Sgt. Bilko

Sgt Bilko delivers countless laughs, mostly from Steve Martin, Dan Akroyd and Phil Hartman. The rest of the cast are a joke. There are so many gags, slapstick, and one-liners you have to enjoy it. There is no strong story line which is unfortunate, but Bilko gets away with it. The constant parody of the united states army is much more relaxed than the Korean setting of MASH.

Do not watch this film with any predispositions or expectations of what you are going to see, and you will enjoy it so much more. I recommend it to anyone who just wants a quick two hour getaway from reality, and a chance to let yourself go and have some fun.

You know what's weird? My mom was the biggest Steve Martin fan you would ever meet, she had(what I thought) all of his movies and watched every biography on him. So since she had a lot of his movies, I watched most of them with her. But my boyfriend kept telling me about a film called St. Bilko and how hilarious it was. I was stumped, I couldn't find it in my mom's collection nor did I ever hear of it. So my boyfriend and I went shopping and he found it on DVD, so we went home and watched it. This film just took me back to the classic comedies I grew up with like Trading Places, The Great Outdoors and Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Steve Martin is always a great comedic actor who is a pleasure to watch, same with Dan Aykroyd. While this movie doesn't stand out as well as their other films, this was still a lot of fun to watch.

Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko is in charge of the motor pool at Fort Baxter, a small US Army base. Exploiting this position, he directs a number of scams ranging from gambling to renting out military vehicles. His commanding officer, Colonel Hall, overlooks Bilko's money making schemes, as he is more concerned with his own affairs. Bad news begins when inspector Major Thorn, Bilko's rival, arrives at the camp and begins to cast scrutiny on Bilko's record. The motivation for Thorn's actions is due to the intense rivalry between the two due to several mishaps in the past, particularly because Thorn's career was ruined due to one of Bilko's scams. Thorn's revenge ensues and ultimately it becomes a battle of wits between the two men. Thorn's reliance on sabotage ultimately leads to his downfall and he is sent to Greenland. Also Bilko's fiancée, Rita, whom Bilko has stood up several times at the altar. Bilko is given an ultimatum to win her back within 30 days or to lose her forever.

I have to say that I did enjoy St. Bilko, it was great seeing this army crew just goof off and enjoying boot camp. I think my favorite scene was when Bilko has to prove that his crew are hard workers and could complete the obstacle course that the other army recruits could do. Just their reactions of course being as if they've never exercised before in their lives was a good laugh. Steve Martin and his fiancée constantly taking a trip up and down the aisle was fun too. Plus this has one of my favorite comedic actors, Phil Hartman, who is again a great watch is always guaranteed to give you a good laugh. While the film may not stand out, this was definitely worth the watch. I would recommend it if you need a good laugh, you're always in good company with Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd and Phil Hartman, not to mention a baby Chris Rock.

6/10

This movie was under-appreciated in its theatrical release. In fact, it's a rarity these days.....a lightweight comedy that doesn't insult your intelligence. Some critics carped because it wasn't like the classic TV show, but it would have been hard (and foolish) to try and duplicate the genius of Phil Silvers. Steve Martin does a fine job of putting his own unique stamp on the character of Ernie Bilko and he's surrounded by a good supporting cast with many familiar faces. The story isn't the most intricately plotted in the world, but it doesn't have to be. The gags and one-liners come fast and furious and there are plenty of laughs.

A pleasant comedy that's good for all ages.

This is actually a very funny movie, one of Steve's funniest movies - up there with Father of the Bride. All the characters, Dan Akroyd, Phil Hartman, even an appearance by Chris Rock make this an extremely enjoyable movie. The Hover Tank was hands down the funniest part. Steve is full of laughs in this movie and acts out the character of Sergeant Bilko superbly. I have watched this movie at least four times and I was still laughing all the way through. This is in fact one of my all time favourite comedies. I have never seen the original and perhaps my judgement of this movie is therefore altered. Yet if you have never seen or even heard of the original and you like Steve's work then you will surely like this. Don't look at the votes rating I'll give this 8/10.

I'm really impressed by the thought and care others have put into reviewing this movie. So, here's my input. I'm a huge Steve Martin fan & he's a comedy giant, but. He ain't Bilko and never will be. Steve Martin is essentially a well-educated, sophisticated, upper middle-class Californian whereas Phil Silvers (RIP) was a hustling, streetwise, New York jew who came from the the streets and learned his craft from the ground up. The experience Silvers brought to the character made Ernie Bilko such an icon. I guess he'd have played a wealthy LA lawyer just as badly as Martin plays Bilko(?) As others have said (and better than me) Phil Silvers WAS Bilko. You can't improve on perfection. I can't understand why the makers of this film even tried? What I do like about this remake (accidentally) is that it's made me realise exactly what was SO good about the original. Firstly, Martin's character is nothing more than a slippery, greasy, self-obsessed con-man. Silvers played the role very differently. The original Bilko was a hustler because he came from an environment where you either hustled or starved, and don't forget Silvers' Bilko always cared about his troops. In episode after episode, when it came down to it Ernie Bilko would put his men before his "instincts". My personal favorite was the episode where Bilko uses his dubious talents to out con the con-men who've cheated Doberman out of an inheritence. I don't see any human qualities in the shallow Bilko as played by Martin. Then there are the minor players in the original series. Have you ever noticed, all the privates & corporals are guys 15 or 20 years older than real soldiers would be in those ranks. Even the wonderful Dan Ackroyd lacks the priceless confusion of the original. "Bilko-world" is surreal & I'm sad anyone thought such a comedy classic could ever be remade.