Overblown and Dull

Rating: 4/10 (5 December 2012)

Whether Stephen Spielberg is or is not an overrated director, his popularity is undeniable. So is his obsession with World War II. I can list a half-dozen of his movies that are set in various theaters of the war, including the disastrous "1941" which pokes less-than-kindly fun at the folks back at the home front.
"1941" has problems on many levels, but it suffers principally from a severe lack of focus, with six or seven subplots all vying for the viewer's attention, that never satisfactorily converge. "1941" is also very loud. Even the trailer is comprised mainly of cast members screaming their heads off. "1941" is one of those movies, like the worst live-action 1970s Disney affairs, that mistake wanton destruction for humor.
Three things lift "1941" from utter boredom. First is John Williams' brilliant score. His wacky inside-out march, with its beat on the upbeat, weaves through the movie as a constant delight. What stars this movie earns from me are due to Williams.
Less delightful, but still welcome, is John Belushi. While as boorish and loud as everyone else in the movie, Belushi at least invests his character with zest. Though the best that can be said for Belushi's "Wild Bill" Kelso is that he never bores, that's saying a lot in this flick.
Finally, while the veteran actors come across comparatively better than the rising stars, Robert Stack's General Stilwell is a standout. Reportedly, motion picture icons John Wayne and Charlton Heston declined the role (showing, if that is true, show-biz savvy). Stack's General Stilwell gives "1941" its only glimmer of humanity. And while Stack's character, being based on a real person, is a more serious peg to anchor the movie's wildness, Stack himself displays flashes of the comedic timing that would serve him and other -- until then po-faced -- actors well in 1980's "Airplane!" By and large, "1941" is worth seeing once for the full horror at witnessing how Hollywood can waste money and resources, with all the starving people in the world. While I am no Spielberg fan (I have seen nine of the movies he has directed, and have watched only two of those more than once), "1941" is a particular disappointment because of all the potential talent involved. Kudos to Wayne and Heston for bypassing this mess.