Not as good as I had hoped

Rating: 6/10 (23 December 2006)

I just watched this movie for the first time last night, after having heard for several years about how great it is. Obviously, you can tell by the title of the film that this will have a pretty strong anti-military and anti-nuclear bomb political stance.
Like another IMDb member said, it often seems that films that try to make a political statement are rated higher than they otherwise deserve to be. If Kubrick tried to make the opposite point (in favor of nuclear bombs, for example), I seriously doubt anyone would have seen this movie at all.
I tried to set aside my own political views as I watched this film so that I could better judge it on its own merits. Those who do the same will probably find out that this is only a mediocre film, filled with wafer-thin characters and overacting. The script is sometimes witty, sometimes funny, but often it misses the mark because it overshoots its intended target.
Peter Sellers' portrayal of the President of the United States seems to be the only characterization that makes its point without needing to go to the extreme. The rest of the actors (and characters) are way over the top in their performances, and I usually don't find this type of acting to be very funny or particularly impressive.
In summary, this film was just OK. I've seen better movies and better satires, and I don't agree with its current rating on IMDb. All things considered, I think this film deserves a 6/10.