Why do some people hate this movie?

Rating: 8/10 (10 May 2005)

"1941" shows what war should be: a lot of destruction, but no killing. In fact, most of the destruction is caused by Americans on their own territory. Happening a few days after the Japanese army has bombed Pearl Harbor, the the people of Los Angeles are paranoid that the "Japs" are going to invade. Wild Bill Kelso (John Belushi) is a crazy pilot who can't tell an American plane from a Japanese one, Lt. Frank Tree (Dan Aykroyd) does not like it when Americans fight Americans ("You want Yamamoto to end up in the White House?!"), the Douglases (Ned Beatty and Lorraine Garry) involuntarily get a giant gun placed in their front yard, a dimwitted soldier (Tim Matheson) keeps trying to come on to Gen. Stilwell's secretary (Nancy Allen), two incompatible men (Murray Hamilton and Eddie Deezen) are in a Ferris wheel to keep an eye on the coast, and two macho soldiers (Bobby DiCicco and Treat Williams) battle over Betty Douglas (Dianne Kay).
All the while, a Japanese submarine is stationed off the coast. The captain (Toshiro Mifune) wants to bomb Hollywood, while Col. Von Kleinschmidt (Christopher Lee), a Nazi with the Japanese, says that they should let the Third Reich deal with America. They take garbage man Hollis "Holly" Wood (Slim Pickens) hostage, hoping to get some info, but it ends up leading to a rather childish situation, to say the least.
Probably the funniest scene is a free-for-all between the army and navy at a USO party. Picture it: the army and navy beating the stuffings out of each other on the faces of Hitler and Tojo (painted on the floor). While this is happening, Gen. Stilwell (Robert Stack) is getting all teary-eyed watching "Dumbo".
Either way, the whole thing is a laugh riot from beginning (a spoof of "Jaws") to end (we've all heard of a house divided, but here a house gets more than divided). It may be completely silly, but among other things, "1941" shows how both sides in World War II were crazy (the Japanese want to attack come hell or high water, and the Americans turn into trigger-happy wackos every time something even slightly unusual happens). I recommend it to anyone and everyone.