comedy. I see some similarities between the two, but thankfully Biloxi Blues turned out to be it's own film. This is more of a character study, a story about growing up only with the setting in the military. It's often funny and each character is instantly memorable thanks to the wonderful performances.Mike Nichol's film is about a Jewish teen from Brooklyn named Eugene Jerome who travels to Mississippi to serve in basic training for the army during the latter years of the second World War. Along the way, he has encounters with his tough sergeant named Toomey, his platoon, and his first love in Daisy.This role was designed perfectly for Matthew Broderick. He has many hilarious scenes and has several dramatic ones as well. Christopher Walken was just awesome here. He brings something new to the role of the tough drill sergeant. I was reminded of the "bad cop, good cop" routine, but with just one person.Overall, Biloxi Blues is a worthwhile adaptation from Neil Simon's play. It's funny, poignant, and clever. The jokes are well-placed and some will have you gasping for breaths. But let me say that this is not a war film, because you'll be incredibly disappointed. If you're looking for one, don't even bother watching this and watch Full Metal Jacket instead. I rate this film 9/10.

mark.waltz Eugene, the young hero from "Brighton Beach Memoirs", has headed off to basic training in Biloxi, Mississippi to prepare to serve in the Army as America reaches the end of World War II. He gets a wakening he won't soon forget. Matthew Broderick, the young actor who played Eugene on Broadway in both "Brighton Beach Memoirs" and "Biloxi Blues", repeats his role of Eugene after skipping the movie version of "Brighton Beach Memoirs", returning to the role for this movie as his age was more appropriate for being in the army rather than the youthful teen of the first Neil Simon semi-autobiographical play. Confronted with a rather eccentric sergeant (the always amazing Christopher Walken) and a diverse group of recruits, Eugene finds himself both loved and despised as the men gain camaraderie until they discover Eugene's journal of his experiences. But one thing for sure, each of the men grows up from knowing each other, and life is never boring when you've got an unpredictable drill instructor like Walken. This enjoyable but predictable coming of age comedy is nicely acted with Broderick charming, Walken authoritative, and the ensemble diverse in the variety of characters surrounding Eugene. Penelope Ann Miller has a nice small role as the young local girl Broderick encounters, but the focus is on the men. Eugene returned for one final stage and movie fling, "Broadway Bound", the movie of which was made for cable TV.

gcd70 Neil Simon's dry-witted play about camaraderie, belonging and a sense of self worth is brought to the big screen by veteran director Mike Nichols ("Postcards From the Edge", "Regarding Henry" and "Working Girl"). Simon (who adapts his own work to the screen here) has a sharp sense of humour, and the oft times funny film reflects this well thanks to some clever performances from the players who make the very most of the incisive dialogue.Matthew Broderick gives a fine showing as Eugene Jerome, an intelligent young kid who can't stand the Mississippi heat, boot camp, his sergeant and half of his platoon. Jerome expends a great repertoire of one-liners (typical of a wise guy New Yorker) to try and keep himself sane, but finds he's in dire straights with his sadistic drill sergeant, Twomey. Christopher Walken personifies with ease the role of the heartless commander, who takes an immediate disliking to Jerome and another Jewish draftee, Epstein. There's none better than Walken at portraying unbalanced, slightly psychotic characters, and he makes this one his own. There's also strong support form a young cast that includes Penelope Ann Miller, Casey Siemaszko, Matt Mulhern, Michael Dolan, Markus Flanagan and Park Overall.Dramatically is where the film falls down, with some effective moments countered by several not so effective. Nichols, Simon and company are unable to involve us or interest us in the characters lives, and we find it hard to empathise with or get close to, any of them.Bill Butler's cinematography is quite admirable, accompanied by convincing sets and art direction (Paul Sylbert). Music is from Georges Delerue.Sunday, December 17, 1995 - Video