Jakester This is an entirely watchable World War II film. I say this with surprise, because I avoided the movie for years. I was aware of it as a kid growing up in the '60s - it showed up on "Saturday Night at the Movies" on NBC but I steered clear of it - I was probably turned off by the not-very-good TV series with the same title.Jack Lemmon is excellent here in a sort of Ensign Pulver sequel. Ricky Nelson, 20 years old (strongly resembling the young Mel Gibson) is pretty good. Nelson was at the height of his fame in 1960, with a multimedia thing going on, consisting of his daddy's TV show, movies, and, most prominently, hit records. (The man had 17 Top Ten hits in his career!)There's a gritty authenticity to the picture - for example, the sailors sweat a LOT just like they did in the South Pacific during the war. The grit combines with some laughs; this combination works well. (See "Father Goose" and "Mr. Roberts" for additional examples of this genre, drama/comedy-during-WWII.) Mike Kellin is very effective as the chief petty officer. Tom Tully is solid and subtle as the port captain - Tully suffered a tragic fate a few years later, see his listing here at IMDb for the sad details."Wackiest Ship" kind of falls apart toward the end when Jack Lemmon isn't around as much; it might have benefited from a few more minutes of Tom Tully. But on the whole it's 99 minutes well spent (it seems a little too short).

edalweber I agree with several of the previous reviewers.This is a peculiar mixture of comedy and drama. After all, getting run through by a samurai sword is hardly a joke.But for the most part it is pleasant enough mild comedy, though scarcely a classic.Since this movie is not intended to be taken seriously, pointing out "factual errors" is just for fun.One happens after they are captured.The Japanese officer shows them an aerial photo taken several days previously showing the ship with the crew disguised as natives, and says that because of this they can be shot as spies.While the Japanese were not noted for adhering to the rules of war, and did not sign the Geneva Convention, as the officer points out, Japan DID sign the Hague conventions on naval warfare of the 1890's. One provision, sometimes known as the "disguised commerce raider clause" gives Naval vessels in wartime free rein to do what soldiers are NOT permitted to do on land.Warships and their crews may adopt any disguise they choose, fly neutral or enemy flags, adopt any deception that they want.Soldiers doing the same on land , if caught, can legally be shot as spies.It may seem unfair and inconsistent, but that is the way it is under the rules of war.A minor point is that since the days of sail were not that far in the past then, you would think that the Navy could find enough men experienced in sail to man the ship.But then veterans of the armed forces will tell you that the military rarely uses common sense!

Andy (film-critic) Navy. Let's just get it out of the troubled air first – shouldn't this film be called "The Wackiest Ship in the Navy". To begin with it has a stronger presence, reminding you of the good times we had with "McHale's Navy", but here it feels as if the director is already telling us a joke we don't feel like laughing at. Perhaps the two words, "Ship" and "Army" are a joke within themselves, demonstrating the power of the comedy right off the bat. Well, it failed. This was an annoying title that just got worse as I continued to think about the logistics. With this thought out of the way, what else failed in this film? Two words: Jack Lemmon. This was the worst film to showcase his talents, because he demonstrated no ability at all. His character, the most capable non-captain apparently in the entire Army (…or is it Navy?), was unfunny, overzealous, and arrogant throughout the picture. Coupled with his mopey second in command (a horrid Ricky Nelson as Ens. Hanson) that seemed to only take directions subtlety without passion or excitement, created a cinematic experience that was both boring and uncreative all at the same time. While I didn't want these two central characters to fall within the Hollywood cliché circle, I did want some comfort – some actual humor – as well as some chemistry that built upon that humor. Alas, none was present, and instead we had two actors just play their part all the while collecting their paycheck.When a film uses the word "Wackiest" in its title, it would imply that there is going to be mischief, uncalled for chaos (also involving mischief), and characters that are larger than life providing us with the belly laughs we need through these harsh economic times. In my opinion, "Wackiest" is a misrepresentation for this film. The idea behind this film, a Navy man has to sail his way into enemy territory using a crew that knows nothing about actual sailing and ultimately asked to save the day. I know…I know, the jokes should have been flowing like the green screen ocean behind Lemmon, but it never did. The premise is strong, it had the potential to make you laugh – it drew ideas from other comedy films that do make you laugh – but where this film failed was in its execution. Comedy was forbidden in this film. Sure, there were scenes that attempted at comedy (i.e. the bad coffee sight gag), and there was plenty of pre-music warning us that something funny could happen – but nothing did. We spend forty minutes getting to the boat, twenty minutes on it, then the other forty carelessly outsmarting the Japanese insurgency. There were no sight gags, no quotable lines, and definitely nothing to say this would be great with friends and family. "The Wackiest Ship in the Army" floundered, with poor production values and paper-thin characters, not even a grin was worth the effort. If this ship was aptly called "The Wackiest", then I feel bad for those other vessels that probably promised laughs – and followed through successfully.There is very little positive praise that one can give this film. Jack Lemmon, a man that I admire from his work on "The Apartment" and "The Odd Couple" knows, or should I say knew, comedy. He knew how to make this viewer laugh, and he has done it with what seemed like the greatest grace, but this film didn't even scratch the surface of his potential. Why waste such a talented actor on a script that had larger holes than those written by Louis Sachar. It felt as if the writers had to produce a script in three days, or they would lose their jobs. This film, "The Wackiest Ship in the Army" is that final project. None of the characters, even Lemmon, are worth viewing. The pathetic attempt at danger, attempting to build any suspense especially during the mine field gimmick, was devastatingly bad. This was not comedy. This was not even an attempt at comedy. This was faux comedy. Not quite real – even when the entire audience is hoping for the best.Overall, I have to admit, this was a horrid film. One could argue that Jack Lemmon could never make a disastrous film, and I would have to continually quote this film. Absolutely nothing worked in this film, from the comedy, the factual elements, and even the moments of suspense – it just seemed pre-cut. This was a pre-determined film, knowing from the beginning that the ending was in sight and no clouds ahead. I can't argue about that, in this pre-determined world Hollywood, there is a sense of comfort with knowing how a film will end, but it is how we get to that ending that counts. In this film, that was nearly as bad as our outside elements. The characters were never witty, never dialogue savvy, or even schooled in physical comedy. Nothing worked in this "naval" comedy. I would love to tell you something, anything positive about this film, just in hopes that perhaps I missed something – but alas, I cannot suggest it to anyone. I would like to attach this warning – this is not a comedy – repeat – this is not a comedy. View at your own risk … we cannot promise your safety.Grade: * out of *****

bkoganbing As military service comedies go, The Wackiest Ship in the Army isn't the best one going, but it is pretty amusing. Jack Lemmon plays a naval lieutenant who in civilian life had sailboat racing experience. Therefore he's just the man to command a sailing craft made up to look like a native trading vessel. The object being to land Australian coast watcher Chips Rafferty in the middle of Japanese held territory. Lemmon has a callow young ensign as his executive officer in Ricky Nelson and a crew of men, none of whom have any kind of experience in a sailing craft. The laughs come as he tries to whip this crew into some kind of shape before the mission.Jack Lemmon had just come off Some Like It Hot and The Apartment so he was hot box office back then. The Wackiest Ship in the Army isn't in the aforementioned league of films, but it's still good and unlike the other classics was turned into a television series, albeit a short lived one, just like that other Lemmon film, Mister Roberts.Ricky Nelson was never the greatest actor going, but he was their for the teenage girl market at the box office. What he was though was a very good singer and he does get to sing Do You Know What It Means to Leave New Orleans which sold a few platters back in the day.Outstanding other performances in the film are from Chips Rafferty, Australia's greatest cinema star, Mike Kellin playing the CPO of the sailing crew and Tom Tully who seems to continue where he took off from in The Caine Mutiny.Even today I think cinema fans will enjoy the comedy of Jack Lemmon in The Wackiest Ship in the Army.