User reviews

I didn't quite understand all of the jokes, but I enjoyed this movie enormously. It is essentially one of the best satirical comedies out there. Peter Sellers was hilarious here in no less than 3 roles. My personal favourite was the president. My favourite line of the film is actually in the title of this review, as Dad and I watched this at midnight and couldn't stop laughing. I loved Sellers also as the man in the wheelchair Strangelove, who tries to impersonate Hitler, I think. There was a brilliant performance from fine actor George C. Scott, who I really admire. I personally think there isn't enough of these two stars on television, I really don't. I noticed a young James Earl Jones too, and the camera-work and direction were both excellent. Got to love the music, I did, a bit ironic, but that was the intention. Great movie! 9/10. Bethany Cox

This movie had humor to an intelligent extent and was one of the most entertaining "older" movies. The story was told nice with cuts from the war room, mandrakes story, and the flight. A very linear composition but filled with humor and action. I still love the iconic scene where "yee haw" is being screamed while riding nuclear weapon. ICONIC!

As a film Dr. Strangelove was so well received that a more serious film on the same topic, Failsafe, failed to find an audience. Yet Strangelove made you think as well as entertain which is the ultimate object of any great work of cinema.

General Jack D. Ripper has sent out the Strategic Air Command bombers and locked down Burpelson Air Force Base so that higher ups can't interfere. He's struck back at the dirty Communists for pushing fluoridation of the water supply which he feels has interfered with his bodily functions.

Ripper might want to have checked with the Air Force Chief of Staff, General Buck Turgidson who when we meet him seems to have all his bodily functions working just fine. A second opinion on Ripper's lack of bodily functions might have revised his reason on why his particular functions weren't doing well.

Of course his actions have created a crisis and President Muffley of the United States is busy trying to talk to Premier Kissoff of the USSR to prevent a nuclear war. That is in case those SAC bombers can't be recalled. One of the bombers commanded by Major Kong is anxious to do battle with the 'Rooskies'.

Director Stanley Kubrick went poaching on the black comedy normally that would be the province of Billy Wilder. But even Wilder in his wildest dreams never used those wonderful Dickensian names for his characters that Kubrick is so delighting in. My favorite however is the part played by Keenan Wynn as the army colonel commanding the tactical force that liberates Burpelson, Colonel Bat Guano.

Jack D. Ripper is played by Sterling Hayden a man consumed by his lack of bodily functions. This is a takeoff on Army General Edwin Walker who commanded US troops in Germany and was relieved when it was discovered he was indoctrinating his troops with John Birch Society propaganda which included their fears about fluoridation of water. Curiously enough that cause was actually taken up by other than fanatic right-wingers, people like Ralph Nader. Could Ripper have been right after all?

George C. Scott is cigar chomping, bodily functioning spoof of legendary SAC commander Curtis LeMay. He's having quite the difficult time in deciding just who to root for in this crisis.

Peter Sellers got an Oscar nomination for playing three different characters in Dr. Strangelove. Sellers is President Muttley, Colonel Mandrake of the RAF an exchange officer serving under Sterling Hayden and the crazed former Nazi nuclear scientist Dr. Strangelove. Watching the film, it's almost hard to believe this is the same man using three different voices and appearances that makeup alone could not explain. Sellers lost to his fellow British player Rex Harrison for My Fair Lady.

In fact Dr. Strangelove also lost as Best Picture to My Fair Lady. Of course George Bernard Shaw never put his legendary wit to the issue of mutual nuclear annihilation. Neither did Billy Wilder, but I have a feeling those two talents together couldn't have done any better than Stanley Kubrick.

The image that stays in your mind from the film I guarantee will be Slim Pickens as Major Kong riding that hydrogen bomb down to its 'Rooskie' target like a bucking bronco.

Hopefully we won't meet Major Kong again, who knows where and who knows when.

I never really bought into the Kubrick hype. I mean: don't get me wrong; I like all of his films very much - but to me, they all feel somewhat over-constructed and lack a natural flow. And then I finally got to see 'Dr.Strangelove'. Wow. What a terrific, pitch black satire. This film is so wild and mean and funny - and Peter Sellers gives THE performance of his career. Unlike in any of Kubrick's later works, there's a sense of playfulness here that gives the whole movie a crazy kind of energy; I'm guessing that Seller's love for improvisation forced Kubrick to ditch his usual perfectionism to a certain degree (and the film is all the better for it). Sharp, outrageously entertaining comedy/satire by one of the most revered directors of the past century. 10 out of 10.

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Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

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Spectacular and chilling to watch Dr. Strangelove in May 16, 2017. I'm not going to talk about prophecy not even coincidence. Art has a way to warn, express or simply entertain in a way that its relevance will always be renewed. That opening with George C Scott's secretary, in her underwear, answering the phone for her boss in the most professional tone imaginable, is a masterful way to introduce us to the normal absurdity we're about to embark on. Terry Southern's extraordinary script (sharing credit with Peter George and Stanley Kubrick himself) is a masterpiece of intention and execution. The film doesn't have a moment of emptiness nor a single cheap shot. Everything works with the irrational logic of tradition and set standards. How can something so serious and ultimately terrifying can be so funny. I think that's the definition of film art. I don't want to sound pompous but that's exactly how I feel. I've seen a 1966 movie by Stanley Kubrick in 2017 that's better, more relevant, ingenious and even revolutionary than anything we've seen in a long, long time. Peter Sellers, fantastic three times over (and he was also going to play the Slim Pickens part) George C Scott in one of the greatest comic performances ever put on film and Sterling Hayden in a frighteningly credible show of abuse of power, complete the pleasures of this remarkable film.

What makes this film so powerful is the message that it made at the time of its release. This film came out at a height of paranoia of the nuclear age and the Cold War, right around the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis. This film depicts a horrible, tragic incident in which a breach in the government and a few diplomatic mistakes result in nuclear holocaust. So, why didn't this film inspire panic? Because of the brilliant way in which Kubrick presents it... as a satire. The scariest thing about this film in retrospect is not how it depicts the impending doom of the Cold War, but how it makes you laugh at it. By presenting it with humor, it conveys just how much of a farce the nuclear arms race was in real life. And I don't think that any other film has captured the absurdity of war nearly as well as this one has. And I am not likely to believe that one ever will. In my opinion, Kubrick has never made a better film since. And kudos to George C. Scott for his astounding performance, as well as Peter Sellers for the most versatile acting I've seen from an actor in one film, and to Sterling Hayden, for performing the most serious, yet the most hilarious role in film with perfect accuracy. Beware of fluoridation!

This movie is possibly the best comedy ever made, only with one fact against it: it's not very "comical". Hilarious? Yes. Comical? Absolutely not. The horrors of the nuclear war caused by a simple mistake materialize before us, directed with skill by the late maestro, Kubrick.

There are simply not enough words to describe Peter Sellers's BRILLIANT performance in three roles: A british officer, the U.S president and Dr. Strangelove. He is hilarious as the british officer, with his wonderful accent, gloomy and neurotic as the president and simply insane as Dr. Strangelove.

Also note that this movie includes a performance by very young James Earl Jones, who we now all know as the voice behind Darth Vader.

The ending scene is also a masterpiece.

Stanley Kubrick's first and only comedic masterpiece is still the finest ever made. I love everything in the movie: the brilliant acting, sensational script, flawless direction, and even those quirky visual effects. Not only was this film hilarious, it was a breakthrough for the entire film industry when first released. In addition to it's amazing satirical basis, the film also played a major role in how films were advertised and marketed... as if Peter Seller's performance wasn't enough! The sets were also very convincing and just plain great! So realistic in fact, that the FBI almost investigated how they got the B-52 Bomber replicated to near perfection!

In the end, 'Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb' is the best comedy. It's also another milestone in film making and another reason to be astonished when looking at the work of Stanley Kubrick.

An obvious perfect ***** / *****

Few films are able to take a deadly serious issue and place it within the context of a broad comedy successfully. Dr. Strangelove does exactly that. Kubrick's masterpiece illustrates in brilliant fashion the idiocy of nuclear war and the idiots who are orchestrating it. What strikes one most however in this cinematic gem are the individual characterisations of Sellers, Scott, Hayden and Pickens. To refer to them as memorable roles is a gross understatement. With names such as President Merkin Muffley, General "Buck" Turgidson, General Jack D. Ripper and Major T.J. "King" Kong, you know that these characters will not be soon forgotten. Other features of the film such as the remarkably designed "war room" set, the hand-held camera techniques employed by Kubrick and the black and white cinematography of Gilbert Taylor only add to the power and impact of "Strangelove." Quite simply, the greatest American film by the greatest American director.

Yeah. It was funny. It was entertaining. It's not a bad movie by any means. I think Kubrick did a great job with the visuals and the settings.

Beyond that, it's not very dramatic or suspenseful. There's not much depth or intellect. I laughed modestly a few times, but mostly, the humor consists of lazy military stereotypes. The premise was interesting. I could've done with less cockpit and gun firing scenes. Perhaps the general and his descent into madness could've used more fleshing out. I don't know. It feels like it's missing something.

Maybe it's one of these meme movies like Napoleon Dynamite that you either "get" or you don't.

Dr Strangelove is a film that is sitting high up in the IMDb Top 250 films (it's currently sitting at number 49 on the list) and therefore it's clearly a film that is generally loved by the public - the critics also have a strong liking for this film. I personally found this film a little uneven if I'm honest....

I think where this film is at its strongest is once we get to The War Room; the scenes within the War Room are easily the funniest and best examples of satire. The phone calls between the US President and the Russian President did have me really laughing and I also liked the interplay between President Muffley and the militant Buck Turgidson and thought their various exchanges were absolute gold. Peter Sellers was fantastic in his three different roles although I must admit he was definitely at his best as the German Weapons Researcher. Sellers clearly had a lot of fun here and his performance(s) in this film do almost make up for some of the more tedious aspects. Likewise, Scott was great in his respective role and Hayden was good as the insane general and gave a real scenery chewing performance - did that cigar ever leave his mouth? I think the funniest part of the film was the scene where Mandrake is trying to get through to the President, but runs out of money and asks a soldier to shoot the Coca Cola machine so that he can get some more money in order to get through to the President. The soldier then utters the line "If you don't get through to the President, you'll end up in trouble with Coca-Cola". A very funny exchange and quite unexpected if I'm honest.

Where the film falters slightly is in most of the scenes outside the War Room. There were far too many scenes from within the war planes that were quite dull if I'm honest. I can understand the opening plane scene and the closing plane scenes, but the constant cuts from the War Room to the planes just seemed pointless. If there was any humour to be found in the 'plane' scenes then it was clearly lost on me. Unfortunately these dull scenes did drag the film down slightly for me despite the fact that the majority of The War Room scenes were very funny.

Dr Strangelove isn't a bad film, but it's a very uneven film that was both very funny and very tedious. Unfortunately the good and the bad pretty much cancel each other out hence the score of 5 out of 10.

The insane acting talent displayed by Peter Sellers isn't the only thing this film did for me. It created a sense of pure panic while simultaneously finding humor in this early piece of brilliance from Kubrick in his long directing career. George C. Scott also turned in a fantastic performance as a typical war hungry 1950's/60's military general. This film will transport you into the middle of a Cold War era. A period where despite the warning label in the beginning explaining its fictional origin, it definitely possessed real possibilities. The whole cast does a absolutely brilliant job and I am a firm believer that this will remain timelessly enjoyable.

Who'd have thought that Kubrick had such a great sense of humor? I mean, in most of his films, there are snippets of humor, and Barry Lyndon has a definite irony, but I hadn't expected him to be able to direct such a hilarious and thoroughly entertaining comedy. I had known for a while that this was the highest rated Kubrick film here on IMDb, so naturally, I was excited to find out if it was really his best film. Even though I haven't seen Lolita, Spartacus, Eyes Wide Shut or his first few films(the shorts he made before his feature), and even though I thoroughly enjoyed his other films, this very well may be his best film. Made in a period of time where the thought of nuclear war was a terrifying idea, that was believed to be a reasonable fear, the film takes this idea and turns it around, makes us laugh at it. The film was made during the Cold War, which must have taken quite a lot of guts on Kubrick's side... then again, he did start out, intending to make a thriller/suspense film about the subject, but ultimately realized that a comedy with a lighthearted look on the situation would be a better idea. So, he turned the idea of impending doom from nuclear holocaust into a black comedy. Personally, I think he did a damn good job of it. I haven't laughed that hard and for so long at any one time for quite a while... in fact, I might never have. The comedy isn't overplayed, in fact most of it is presented in a dead-pan, matter-of-fact-like type of way... what's even more hilarious is that the better part of it is completely accurate. No dumb stereotypes, no old clichés... just logic and simple, good old-fashioned observation. The plot is excellent, and very well-paced. In my opinion, Kubrick's most well-paced film. The plot takes off almost immediately and moves at a great pace throughout the film. The acting is flawless. Absolutely flawless. Not something completely unusual for a Kubrick film, but still. George C. Scott and Peter Sellers are amazing. Normally, I'm not too fond of Sellers, but here he was brilliant. The characters are well-written, diverse and interesting. The cinematography is great. Just like Kubrick's other films, this one has some very memorable scenes, one of which(the bomb-riding sequence) has been referenced and spoofed a huge number of times... possibly more times than any other sequence in Kubrick's films, which is quite impressive. The dialog is well-written, well-delivered and memorable. Plenty of quotable lines. I can't really say much more about the movie without ruining one or more of the innumerable great jokes... so I'll just suggest you see it. Seriously, if you enjoy Kubrick's sense of humor as seen limited in his other movies, you're going to enjoy this film. Maybe not as much as I did, but you'll most likely laugh. A lot. I recommend this to any fan of Kubrick, black comedies, Peter Sellers or just comedies with a dark basic theme to watch this. I can't praise it enough. See it, unless you are offended by the themes the film presents. You won't regret it. I know I didn't. Not by a long shot. Hilarious film with a provocative plot and basic idea. 10/10

One of the best films ever made, this remains timeless despite changes in technology, foreign policy and world politics; the military/political madness remains the same. Gets better all the time, with successive viewings and its luster has not dimmed since its first release.

With three show-stopping performances from Sellers (amongst his best work, if not THE BEST), and an unexpectedly hilarious turn by George C. Scott (if Sellers weren't SO dead on-target, Scott would easily steal the show), STRANGELOVE is filled with cartoonish, over-the-top characters that, despite the lunacy, still ring true. Special mention must be made for Sterling Heyden's controlled, brooding paranoia as General Jack D. Ripper. He's funny, he's scary.

All-in-all, a brilliant piece of work by all involved.

One of the funniest and yet most poignant movies I have ever seen. Kubrick is at his best here, as usual showing what can happen when a finely tuned system built by humans (in this case, the tremendous infrastructure of Mutually Assured Destruction) just doesn't work. As usual, Kubrick's point is that the system is only as good as the people running it, and here the people running it are hilariously bad. Career-peak performances by George C. Scott, Slim Pickens, and of course Peter Sellers, Peter Sellers and Peter Sellers.

Despite many of this movie's hilarious moments having entered general popular culture, when you watch it they are still funny enough to make you laugh out loud. And there are yet many more comic gems to delight the unfamiliar viewer. I've seen Strangelove twice in theaters in the last couple of years ... I was stunned to find packed audiences screaming with laughter and delighted to learn that I'm not the only one who finds it hilarious, even decades after filming.

A somewhat unhinged US General goes rogue, and orders a bombing raid on The Soviet Union. His actions send The War Room into a panic, various personalities clash, as they try to avoid a nuclear holocaust.

I have really enjoyed reading the reviews, especially the numerous 10 star reviews, it's clear that this film is loved my many, personally I enjoyed it, I'd say it's a very good film, I'm not sure I see it as a great.

When it comes to Kubrick I still think 2001 is my favourite, followed by Clockwork Orange.

The acting is phenomenal, Peter Sellers gives one of his best (and let's be honest there are many) ever performances, he is phenomenal, each character he plays is so different.

I enjoyed the cleverness of it, it's very sharp and witty, I thought some of the laughs were a little flat, and at times it was just a little too clever for its own good.

I loved the visuals, it looks so sharp and polished, the black and white fits the story incredibly well.

How gloriously unexpected that moment where Dame Vera Lynn comes blasting out with we'll meet again.

Sellers is a joy to watch.

7/10.

Stanley Kubrick always likes to try something new with each movie he does, and this proves it. This is truly one of the grittiest, and best dark comedies I've ever seen with some crude moments and some odd ones (who'd think to have Slim Pickens riding a bomb on it's way down). It turns into a flat out masterpiece though with the spectacular acting by Peter Sellers (in three separate roles), George C. Scott (his facial expressions are a crack up every time), and a supporting cast of crazies in a government of loons, the most impressive of these being the incomparable Sterling Hayden in his best dramatic/funny role. It contains a resonance as well that sticks till today, as corruption and pig-headedness rules in all sorts of governments, but most of all in those with the most power. It's almost worth it just for the opening credits and end sequence with "we'll meet again".

"Dr. Strangelove" (1964) is an iconic satire about the consequences of nuclear war and arms race. If you want to get as much out of it as possible, there are a few things you need to keep in mind before watching:

It is important to remember that Dr. Strangelove is a movie from 1964 and was thereby released soon after the culmination of the Cuba Crisis two years earlier. At its face value, it is a slow-burning feature filled with a unique, dark and time-stamped humor when all things are considered. Expect a lot of dialogue with over-the-top patriotism and prejudice against communists, with a few scenes and conversations sprinkled with a hint of sexuality.

Going deeper into the movie however, this was a very real threat that was closer to explode than what most people think, and it that light, Dr. Strangelove is... quite something. Some will find it tedious with clumsy special effects, and other will find it an intriguing reflection of a tense era, capsulated in an hour and a half.

My personal grade: a peculiar 6/10. If you found this helpful, check my profile for more reviews.