Overkill!

Rating: Null/10 (24 November 2002)

Stephen Spielberg's 1941 bombed when first released in late 1979. But the movie really isn't all that bad, honest. But the only problem is that it suffers from overkill. Just too many story lines going on at once and that makes the movie increasingly difficult to follow. But then again, it's something not to be taken seriously. People who take it seriously may not find it funny at all, since the whole thing is played for laughs.
As for the plot, if no one knows, let me try to explain a little. 1941 is set during one long day (and night) of December 13, 1941 one week after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. One part centers on a hostile Japanese submarine, the I-19, which surfaces near the California coast where the commander Mitamura tries to find an inviting target to attack. Also on board is a Nazi advisor Capt. Von Kleinschmidt (Christopher Lee) always bickering about Mitamura's tactics.
Meanwhile, in war-crazed Los Angeles the action mostly centers on two young men, Wally and Dennis. Wally is a recent parolee from prison and wants to get the affections of his girl Betty Douglas, which her dominering father Ward (Ned Beatty) tries to prevent. Then there's this tank crew led by Sgt. Tree (Dan Ackroyd) who's crew Sitarski (Treat Williams), Foley (John Candy), Hinshaw and Reese place a 40mm AA gun in the front lawn of Ward Douglas's house, where Sitarski, a local bully, takes a liking to Betty and an instant dislike to Wally. Wally then spends the rest of the movie trying to get into the new USO club where Betty and her frumpy friend Maxine work as USO girls while Sitarski tries to starve off the advances from Maxine.
Also, there's this wild-eyed army pilot named Wild Bill Kelso (the late great John Belushi) spending most of the movie flying around in a stolen P-40 fighter plane looking for a nonexistent Japanese air raid squadron. A mad army colonel, Maddox, protecting Barstow army airport from a nonexistent Japanese landing force. Two dim-wited, bickering air raid spoters, named Herby and Claude, who spend the movie stuck on top of a carnival ferris wheel looking for Japanese aircraft. A hapless drunkard named Hollis Wood (Slim Pickens) who gets captured by Mitamura's crew to learn the directions to Hollywood, al la "Who's on First" joke. A neurotic U.S. Army general Stilwell (Robert Stack) trying to hold the city together, while his secretary Donna (Nancy Allen) is persued by airman Birkhead (Tim Matheson) who learns that Donna will only put out when airborne in a moving plane.
Lost you? That's only half of the movie as the rest of it gets increasingly chaotic and noisy. Many other familar faced character actors make cameo appearances, too many to name them all here. But for those who want some time passing movie watching this is the one to see and worth a look. Note: this review is for the 146 minute director's cut, not the theatrical 119 minute print which omits some characters and subplots. The longer director's cut is the one to see.