The aggressive harassment of female coworkers is probably the central running joke of the movie. It wants me to laugh along but it just makes me wince.
I love that everyone is quick to point out the film's obvious machismo misogyny, yet no one brings up that the movie features a character named "Spear-chucker".
If you're a fan of the M*A*S*H TV series, Robert Altman's original film whose success spawned it is a cold shower of reality. The tone isn't quite as endearing and the sexual politics in particular seem very dated and objectionable. I think what may be the most off-putting is the level of humiliation "Hot Lips" O'Houlihan is put through by the chauvinistic doctors of the 4077, quite beyond anything that would be tolerable today, which makes Hawkeye, Trapper, etc. unsympathetic. But then this film isn't so concerned with sympathy, or protecting a TV series' leads; it presents a somewhat satirical portrait of life a few miles from the front lines, and lets you decide if "boys will be boys". What we have to remember is that these are doctors who, in civilian life, are likely country club members living large. Thrown into the Korean war without the discipline of the trained soldier, they become lascivious drunkards and con men. Altman shows it, but doesn't spell it out. Once you get rid of your resentment that Donald Sutherland isn't Alan Alda (etc.), you start to see it. Regardless of the discomfort, there are some fun and funny bits throughout. I especially like the mangled P.A. announcements that punctuate the film.
Growing up watching the TV show religiously I constantly felt like these actors on the screen were impersonating some of my favorite characters in a weird way (with the exception of Radar of course.) It's a strange comedy in that I didn't feel it strayed into "dark comedy" nor did it have the wacky kind of laughs that the show could produce. It comes off as more a chronicle of a bunch of characters thrown into a situation and... well, whatever happens will happen, there's not a whole lot of emotional weight to anything. On a bright note it did probably pave the way for the TV show so that's a positive.
This reminded me of another “classic”, Animal House. A bunch of unsympathetic characters being dicks to undeserving targets, specially women. I guess in the 70’s those attitudes felt fresh, but now they seem desperate and outdated; the kind of stuff that appeals to teenage edgelords.
As a whole, it’s also very unfocused. The loose narrative pales against similarly structured films by guys like Hawks or Linklater.
Maybe if the medical stuff contrasted more with the comedy by being more tragic and graphic, I could’ve been more forgiving. “These characters are under a lot of stress and they need all the buffoonery to keep their sanity”. But the tone was a straight line, which made the movie boring.
Just awful.
I feel really bad for O'Houlahan. Because she's not a degenerate, she's driven mad by the misogynistic troops. After that I really didn't enjoy the subsequent jokes. It feels like Hawkeye and Trapper John are meant to be the heroes, but they're just so unlikeable
It still baffles me that the actor who is rather known as "Monica's and Ross's Dad" nowadays also played this misogynistic and racist Jackass-y military doctor many decades ago.
What an interesting film. Altman's disjointed style is distracting at first but as the film progresses and you realize its episodic structure, it grows on you. Interestingly enough, by the end of the film, Altman's style seems to have changed too. During the climactic football match we suddenly have humourous music, montages and a real heros vs. villains atmosphere. It's as if we are slowly acclimatized to the army atmosphere and slowly acclimatized to Altman's style and Lardner's sense of humour.
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Comments 1 - 15 of 18
melle224
Oh, the misogyny.greenhorg
The aggressive harassment of female coworkers is probably the central running joke of the movie. It wants me to laugh along but it just makes me wince.JackieGigantic
I love that everyone is quick to point out the film's obvious machismo misogyny, yet no one brings up that the movie features a character named "Spear-chucker".Siskoid
If you're a fan of the M*A*S*H TV series, Robert Altman's original film whose success spawned it is a cold shower of reality. The tone isn't quite as endearing and the sexual politics in particular seem very dated and objectionable. I think what may be the most off-putting is the level of humiliation "Hot Lips" O'Houlihan is put through by the chauvinistic doctors of the 4077, quite beyond anything that would be tolerable today, which makes Hawkeye, Trapper, etc. unsympathetic. But then this film isn't so concerned with sympathy, or protecting a TV series' leads; it presents a somewhat satirical portrait of life a few miles from the front lines, and lets you decide if "boys will be boys". What we have to remember is that these are doctors who, in civilian life, are likely country club members living large. Thrown into the Korean war without the discipline of the trained soldier, they become lascivious drunkards and con men. Altman shows it, but doesn't spell it out. Once you get rid of your resentment that Donald Sutherland isn't Alan Alda (etc.), you start to see it. Regardless of the discomfort, there are some fun and funny bits throughout. I especially like the mangled P.A. announcements that punctuate the film.buteberry
felt like it set the roots of Police Academy style American humorDisneyStitch
Growing up watching the TV show religiously I constantly felt like these actors on the screen were impersonating some of my favorite characters in a weird way (with the exception of Radar of course.) It's a strange comedy in that I didn't feel it strayed into "dark comedy" nor did it have the wacky kind of laughs that the show could produce. It comes off as more a chronicle of a bunch of characters thrown into a situation and... well, whatever happens will happen, there's not a whole lot of emotional weight to anything. On a bright note it did probably pave the way for the TV show so that's a positive.baraka92
This reminded me of another “classic”, Animal House. A bunch of unsympathetic characters being dicks to undeserving targets, specially women. I guess in the 70’s those attitudes felt fresh, but now they seem desperate and outdated; the kind of stuff that appeals to teenage edgelords.As a whole, it’s also very unfocused. The loose narrative pales against similarly structured films by guys like Hawks or Linklater.
Maybe if the medical stuff contrasted more with the comedy by being more tragic and graphic, I could’ve been more forgiving. “These characters are under a lot of stress and they need all the buffoonery to keep their sanity”. But the tone was a straight line, which made the movie boring.
Just awful.
Typically Thomas
I feel really bad for O'Houlahan. Because she's not a degenerate, she's driven mad by the misogynistic troops. After that I really didn't enjoy the subsequent jokes. It feels like Hawkeye and Trapper John are meant to be the heroes, but they're just so unlikeablebrainfabias
Likeable in parts...bilurgher
I know it is a lame problem, but I had a little problems on identifying the characters but it didn't stop me from enjoying this movie. It's fantastic.TheodorIDontKnow
It still baffles me that the actor who is rather known as "Monica's and Ross's Dad" nowadays also played this misogynistic and racist Jackass-y military doctor many decades ago.Duke of Omnium
The impact of the film is diminished a bit by the TV series (not that the TV show was bad; it just robs the movie of a sense of completeness).frankqb
What an interesting film. Altman's disjointed style is distracting at first but as the film progresses and you realize its episodic structure, it grows on you. Interestingly enough, by the end of the film, Altman's style seems to have changed too. During the climactic football match we suddenly have humourous music, montages and a real heros vs. villains atmosphere. It's as if we are slowly acclimatized to the army atmosphere and slowly acclimatized to Altman's style and Lardner's sense of humour.3.5/4
Koosha
A very likeable picture by Mr. Altman. Definitely worth watching and re-watchinglopan017
Robert Altman was the ultimate film rebel.Showing items 1 – 15 of 18