Bottom Line

Rating: 5/10 (25 July 2010)

If you have read the book, you will likely find this to be a barely acceptable yet exceptionally disappointing experience. Of particular note is the poor acting during the pivotal scenes involving Yossarian's recollection of Snowden's death. When watching these scenes it feels as though the lines are being read from the script, devoid of real feeling. Alan Arkin's portrayal of Yossarian, in these scenes, leaves much to be desired in that his performance fails to evoke human emotion and is generally not very believable.
The film succeeds in presenting the overall message of Joseph Heller's Catch 22 but fails to live up to the same standard of his literary masterpiece.