dir. Norman Jewison (trailer)
The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming is a fun, slapstick comedy that still holds up comedically and is as relevant as it was in 1966. The film takes place on a New England vacation town, situated on the fictional island of Gloucester, after all of the summer tourists have gone home. As the Whittaker family prepares to head home for the season, a Russian submarine runs aground off the coast when the captain decides he wanted to get close enough to see America. The Russian sailors set out on foot in search of a motorboat to push their submarine back out to sea, but their paths quickly cross with the Whittaker family as news spreads across the island of an imminent Russian invasion.
Anchored by outstanding performances, including Alan Arkin in his first major movie role as one of the Russian sailors, this film leans into the comedy that comes out of stressful situations. As Walt Whittaker (Carl Reiner) discovers that the Russians are not trying to attack the US, but only accidentally grounded their submarine, he begins trying to tell the town but no one listens to him and often take his words out of context to further fuel the hunt for the Russian soldiers. Meanwhile, the Russians are comically trying to make their way to the harbor to steal a boat through a series of mishaps, including cars that breakdown and elderly ladies that get in their way. Even though most of the film is genuinely hilarious, there are also moments seriousness concerning the two enemy countries and how the two different groups view each other.
Many other aspects of the film stand out as well, including the opening title sequence that intersperses the American flag and Soviet Russian flags in a bombastic fashion, and the film's soundtrack that alternates between overly patriotic American and Russian songs.
I recommend this film to fans of old school comedies and those who enjoy large ensemble casts.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Recommended for fans of: comedy, 1941 (1979), It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), musicals, Catch-22 (1970)
0 Comments.