Satire done right.

Rating: 8/10 (15 February 2012)

The best satires are ones that aren't done with a tongue in cheek or a wink in an eye, but rather with full sincerity all the way. Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is a prime example of how to make a satire the proper way. There aren't any quick nods to the audience to let them know that the film is in on the joke, or cheap low-brow comedic moments to let everyone feel safe in accepting that this is a straight comedy. No, instead the film takes itself just as seriously as Citizen Kane and it's that blunt honesty that makes it so hilarious.
It's a wickedly intelligent script, conceived from the genius mind of Stanley Kubrick who realized the comedic potential in the material (the source was a very dramatic affair before he turned it into satire) and all of his actors come along and play the game exactly as they should; as if they were acting in something out of a David Mamet play. There's never that nod to the audience, but instead the film trusts that the audience is smart enough to get it and thus everything becomes hilarious instead of tired and trying.
Peter Sellers is a work of art here, practically deserves a medal for his seamless ability to portray three different characters (in three different accents no less) with full believability. If you didn't know it was him in all three roles there really wouldn't be any way of telling. Each character is so distinct and created so fully by him and the writing, and he gets a real kick out of playing off the different supporting members of the cast. Sterling Hayden is a commanding force of hilarity, but for me the entire film was stolen by George C. Scott, in a comedic work of art rarely seen in cinema. Scott has the capacity to be a viciously intimidating presence and he utilizes that ability to poke fun at his ignorant and childish character, but only in the sense that the audience can see what a dud he truly is.
Scott is the ultimate representation of the film as a whole, an absolutely ridiculous situation played with the utmost sincerity. He dives into this character full on and removes any of that artificial vanity that comes with being an actor, and as a result he got major laughs from me all the way. The film is loaded with iconic lines that delivered all the way, but even the moments that I hadn't already heard about were leaving me in stitches. Tremendous work socially, politically and comically.