Biloxi Blues
The army gave him training. Daisy showed him the basics.
Matthew Broderick stars as a naive army recruit looking for action - though not the battle kind - in Neil Simon's hilarious comedy about boot camp during WWII.
The year is 1943 and Eugene Morris Jerome (Broderick) finds himself far from the comforts of his Brooklyn home after being sent to basic training in Biloxi, Mississippi. Expecting the army to be dolls, doughnuts and USO dances, he instead encounters a tough drill sergeant (Christopher Walken) and a platoon of often hostile recruits. Armed with only his sense of humor; Eugene is determined to leave camp with everything he came in with... except his virginity, in this light-hearted look at one man's determined plan to march to his own beat.
Member Reviews
Ok - ChaunceyGardener
The film follows a small group of drafted men during basic training in Mississippi in the last few months of WWII. Although it is listed as a comedy it is not really. It is not Stripes nor Full Metal Jacket. It is a period piece light hearted look at a group of guys thrown together with Walken as the drill sergeant. Not bad.Niel Simon's boot camp memoirs. - cathyottawa
Somewhere in between Stripes and Platoon, lies Biloxi Blues. Set in WW2, about a unit that goes through training but never sees action, this is a nice mix of humour, drama, and nostalgia.
Mathew Broderick played Niel Simon's alter ego, Eugene on the stage as well, and he's quite comfortable in the role.
Christopher Walken is perfectly cast as an ... eccentric... drill sergeant. He shares the most powerful scenes of the movie with Broderick.
Roger Ebert pretty much hated this movie, finding it to be a rehash of every other basic training movie he'd seen, and overly sentimental. I guess I haven't seen as many army movies as he has, because I really enjoyed it.
Maybe Simon romanticizes a bit, but this is clearly a fond memory, and I'm glad he shared it with us.
Member Reviews
Read All...
Ok - ChaunceyGardener
The film follows a small group of drafted men during basic training in Mississippi in the last few months of WWII. Although it is listed as a comedy it is not really. It is not Stripes nor Full Metal Jacket. It is a period piece light hearted look at a group ...Niel Simon's boot camp memoirs. - cathyottawa
Somewhere in between Stripes and Platoon, lies Biloxi Blues. Set in WW2, about a unit that goes through training but never sees action, this is a nice mix of humour, drama, and nostalgia.
Mathew Broderick played Niel Simon's alter ego, Eugene on the ...