The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966)

82% of critics liked it
(17 reviews)
71% of users liked it
(4,358 ratings)

Just because The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming was vastly overrated by contemporary critics does not make it any less amusing. The story gets under way when a Soviet submarine accidently gets lodged in a sandbar on the coast of a New England town. In his feature film debut, Alan Arkin… More Just because The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming was vastly overrated by contemporary critics does not make it any less amusing. The story gets under way when a Soviet submarine accidently gets lodged in a sandbar on the coast of a New England town. In his feature film debut, Alan Arkin plays the sub's second-in-command, who is ordered by commander Theodore Bikel to free up the sub and skeedaddle before an international incident erupts. Hoping to secure a power boat to tug the sub out to sea, Arkin and his men call upon vacationing TV writer Carl Reiner, passing themselves off as Norwegians. When this ruse fails, Arkin is reluctantly compelled to force Reiner at gunpoint to fetch his motorboat, while gentle-natured Russian sailor John Philip Law is left behind to guard Reiner's wife Eva Marie Saint and pretty neighbor girl Andrea Dromm (yes, love blooms). The plot thickens when the locals, notably bullnecked sheriff Brian Keith and superpatriot Paul Ford, spread the word that the Russians have "invaded" their little community. Several slapstick complications later, the Russians and the locals face each other down in the center of the village, weapons at the ready. Fortunately, World War 3 is averted when the Russians and the villagers band together to rescue young Johnny Whittaker from falling to his doom. Enormously popular upon its first release, The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming still works on a slick sitcom level. The film was based on a novel by Nathaniel Benchley, the son of humorist Robert Benchley and the father of Jaws author Peter Benchley. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 6 min.
Directed By: Norman Jewison
Written By: William Rose
Genres: Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1966 Wide
On DVD: Oct 15, 2002
Studio: MGM

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
More memorable for its title than for anything else.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Inexplicably nominated for Best Picture Oscar, Norman Jewison's situation comedy is mildly amusing, benefiting from a catchy title and allowing Alan Arkin to sport a Russian accent as sailor of a Soviet submarine.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Though the film is more than two hours long, the pace is always quick, thanks to the fine editing done by Williams and future director Ashby.
, Empire Magazine
Sweet and charmingly funny in many places, this is dated but entertaining.
Mark Bourne, DVDJournal.com
It skewers hawkish reactionism and mob militancy, and its sympathetic portrayal of the beached Russians -- not to mention the panicky buffoonery of the Americans -- probably gave the more rabid Commie-haters conniptions.
Mark Bourne, DVDJournal.com
MGM's DVD release delivers a good transfer (2.35:1 anamorphic) from a clean and colorful source-print. The audio is fine, but rather thin, in monaural DD 2.0. Extras are the engagingly oddball original theatrical trailer and a 23-minute interview...
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
A true classic Cold War comedy told with wit, slapstick, and paranoia.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
Now terribly quaint (just look at the title!) and not nearly as funny as film historians would lead you to believe.
Nell Minow, Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies
Fabulously funny!
Mike DeWolfe, Apollo Guide
At the foundation of this movie is a great script.
Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle
The cast is great and the scene in which Carl Reiner and vaudeville vet Tessie O'Shea are lashed together is unforgettably funny.
Boo Allen, Denton Record Chronicle (TX)
Cold war hysteria hits a peak in this clever satire.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
The serious side feels simplistic (we're all just humans) and the comedy feels overstated.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...whether or not it's great is beside the point. A measure of the film's success was how fast its two hours went by.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...a disarming send-up of Cold War paranoia.

Read all 15 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Spencer S

An intriguing look into the Cold War's true impact on American life, a bewildered Carl Reiner and an equally misplaced Alan Arkin made for a barrel full of laughs.
MJS M

A cold war comedy that was nominated for best picture in 1966. Tells the story of 9 Russian sailors whose submarine runs a ground on a small Massachusetts resort Island (not unlike the Island in Jaws). They try to get a boat to de-ground their sub, but word gets around that they?re… More
A cold war comedy that was nominated for best picture in 1966. Tells the story of 9 Russian sailors whose submarine runs a ground on a small Massachusetts resort Island (not unlike the Island in Jaws). They try to get a boat to de-ground their sub, but word gets around that they?re on the Island and it causes a full scale panic. There are a lot of amusing moments here, it wasn?t an all out laugh fest, but still very amusing. Alan Arkin is great as the Russian captain, and Brian Keith is really good as the rational town sheriff. The film depicts the tensions between America and Russia in a humorous way, but in the end it?s just Dr. Strangelove Lite, really Lite. It also could have used about fifteen minutes in trimming, but for the most part it was pretty amusing.

Cast

            Carl Reiner as Walt Whittaker

            Eva Marie Saint as Elspeth Whittaker

            Alan Arkin as Lt. Rozanov

            Brian Keith as Link Mattocks

            Jonathan Winters as Norman Jonas

            Theodore Bikel as Russian Captain

            Paul Ford as Fendall Hawkins

            Tessie O'Shea as Alice Foss

            John Phillip Law as Alexei Kolchin

            Andrea Dromm as Alison Palmer

            Ben Blue as Luther Grilk

            Sheldon Golomb as Pete Whittaker

            Cindy Putnam as Annie Whittaker

            Guy Raymond as Lester Tilly

            Cliff Norton as Charlie Hinkson

            Philip Coolidge as Mr. Porter

            Don Keefer as Irving Christiansen

            Parker Fennelly as Mr. Everett

            Doro Merande as Muriel Everett

            Vaughan Taylor as Mr. Bell

            Johnny Whitaker as Jerry Maxwell

            Nikita Knatz as Gromolsky

            Milos Milos as Lysenko

            Gino Gottarelli as Kregitkin

            Peter Brocco as Rev. Hawthorne

            Sheldon Collins as Pete Whittaker

            Michael J. Pollard as Airplane Mechanic (uncredited)

            Richard Schaal as Oscar Maxwell
See full cast