I've seen this movie 3 times, and I still don't 'get' it.

Rating: 2/10 (6 May 2000)

Yeah, yeah, funniest comedy ever. Uh huh, whatever you say. Sorry to break it to you, folks, but this isn't a very funny comedy. Sure, it said some bold things about the nuclear arms race during the height of the cold war, but that's about it. During my third time watching it, I concentrated on counting the actual funny parts of the movie. There's less than 20 instances in the entire movie where there's a conscious effort to be funny, and I'm counting instances of dry, backhanded humor as well (such as the president's straight-man deadpans and absurdities of calling the president on a pay phone).
The problem is there are too many scenes that are completely devoid of humor, black or otherwise. Virtually every minute of the bomber scenes are without a chuckle, unless we're supposed to delight in hearing Slim Pickins' drawl for its own sake. How many times do we need to see establishing shots of the bomber? There must have been over 20 shots of the bomber's exterior, altogether burning up about 10 minutes of movie time. How hilarious!
There's about 10 really memorable funny lines/moments in the entire show. I'm sure this film was really shocking in 1963 for its audacity, but of all Kubrick's work, it shows up as the most dated; about all that works in it anymore is Sellers' mugging (which is really just a tiny bit of film), and a couple of good one liners ("Gentlemen!...War Room!", the prez bickering with the premier like a married couple, answering to the Coca Cola corporation).