1941 (1979)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Lucas M

  
  Steven Spielberg's 1941 don't is so funny like looks, but a few parts of the screenplay saves the film. The script of the duo Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale make some mistakes, the worst is the lack of comedy is part the was to be comic. Thus how the character of Tim Matheson… More
  Steven Spielberg's 1941 don't is so funny like looks, but a few parts of the screenplay saves the film. The script of the duo Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale make some mistakes, the worst is the lack of comedy is part the was to be comic. Thus how the character of Tim Matheson and Nancy Allen, the ending went everybody laughs, and more few. The best is the direction of Mr.Spielberg, that commit some mistakes, the acting of Belushi, the great Toshiro Mifune and the laughs that the picture make. 1941 is full -lengh, super production not so bad, a satire with great pontetial, but could be more funny which is and have not so much cliches.

• Chris W

  
  First off: my review was over the extended director's cut of the film. Well, let's see here: this is a star-studded, slapstick screwball farce concerning the citizens of California entering a stake of panic, pandemoneum, and paranoia in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack… More
  First off: my review was over the extended director's cut of the film. Well, let's see here: this is a star-studded, slapstick screwball farce concerning the citizens of California entering a stake of panic, pandemoneum, and paranoia in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack after the (rightfully) think that the Japanese are trying to invade the U.S. mainland. This sounds like odd stuff, and it is, but it's even more so since it was not only a critical and commercial failure, but also something Spielberg had never done before or since, making it turly the proverbial turd in the punchbowl that is his filmography. This film gets ripped on all the time, and yes, it is a mess; it's overlong, extremely indulgant, and much of the humor is hit and miss. However, it's not actually as bad as it is made out to be. The concept is kinda funny, but ultimately, as a film, it sucks because of the way it was handled. Had this been played straight, it would have been much better. It also might have worked far better had someone who excels at this sort of thing helmed it instead. It is long and ridiculous, but I wasn't bored to tears or anything. To appreciate this, you really need to be in the mood for something mindless and goofy, and really set your perceptions of Spielberg aside. SInce this film is so unlike all his other films, it actually works as a curiousity piece, even if it is all over the place. As a concept it's not bad. It just sucks that the way it is executed here cmes up short. While not a complete piece of shit, this film is bad, and doesn't completely work, but it's still kinda entertaining. Let's just be fair and call it a noble failure and be done with it.

• Alexander D

  
  This movie isn't really all that funnyâ?¦but, hey! Neither was the Pearl Harbor attack itself, for that matter!

• Bruce B

  
  Been a while since I've seen this one, still its the best comedy to come alone since Abbott and Costello. John Belushi's greatest moments. The scenes with the dummy on the ferries wheel will leave anyone laughing, If you haven't seen this and need to brighten your… More
  Been a while since I've seen this one, still its the best comedy to come alone since Abbott and Costello. John Belushi's greatest moments. The scenes with the dummy on the ferries wheel will leave anyone laughing, If you haven't seen this and need to brighten your sprits this is your movie. 5 Stars

• David L

  
  Except for a small following of fanatics, Spielberg's "1941" is almost universally regarded as an utter failure. Well, I have to admit that, while I am no fanatic, I do count "1941" as one of my guilty pleasures. I'll come right out and say it,… More
  Except for a small following of fanatics, Spielberg's "1941" is almost universally regarded as an utter failure. Well, I have to admit that, while I am no fanatic, I do count "1941" as one of my guilty pleasures. I'll come right out and say it, though--the film is indeed a failure. But it is a spectacular one. And I must say that the full length version shown on TV, and currently available on DVD, is much better than the original theatrical version. At least the story makes more sense, in any case. And I believe that the folks who like it enjoy it for the film it could have been. Because, you see, the screenplay was a masterpiece. There is really only one reason why this film was a failure: Stephen Spielberg was the wrong man to direct it. Anyone can point out that his visual style at the time was wrong for the film--too hazy and "flossy", like "Close Encounters." What it needed was an easy to read cartoonish look--kind of like the look Stanley Kramer gave this film's closest ancestor, "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World." Also, for a film renowned for it noise and action, it is in reality very slowly paced. There are many spots to be bored. This was due in most part to Spielberg's misunderstanding of how to handle comedy as an art form. It is obvious that he abdicated his directorial command when it came to the actors, concentrating his skills on the visuals and effects (and even much of that effort was inappropriate to the task at hand). He had no idea why any of the material was supposed to be funny, so he just let the actors run wild in hopes that they knew. So, each of them tried desperately to be funny, all in totally different--and sometimes conflicting--styles. And, in almost every case-they failed. A much better choice would have been to have all the actors play their parts "straight." As George Roy Hill supposedly told a confused Paul Newman during the filming of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid": "You don't need to be funny. The story is funny. You just act." What joy there is in "1941" come from the huge spectacle and tiny intricacies of the screenplay. Ned Beatty, Tim Mattheson, Nancy Allen, that other blonde chick, etc--none of them are naturally funny people--and it is painful to watch them try to be so. The overacting and mugging drags out scenes which should have been played super fast and snappy, like the real screwball comedies of the 1940s. The dialog scenes should have been kept at a minimum, because, by design of the screenplay, the actors are only interesting as props in the Rube Goldbegian plot they inhabit. It is ironic that "1941" is the rare film that actually would have been improved if the dialog and "characterizations" had been cut to a minimum so we could get to the explosions and noise more quickly. I mean, do we really care to see and hear the lame interactions between Tim Mattheson and Nancy Allen as they each try to "be funny"? Hell no! Just let us know enough to make it somewhat believable when they end up screwing in a pilotless plane over Hollywood as a crazed John Belushi attempts to shoot them out of the sky! The situation is what is funny--the people are just bogging it down. The only natural comic in the bunch--and the only actor who should have been given free reign to be wild--was John Belushi. The rest of the cast should have followed the leads of Toshiro Mifune and Robert Stack and the wildness of what was going on around them would have been much funnier. Too bad the studio didn't trust Zemeckis, now a famous director, to begin his filmmaking career with this movie.

• Richard C

  
  i didnt find this funny at all just boring. D

• Wahida K

  
  Watching this Movie, I didnt believe it was Steven Spielbergs piece. Steven Spielbergs Movie often made me cry, but I never expected to LOL nearly the whole Movie DIRECTED BY SPIELBERG!

• Anthony L

  
  Epic comedy?. It?s an epic something! It wanted to be up there with Dr. Strangelove but it?s not, instead it?s a wonderful mess of unintentional genius. Don't get me wrong, it?s not a very good film and it?s easy to see why it bombed, it just has that certain something, I cant… More
  Epic comedy?. It?s an epic something! It wanted to be up there with Dr. Strangelove but it?s not, instead it?s a wonderful mess of unintentional genius. Don't get me wrong, it?s not a very good film and it?s easy to see why it bombed, it just has that certain something, I cant put my finger on it but this is an unmissable romp that is in a world of its own. See it once!

• Tim S

  
  Too bad Spielberg didn't make more comedies because this is brilliantly funny!

• Michael S

  
  I thought it was funny though way overlong.

• Ross C

  
  Not-so-funny comic account of Californian hysteria following the Pearl Harbour attack.

• xGary X

  
  Steven Spielberg was on the crest of a wave when he made this movie; he thought he could do no wrong and went absolutely insane with over indulgence. Having said that, he still knows how to entertain and so there are some enjoyable moments in amongst the excess. Which is more than I… More
  Steven Spielberg was on the crest of a wave when he made this movie; he thought he could do no wrong and went absolutely insane with over indulgence. Having said that, he still knows how to entertain and so there are some enjoyable moments in amongst the excess. Which is more than I can say about a certain series of prequels. Mentioning no names...

• Michael G

  
  A lot of great cameos.

• Cameron J

  
  But, it's a spoofish comedy written by critically acclaimed drama fimmaker Robert Zemeckis and directed by dramatic spectacle-maker Steven Spielberg. How could this possibly go wrong? Well, it didn't but it certainly didn't go right either. It's not bad, but it is… More
  But, it's a spoofish comedy written by critically acclaimed drama fimmaker Robert Zemeckis and directed by dramatic spectacle-maker Steven Spielberg. How could this possibly go wrong? Well, it didn't but it certainly didn't go right either. It's not bad, but it is a - as said best by Chuck O'Leary - "loud, chaotic, overproduced comedy that's often more destructive than funny". The film suffers from a lack of development, expendable scenes, forced scenes, slowness, plenty of fall-flat jokes and some sense of humor inconsistencies. It has the makings of a bad movie, but it never fully hits that mark. The film is extremely flawed and while it's certainly not good, it's not bad. Before I say what saves the film, allow me to touch on the other strengths. The film is supported by a deal of entertaining spots, fair cinematography, fine production designs, dazzling effects and... well... that's all I got. The film really does boast fine technical value, but in a way, to its detriment. As dazzling as the technical value is, it drowns-out the film, making it rather noisy and somewhat hollow. Really, the film has far more flaws than strengths and what strengths it does have work against the film to an extent. Really, what saves the film is but one simple thing: there's nothing to hate about it. Man, I was hoping to hate this film, because I had a great negative review in mind. I have got to start watching more bad movies. Well, until then, allow me to say that "1941" is an overblown mess with little to praise, but little to hate it for, leaving it to simply rest as a passable watch, though nothing that will keep you from saying "I wonder what else I could have done in that time."

• Marcus W

  
  When it comes to Pearl Harbor comedies, the score is Michael Bay 1 - Steven Spielberg 0

• Doctor S

  
  Luckily this disaster didn't stop him from making 'Raiders'!

• MJS M

  
  Widely considered to be Steven Spielberg's first bomb, this mess absolutely lives up to it's terrible reputation. The film has wonderful set design, but is otherwise non-nonsensical, disorganized, and worst of all it's completely un-funny. It's very strange that… More
  Widely considered to be Steven Spielberg's first bomb, this mess absolutely lives up to it's terrible reputation. The film has wonderful set design, but is otherwise non-nonsensical, disorganized, and worst of all it's completely un-funny. It's very strange that Spielberg, the director of Saving Private Ryan, once tried to make a comical farce about World War 2. Spielberg was clearly trying to simply throw a bunch of celebrities into a completely chaotic situation and hope that the ensuing craziness will be funny. Spielberg seems to have more or less disowned the film and never tried to make a straightforward comedy again, furthermore he's said that the film's terrible reviews were good for him in retrospect as it allowed him re refocus. If only M. Night Shyamalan could learn from his mistakes like that.

• RJ M

  
  An unsung classic from the same team that brought us the Back To The Future trilogy. Written by Robert Zemekis and Bob Gale, and directed by Steven Spielberg. An all star cast goes for broke in the story of how paranoia gripped America in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor.… More
  An unsung classic from the same team that brought us the Back To The Future trilogy. Written by Robert Zemekis and Bob Gale, and directed by Steven Spielberg. An all star cast goes for broke in the story of how paranoia gripped America in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Everyone was sure they were next. Commies were everywhere, they were sure of it. John Belushi is "Wild" Bill Kelso, a renegade army pilot that is convinced that he's hot on the trail of hidden squadrons of Japenese Zeros. A wayard tank company led by Dan Aykroyd asks family man Ned Beatty to post an anti-aircraft gun in his front yard. Toshiro Mifune is the commander of a lone Japenese submarine that is determined to blow something up, having missed out on Pearl Harbor. So he and his crew set their sites on Hollywood. In their quest, they capture a local man named Hollis Wood, played ultimate redneck Slim Pickens. All of this going down while soldiers, saliors, and marines break out into an all out brawl during a USO dance. Lost of laughs and action, and some of the best miniature special effects work in cinema history. Standouts in that area is an attack by the Japenese on an amusement park (watch the ferris wheel), and a dogfight over Los Angeles between Belushi's P-40 Tomahawk, and an unarmed plane containg to hot and heavy lovers whose entry into the mile high club accidentally gets them identified as an enemy fighter. Steven Spielberg supposedly issued an apology for this movie when it bombed in theaters. No apology necessary, Steve. You should be proud of it. You've made FAR worse movies (Hook, AI, The Terminal).

• Moe E

  
  Panned by critics as a Spielberg bomb, my friends and I thought this movie was hilarious. A huge ensemble cast with everyone carrying their share of the load. I can't help but laugh thinking of the interrogation scene aboard the Japanese sub of Hollis "Holly" Wood,… More
  Panned by critics as a Spielberg bomb, my friends and I thought this movie was hilarious. A huge ensemble cast with everyone carrying their share of the load. I can't help but laugh thinking of the interrogation scene aboard the Japanese sub of Hollis "Holly" Wood, played by Slim Pickens. Classic!

• Barry L

  
  Fantasticly stupid film but a great watch. Belushi is a God

Read all 20 featured audience ratings