Overrated, But See It Anyway

Rating: 6/10 (30 November 2003)

I can only shake my head at some of the fawning film-school comments here. Yes, Sellers' performances are brilliant, you'll laugh out loud at his Dr. Strangelove, and the rest of the cast is excellent. Yes, it was an especially daring satire for its time, making light of a subject that was deadly serious in 1964. And yes, you'll enjoy the Kubrickian touches and details - the contemplative camera, the "cold" lighting, the political sarcasm, the signature "head bent, eyes up" expression from George C. Scott which we later saw in Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket et al; and the final scene set to intentionally light and inappropriate music, a precursor to the evocative use of "Blue Danube Waltz" in "2001". For all these reasons, see Dr. Strangelove.
But the whole is less than the sum of its excellent parts. It's simply not a great movie. The set pieces in the war room and Keenan Wynne's office drone on and on towards modest punchlines, the B-52 scenes are interesting mostly to electricians, the attack on the military base resolves awkwardly, and the movie's climax is clumsy at best (and yes, I "get" the intent of the final cut away from the warroom). The movie as a whole hangs together poorly.

Although not a great film, its an important film, especially for its time. See it, but temper your expectations.