What's not to like?

Rating: 9/10 (24 April 2006)

This poor, misunderstood, under-rated, comedy has a little bit of just about everything. I cannot, cannot, understand why this thing was panned the way it was.
Okay - it isn't "Life With Father" or "Arsenic and Old Lace" but it's so far above, better, funnier, slicker, more cleverly written, and socially acceptable than 9 out of 10 comedies of these days or those days. Okay, so "Doctor Strangelove" is just as funny and if you watch it carefully enough "Catch 22" may be funnier. . . but let's compare this to "Stripes." I own both, like both, think both are funny, love the timing. . . but after about the fifth go-around on "Stripes," no matter how many years it's been, it can't compete with a fifth go-around of "1941." I like "Caddyshack," too, and "1941" is funnier. No, people aren't passing gas and throwing up in cars. If juvenile misbehavior is your thing, "1941" probably isn't your movie. . . not to say there aren't adults acting like juveniles behaving badly. . .
What were people comparing it to in 1979/1980?