Customer Reviews

Sgt. Bilko

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Steve Martin is simply the funniest guy in show business. A great remake of a classic. No one can play characters the way Steve can and this movie is sure to entertain one and all.

No, its not classy. No one uses sharp, flashy camera moves to wow the viewer. The plot line is neither deep nor inriching for the soul. Still, Sgt. Bilko is an incredibly funny movie that shows Steve Martin at his height of comedy. The story, which involves Steve Martin as a sargeant who uses his motor pool as a small casino for the soldiers on the base behind his superior's back, is outrageously funny and sends that viewer from beginning to end without becoming belabored. Bottom line: This is a great movie that cane be enjoyed by anyone!

I give credit to Steve Martin for trying to portray a Phil Silvers-like Ernie Bilko. Steve Martin came close -- but, no cigar. Also, Ernie Bilko (Phil Silvers) needed his support cast to be really funny. Unfortunately, the support cast in this movie remake of a great T.V. show just wasn't there.

There were some laughs in this movie: Using mirrors to make a stock room look fill, moving boxes to make it look as if everything was on hand, and the daily "Bilko" lottery. However, there just weren't enough of these "con-man gags." At times the dialog became overly boring and trite.

This isn't the greatest movie on earth. Frankly speaking, I have seen Steve Martin a lot funner. By the same token, this movie isn't all that bad, and it could be viewed to pass the time on a rainy/snowy afternoon. For this reason, I rate this movie three stars.

Though based on the famous character in Phil Silver's famous oldie TV show, the new "Sergeant Bilko" is less an homage to that show than it is to the classic Steve Martin of his 1970's days. Though this Bilko (again a shifty and tireless grafter, the evil face of non-coms everywhere) is very much the opportunist that Silvers' character was (he runs the base casino), as shy of risk as Silvers was (the unit's mobilization orders for Desert Storm mysteriously disappeared) and manages to get caught in his own dealings as Silvers had (Bilko botches the fixing of an Army boxing match, unwittingly tricking each boxer to think he's the one who's supposed to take a fall) the screwball zaniness is very much out of Steve Martin's SNL days.

The script has Bilko's unit charged with testing a brand new army weapon - a "hovertank" that is soon to be cancelled because, among other things, it simply doesn't work. That the hovertank's end will spell doom for his own cozy position doesn't seem to bother Bilko, mostly because he lives day-to-day. Things change when the officer charged with evaluating the hovertank turns out to be the fearsome Major Thorn (Phil Hartman). Years earlier, Bilko unwittingly made an enemy of Thorn by accidentally implicating him in one of his bitched schemes. Now a major, Thorne isn't simply content enough to eliminate the Hovertank, but must now axe Bilko as well. They say that desperate times reveal the man, and Bilko is now revealed to be the spineless weasel his troops have come to love. Martin plays Bilko like a character from one of his old SNL skits. It's sort of fun to watch the guy work on material we haven't seen since his more sedate days playing less zany funnymen ("LA Story", "Roxanne") and more mature dramatic roles ("The Spanish Prisoner", "Grand Canyon" and that update of "Silas Marner"). It's light and breezy and you'll probably forget most of the gags, and the script under-uses most of the supporting cast (especially the now late-great Phil Hartman as Bilko's evil nemesis), but it's still fun.

How we miss the good-old-films of Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd, and surely they do too. "Sgt. Bilko" fits only for the matinées on TV afternoon schedules. It is too naive, completely predictable and full of clichés. Steve Martin's humour here is only a pack of ugly faces. Another Steve would fit the level of this film: Steve GUTTENBERG.

You may have forgotten just how funny this one is. It's great for those times when you just want to smile, but aren't sure what to watch. Plus, you have the added benefit that most young people haven't seen it yet! Nothing too objectionable in it, so that's good too.

A lot of Saturday Night Live influence in this one, as several of the cast were pulled from their ranks. Although nobody could play Phil Silvers as he was in the old television show, I thought Steve Martin did a decent job of portraying the con-man motor-pool sergeant. Likewise, Dan Ackroyd was OK as the colonel, and the rest of the platoon adequately cast as members of our 1990's military. A fun film.

What can I say? I grew up watching a TV sitcom called, "The Phil Silver Show"! I used to roll with laughter at his antics. No doubt about it, Steve Martin has out done Phil Silvers! Pay attention to the beginning and you have to be quick to catch on to what ALL is going on!
It is one movie that I can look at over again and laugh at the same lines and scenes!
It does not have any violence whatsoever, nor does it have vile language and sex. It does have a lot of gambling scenes since that is what the Sgt. and his platoon do all the day long! They have a racket going but it is one funny show! Buy it and put it on for some good belly laughs!

If you love Steve Martin, then you will love this movie. I personally think it is great! Wore out the first copy (VHS) so I am glad that I have it on DVD. If you like silly comedy with just a touch of romance, then this would be a perfect fit.

Steve Martin captures this character well. The movie itself is entertaining but Steve Martin takes it to the next level.