| Comedy | MPAA:PG |
This film has to be one of the srangest movie going experiences I've ever had. When my wife and I went to see this, there wasn't a great deal at the multiplex that impressed us. I'd wanted to see Grosse Point Blanke, but movies like that (excellent, highly rated, but lowly attended in this town) don't stay around too long. So my wife said, let's go see McHale's Navy, you'll like it. So we went -- and were the only 2 people in the theatre -- I felt like a Hollywood mogul, a theatre to myself. Was my wife right -- well, let see.
The film starts with a guy in an old WWII era PT boat (makes sense, doesn't it). The guy in question is Quentin McHale (Tom Arnold), former navy commander and current smuggler/con man/entrepenuer. He visit's the small naval base of "San Sid" which is apparently being run by an inept Ensign Parker (David Alan Grier -- can someone please tell me why he does a far better job playing nerdy white guys than just about any other actor in Hollywood?), and populated by the likes of Bruce Campbell (Army of Darkness, Briscoe County Jr.), French Stewart (Third Rock...), Henry Cho & Brian Haley (a couple of stand up comics we vaguely remembered) and others, who like the good life provided with the help of McHale and his schemes. The local villagers get along well too, thanks to McHale. Everyone is happy until the Arrival of Capt. Binghampton (Dean Stockwell -- Quantam Leap, Dune) and his Aide. Binghapmton has not had a brilliant career (something to do with sinking the Love Boat), and has decided that this new post will revive it. So they show up, and step one is to rid the base of all of McHale's influence. Unbeknownst to the good folks at the base (but knownst to a nosy little kid on McHales little league team), the island governor has allowed 3 former communist leaders to set up a terrorist force headed by the number 2 terrorist in the world, Major Vladikov (Tim Curry -- Rocky Horror..., Clue, Legend, Hunt for Red October, Roseanne). He finds out that McHale is around -- the two are dear old enemies -- and takes his neato keen stealth cigarette boat and blows McHale and his stuff to kingdom come. McHale goes to tell Binghampton that there's a terrorist in the neighborhood, but Bing.. throws him in the brig. Then the terrorists blow up the town, which draws some attention, and the Pentagon calls. A section head known as Cobra (Ernest Borgnine -- Posiedon Adventure, The Single Guy, McHale's Navy) tells him to find a former Naval counter terrorist specialist who lives in the area to head up the mission. Some guy named Quentin McHale. Shortly after this is one of the genuinely funny parts of the film, involving a reluctant Bing.., an angry McHale and a telephone. McHale dons the uniform again, takes his crew to the other side of the island, and sets up shop for his men and the displaced villagers. They figure out the plan, sneak into Cuba for parts, and spoil the terrorists fun. Major Vladikov blows up the guys who hired him to start WWIII, then goes after Cobra (who is also a dear old enemy). McHale and company arrive in time to rescue Cobra, and blow up Major Nasty. And finally, we see the Award ceremony for the victorious crew, and learn that Cobra is actually McHale's father (and is reprising his role as Quentin McHale Sr. -- something none of the other Movies-from-tv-shows have done).
This film isn't as good as Down Periscope -- which didn't exactly light any fires out there. It should be an enjoyable enough few hours of afternoon entertainment at home on the VCR however, just like Down Periscope. Both films portrayed a less than realistic Navy, but Stripes and Sgt. Bilko did the same thing for the Army, so what can you expect. The most annoying thing about this film is Dean Stockwell's voicing of Capt. Binghampton -- it was obviously intended to remind the viewer of the Joe Flynn from the TV series, but it just bugged me. If you waited until this came out on video, I'm sure I didn't mind.