Funny, but a bit of a bore....

Rating: 7/10 (7 August 2003)

A film that has made history. A relentless spoof of the cold war, and a unique story with memorable characters. The presence of Peter Sellers and Stanley Kubrick, and what each has done for this movie, and of course the satire and hilarious scenes combine to make this a comedy classic and an "essential" on any critic's list.
But seriously, in that respect the film's a bit of a letdown. It's not nearly as outrageous and entertaining as one might expect. It seems overly hyped. Sure it's satirical, sure its message comes across, and sure it does have its truly wonderful moments, but it just doesn't seem to be the "comedy gold" it's made out to be and very well could have been. Maybe the fact that I've only watched it twice has to do with this response, but the film seems to swallow itself up in its war theme. At times it concentrates more on the theme itself than the satirical treatment it's supposed to deliver.
As the film starts, we learn that General Ripper has ordered an air attack of Russia, exceding his authority and has sealed himself off at his base with his aide Captain Mandrake. The real aggravation though is that we are given the same facts several times in 3 or 4 different scenes. We learn the same stuff for a while just from different points of view making for a very dull, slow start, and there's little indication of humor.

It does eventually pick up and move on to some excellent scenes that make the movie a classic, but they lose their strength as they are usually in between slow, overlong scenes with little humor. The scenes in the war room tend to drag, and the scenes with Slim Pickens and his crew (with the exception of the survival equipment scene) are painfully dull. General Ripper's theory behind flouridation and the contamination of our "bodily fluids" are fun at first, but they get old fast and are overused. So all these things simply flow through several intercut scenes as the U.S fights back, and tries to find the code to call back the planes and prevent the attack on the Russians, we learn about a Doomsday machines, and the silly ex-Nazi character Dr. Strangelove is introduced all leading up to a long-winded, bizarre, and sudden ending. It just doesn't seem to live up to its reputation as a hilarious comedy, sire it's funny, but it's not as funny as it could've been and is just too serious at times making it somewhat boring and hard to sit through. Perhaps it just takes a few more viewings?

On the other hand, it certainly has its moments, and it does provide occasional laughs. The scene with the President on the phone with the presumably drunk Russian official is a highlight of the film, and Peter Sellers somehow manages to lighten up and hold together nearly every scene he's involved in. He delivers such classic lines as "The string in my leg is gone" and "Gentlemen you can't fight in here...this is the war room". And his performance as Strangelove practically sets standards for movies. Among other favorite scenes are the survival equipment scene (perhaps the only scene involving the air crew that's actually funny), the scene involving the Coca Cola machine ("You know what'll happen if you can't reach the president....you'll have to answer to the Coca Cola company"), and when Strangelove is explaining his plans while trying to control his gloved hand. These are scenes that got the movie where it is, and are well worthwhile.
But I honestly believe that Kubrick and Sellers have done better. This movie isn't nearly as satirical or consistently funny as a Mel Brooks comedy, but on the other hand, it is more intelligent, and it certainly is a classic. So overall, it's a worthwhile film, but don't expect your sides to be aching.